Good intentions are simply not enough. Our character is defined and our lives are determined not by what we want, say or think, but by what we do.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew but how many will feel a lasting loss when you are gone. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by who and for what?

Ethics is not about the way things are, it is about the way things ought to be.

Necessity is not merely the father of invention; it is the father of courage.

Some jobs require a more consistent challenge to moral courage than others. Politics is one. In such a setting terrifically good men and women will still be found wanting occasionally. No one does the right thing all the time. It would be more generous and fair to consider their batting average than to judge them only by their last worst act.

The best way to show true gratitude for all our blessings is to be genuinely happy.

Don't ask whether it is going to be easy. Ask whether it is worth it.