“There is no wisdom like frankness.”

“The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotations.”

“You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig.” 

“The worst thing that colonialism did was to cloud our view of our past.” 

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our Democracy; Tonight is your answer.” 

“All too rarely do I hear people asking just what it is that we've done to make so many children's hearts so hard, or what collectively we might do to right their moral compass - what values we must live by.” 

“Someone once said that every man is trying to live up to his father's expectations or make up for their father's mistakes....” 

“That's just how white folks will do you. It wasn't merely the cruelty involved; I was learning that black people could be mean and then some. It was a particular brand of arrogance, an obtuseness in otherwise sane people that brought forth our bitter laughter. It was as if whites didn't know they were being cruel in the first place. Or at least thought you deserved of their scorn.” 

“We will outstretch the hand if you unclench your fist. ” 

“Cynicism is a sorry kind of wisdom.” 

“It's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.” 

“Let me tell your something. I'm from Chicago. I don't break.” 

“I confess to wincing every so often at a poorly chosen word, a mangled sentence, an expression of emotion that seems indulgent or overly practiced. I have the urge to cut the book by fifty pages or so, possessed as I am with a keener appreciation for brevity.” 

“What Washington Needs is Adult Supervision.” 

“You know, sometimes I'll go to an 8th-grade graduation and there's all that pomp and circumstance and gowns and flowers. And I think to myself, it's just 8th grade ... An 8th-grade education doesn't cut it today. Let's give them a handshake and tell them to get their butts back in the library!” 

“To all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.” 

“There is no excuse for not trying.” 

We have a similar expression in Luo,' he said, 'but actually I must admit that I read this particular expression in a book by Chinua Achebe. The Nigerian writer. I like his books very much. He speaks the truth about Africa's predicament. the Nigerian, the Kenya - it is the same. We share more than divides us.” 

Is that a Luo expression?' I asked. Sayid's face broke into a bashful smile. 

“How does the saying go? When two locusts fight, it is always the crow that feasts.'

“And that, I suppose, is what I'd been trying to tell my mother that day: that her faith in justice and rationality was misplaced, that we couldn't overcome after all, that all the education and good intentions in the world couldn't help you plug up the holes in the universe or give you the power to change its blind, mindless course.” 

“America is big enough to accommodate all their dreams.” 

“It was as if he had come to mistrust words somehow. Words, and the sentiments words carried.” 

“Words do inspire. ”