John Lewis

"The pious talk of cultural pluralism only serves to obscure the economic and political reality of cultural imperialism."

"Man was born into barbarism and has to work his way toward civilization."

"A man who cannot endure to the end cannot be saved."

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"

"True religion is concern for one's fellow men and women."

"The purpose of education is to teach a person to think, not to teach him what to think."

"Every nation must now develop an overarching loyalty to mankind as a whole."

"Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows."

"We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles."

"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."

"I came to the conclusion that there is an existential moment in your life when you must decide to speak for yourself; nobody else can speak for you."

"The great tragedy of life is not death; it is what we allow to die inside us while we live."

"Nonconformity is the calling of greatness."

"Forgiveness is not forgetting. It is actually remembering—remembering and not using your right to hit back. That is an act of love."

"Our lives improve only when we take chances."

"I am convinced that the truest act of courage is to sacrifice ourselves for others."

"The swelling crescendo of voices calling for change can no longer be ignored."

"Self-sacrifice may be photo-copied on a thousand minds without reaching the souls of any."

"We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

"Psychology which explains everything explains nothing."

"Patience is a difficult master, but its lesson is invaluable."

"I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate."

"The contemporary church is often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound."

"If you have nothing to die for, you have nothing to live for."

"How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust?"

"God's love operates at all times and on all occasions."

"Money, possessions, and even intellectual knowledge do not come close to the kind of knowledge that is worth having."

"Life is to be lived creatively, or it is not to be lived at all."

"We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but on the positive affirmation of peace."

"The greatest salvation is to have purpose and meaning in life."