I realized quickly what Mandela and Tambo meant to ordinary Africans. It was a place where they could come and find a sympathetic ear and a competent ally, a place where they would not be either turned away or cheated, a place where they might actually feel proud to be represented by men of their own skin color.

These men ask for just the same thing, fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as in my power, they, and all others, shall have.

I’m not for gay marriage, but I’m not for discriminating against people.

The greatest thrill in my life was to represent the United States of America.

In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same.

To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.

One thing I just want to say to the military families – while you might not wear a uniform, I know – we all know, the nation knows – that you serve and sacrifice right alongside of your loved ones. And we are so grateful and proud of all of you for your service to this nation.

What I believe unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all – the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead.

Being a Puerto Rican artist, I support all kinds of projects that are developed on my beautiful island that in some way or another put our Puerto Rican flag up.

Black Americans, no more than white Americans, they do not want more government programs which perpetuate dependency. They don’t want to be a colony in a nation.

That all men are equal is a proposition to which, at ordinary times, no sane human being has ever given his assent.

In too many communities, too many young men of color are left behind and seen only as objects of fear. Through initiatives like My Brother’s Keeper, I’m personally committed to changing both perception and reality.

In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.

From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.

Here’s the thing. We do a movie with a predominantly black cast, and it’s put in a category of being a black film. When other movies are done with a predominantly white cast, we don’t call them a white film. I’m trying to remove the stigma off things they call black films.

Stupid as a man, say the women: cowardly as a woman, say the men. Stupidity in a woman is unwomanly.

Boys will be boys. And even that wouldn’t matter if only we could prevent girls from being girls.

They call upon us to supply American boys to do the job that Asian boys should do.

The reason why I am proud of my part in the punk movement is that I think it really did implant a message that was already there. The hippies told it to me, but punk made it something cool for people to stand up for, which is that we do not believe government, that we are against government.

To make America the greatest is my goal, so I beat the Russian and I beat the Pole. And for the U.S.A. won the medal of gold. The Greeks said, ‚You’re better than the Cassius of old.‘

I stand for anti-bigotry, anti-Semitism, and anti-racism.

In terms of my involvement in ‚don’t ask, don’t tell‘ and marriage equality and anti-bullying and social emotional learning in schools – these are all things that arise out of my relationship with the world and with my fans.

It is better that some should be unhappy rather than that none should be happy, which would be the case in a general state of equality.

Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no. That’s not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be president?

Leaders who fail to prune their pride will meet demise. That’s not a guess, it’s a guarantee. With pride, it’s not a matter of ‚if‘ we will fall, but ‚when.‘ There are no exceptions.

The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more.

I will far rather see the race of man extinct than that we should become less than beasts by making the noblest of God’s creation, woman, the object of our lust.

It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honoured by the humiliation of their fellow beings.

Men and women aren’t the same. And they won’t be the same. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be treated fairly.

When I look back on what I did for the Left, I’m in a small way quite proud of some of it – I only wish I’d done more.

The country has come a long way in race relations, but the pendulum swings so far back. Everyone wants to be so sensitive.

As long as I live, I will never forget that day 21 years ago when I raised my hand and took the oath of citizenship. Do you know how proud I was? I was so proud that I walked around with an American flag around my shoulders all day long.

I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.

Wealthy men can’t live in an island that is encircled by poverty. We all breathe the same air. We must give a chance to everyone, at least a basic chance.

It would make everything I worked for meaningless if baseball is integrated but political parties were segregated.

When you are full of pride on the inside, it makes you stiff, stubborn, and creates strife with others.

We reached a high point in my opinion with the passage of the civil rights legislation and Martin Luther King’s success and the crusade of others. I think we kind of breathed a sigh of relief as if we had achieved the end of racial discrimination or white supremacy.

The state controlling a woman would mean denying her full autonomy and full equality.

Peace and justice are two sides of the same coin.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

I am happy and proud to play for my country and my club Mohun Bagan.

We have an idea that we Americans are God’s chosen people, that God loves us more than any other people, and that we are God’s blessed. I tell you that God doesn’t love us any more than He does the Russians.

A tragedy is a representation of an action that is whole and complete and of a certain magnitude. A whole is what has a beginning and middle and end.

I love the women’s movement, and I never thought of it as belonging to any particular segment of the population.

I just think overall there’s not as many female ministers than there are male ministers.

The English are predisposed to pride, the French to vanity.

One man cannot hold another man down in the ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him.

None are more taken in by flattery than the proud, who wish to be the first and are not.

I separated from the Southern Baptists when they adopted the discriminatory attitude towards women, because I believe what Paul taught in Galatians that there is no distinction in God’s eyes between men and women, slaves and masters, Jews and non-Jews – everybody is created equally in the eyes of God.

Eternal principles that govern happiness apply equally to all.

I can easily imagine Obama sitting down and talking to any leader – or any person – in the world, with no baggage of past servitude or race supremacy to mar their talks.

I wrote an article on a new Porsche for ‚Automobile Magazine.‘ I knew the editor, and she asked me to write this article. So I’m more proud of that than anything.

When even one American – who has done nothing wrong – is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth – then all Americans are in peril.

If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost.

There really is no difference between the bully and the victim.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

I’ve never thought about any kind of prejudice about women in country music because I never felt like it affected me. I was fortunate enough to come about in a time when I didn’t feel that kind of energy at all, and it was always my theory that if you want to play in the same ballgame as the boys, you’ve got to work as hard as them.

For goodness sake, will they hear, will white people hear what we are trying to say? Please, all we are asking you to do is to recognize that we are humans, too.

Mandela’s heroism is the heroism of a man who suffered so badly for what he thought of as freedom. And yet when he had the upper hand he has this incredible self-control and these incredible leadership qualities.

At the bottom of education, at the bottom of politics, even at the bottom of religion, there must be for our race economic independence.

The way people look at me these days – that’s the same way I looked at President Obama before I met him. We tend to forget that people who’ve attained a certain position are human.