There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.

In judging our progress as individuals we tend to concentrate on external factors such as one's social position, influence and popularity, wealth and standard of education... But internal factors may be even more crucial in assessing one's development as a human being. Honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, pure generosity, absence of vanity, readiness to serve others - qualities which are within easy reach of every soul - are the foundation of one's spiritual life.

I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances.

If you are poor, you are not likely to live long.

I appeal to the Youth and those on the ground: start talking to each other across divisions of race and political organizations.

Our task is not to liberate the oppressed, but to liberate the oppressors

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life . . .