John Lewis

"Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic."

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that."

"Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

"Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it."

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

"The time is always right to do what is right."

"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable."

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl."

"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance."

"Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education."

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

"Freedom is not given; it is won."

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

"I've learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."

"We are not makers of history. We are made by history."

"The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be."

"Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you've already depended on more than half the world."

"Every person has intrinsic value, and dignity should never be denied."

"True peace is not merely the absence of tension but the presence of justice."

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed."

"The purpose of education is to awaken the learner to think independently."

"We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims."

"Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude."

"Our glorious heritage is ours to protect. May we pass it on unsullied to those who come after."

"A man who won't die for something is not fit to live."

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."