Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself. – Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Insecurity of Freedom: Essays on Human Existence, 19
Do you really think it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you that there are terrible temptations which it requires strength, strength and courage to yield to. – Oscar Wilde
Words like freedom, justice, democracy are not common concepts; on the contrary, they are rare. People are not born knowing what these are. It takes enormous and, above all, individual effort to arrive at the respect for other people that these words imply. – James Baldwin
If a secret history of books could be written, and the authors private thoughts and meanings noted down alongside of his story, how many insipid volumes would become interesting, and dull tales excite the reader! – William Makepeace Thackeray
This being Black History Month, I would like to ask people to celebrate the similarities and not focus on the differences between people of color and not of color. – Lynn Swann
