For every talent that poverty has stimulated it has blighted a hundred.

We cannot have islands of excellence in a sea of slovenly indifference to standards.

Paralysis of leadership is due in part to the unseen grip of the special interests.

Nothing can be more readily disproved than the old saw, "You can't keep a good man down." Most human societies have been beautifully organized to keep good men down.

But if we believe what we profess concerning the worth of the individual, then the idea of individual development within a framework of ethical purpose must become our deepest concern, our national preoccupation, our passion, our obsession. We must think of education as relevant for everyone everywhere - at all ages and in all conditions of life.

Excellence implies striving for the highest standards in every phase of life.

Creativity requires the freedom to consider unthinkable alternatives, to doubt the worth of cherished practices.