Diversity of thought is the highest form of freedom.

Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.

There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism… The one absolutely certain way of brining this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities.

Wherever there is injustice, war, discrimination against women, gays and the disadvantaged, I did my best to show up and exert moral persuasion.

I had always hoped that this land might become a safe & agreeable Asylum to the virtuous & persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong.

If we are to achieve richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.

The overwhelming importance of the atmosphere means that there are no longer any frontiers to defend against pollution, attack, or propaganda. It means, further, that only by a deep patriotic devotion to one’s country can there be a hope of the kind of protection of the whole planet, which is necessary for the survival of the people of other countries.

The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases. Each of us carries his own life-form—an indeterminable form which cannot be superseded by any other.

We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.

What light is to the eyes - what air is to the lungs - what love is to the heart, liberty is to the soul of man.

I prefer liberty with danger than peace with slavery.

Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

The stability of the internal medium is a primary condition for the freedom and independence of certain living bodies in relation to the environment surrounding them.

Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.

As I walked out the door to my freedom I knew that, if I did not leave all the anger, hatred and resentment behind, I would remain a prisoner.

The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.

The right to free speech is more important than the content of the speech.

The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.

Being at ease with not knowing is crucial for answers to come to you.

An inability to stay quiet . . . is one of the most conspicuous failings of mankind.

I hate who steals my solitude without, in exchange, offering me true company.

Thus not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, but it hides his descendants and separates his contemporaries from him; it throws him back forever upon himself alone and threatens in the end to confine him entirely within solitude of his own heart.

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.

One can acquire everything in solitude—except character.

Be grateful for your life, every detail of it, and your face will come to shine like a sun, and everyone who sees it will be made glad and peaceful.

The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.

I have arrived. I am home in the here, in the now. I am solid. I am free. In the ultimate I dwell.