I saw as a teacher how, if you take that spark of learning that those children have, and you ignite it, you can take a child from any background to a lifetime of creativity and accomplishment.

Politics is about the improvement of people's lives. It's about advancing the cause of peace and justice in our country and the world. Politics is about doing well for the people.

There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans.

We must renew democracy itself. We have to fight cynicism and inertia and restore faith in the advancement of our country.

If a teacher does not involve himself, his values, his commitments, in the course of discussion, why should the students?

A politics that is not sensitive to the concerns and circumstances of people's lives, a politics that does not speak to and include people, is an intellectually arrogant politics that deserves to fail.

I emphasize self-esteem, self-confidence, and dignity, not as an ideal, but as a real test of community organization. Without leadership development, community organizations do not have staying power.