Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

Humility is just as much the opposite of self-abasement as it is of self exaltation. To be humble is not to make comparisons.

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb ... Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals, and to imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

There ought to be one day - just one - when there is open season on senators.

We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon.