Soledad O'Brien Quotes

Is the capacity for cruelty inherent in all of us?

Don't worry about the chatter, do a good job, produce great work and do reporting that you're proud of.

As CNN saw our growth in African-American viewership, they affirmed a fundamental truth of news coverage - people will watch you if they see themselves in what you report. It doesn't hurt if the people doing the reporting look like them, too.

I grew up in a family of educators - my dad was a professor, my mom was a high school grammar and French teacher - so certainly my entire life education was stressed as incredibly important. And I think especially for my parents, who are both immigrants, and when immigrants come to this country, they understand that education is something that no one can take from them. You might leave the country with absolutely nothing, but no one can take your education from you.

When we feel pressured to have achieved certain things by a particular age, it could ultimately hinder us. It's great to have goals but those specific benchmarks can easily become irrelevant once you ask yourself, 'where am I having the most impact?' 'Am I going after the stories I want to tell?'

If you can tell a story well, you can move people to do something.

When you have a child who has special needs, you really start thinking about children across the board with special needs.

My advice to young women who are looking to be successful; make sure you're passionate about whatever it is that you're doing. And make sure you're fulfilled by the opportunities within your job.

There's really no way to break that chain - other than winning the lottery. There's no realistic way to end generational poverty other than to actually educate people so that they can get the jobs, so that people can be self-sufficient. And to be self-sufficient around careers - not just jobs, but careers.

One thing that's certain: around the corner from every ugly thing, there's something really beautiful. If we stop at every bitter interaction; we'll never reach our destination.

There are thousands of inspirational stories waiting to be told about young women who yearn for a great education. They are stories of struggle and stories of success, and they will inspire others to take action and work to change lives.

It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about what's "too much" what's "enough" or if you're telling the "right" stories, just do good work.

People want to know how do they pay for education and they want to figure out how to find and maintain meaningful employment. Education and the economy are polled by Latinos as the top two most important issues. But those are also the issues that everyone cares about, regardless of race; so we don't need to be divided over it.

There is nothing worse than doing nothing and saying nothing when your voice is needed.

When you change your focus to your purpose, you stop worrying about how much money you're going to make and your job title because those things to some degree are irrelevant if you don't love your work.

When we think about the issues that matter, obviously the news covers immigration, a lot. You might think immigration is the only story that actually affects us but when you poll Latinos you'll see that education is the number one topic that they're interested in talking about and economy is the second issue.

I think we have to think about strategies that will help kids who have disabilities.

Honestly, the challenge about being a mom is when something goes wrong - someone's sick, getting someone to doctor's appointments.

Stories are more than compelling facts. People remember stories more than they remember statistics.

It is a sad day for our country when the moral foundation of our law and the acknowledgment of God has to be hidden from public view to appease a federal judge.

Kids who are middle class, socioeconomically, are surrounded by mentors. They have coaches, teachers, they have family friends, their parents have friends. They might have opportunities, they might have jobs that allow them to experience things that kids in poverty often don't have. Sometimes they come from dysfunctional families. And when you come from a family where money's a real challenge, then it might not be a priority to get you into a summer internship.

It doesn't upset me when people are annoyed or bothered by what may seem to them as a redundancy of topics about blacks and Latinos. As a reporter I welcome those types of conversations and dialogues. Even when it's uncomfortable, it's still necessary.

Always zig when people expect you to zag. Confound them!

People will say you cannot get a job in a down economy. People will say you cannot get a job that you love that will pay you well. People will say you can’t do good and do well. They’re wrong, that’s idiotic advice. People will tell you that you cannot change the world. They’re wrong too.

A smart politician needs to come in and create a plan for when our students graduate college, there are opportunities in fields that interest them and a job that's a career. A president whose plans can embrace and incorporate every millennial will be successful.

I don't think being beautiful takes away from your credibility.

I'm a big believer that there's more power in numbers and the more you can expand the stories that are relevant to both communities, the better. For example, a school that's terrible for black kids is terrible for brown kids. We have to figure out ways to navigate the school systems and make sure that we're investing in a public education system that's beneficial for all kids.

I've learned that fear limits you and your vision. It serves as blinders to what may be just a few steps down the road for you. The journey is valuable, but believing in your talents, your abilities, and your self-worth can empower you to walk down an even brighter path. Transforming fear into freedom - how great is that?

I look forward to beginning a relationship with Al Jazeera America, which has made a commitment to producing quality programming and pursuing underreported stories.