But simply punishing the broken--walking away from them or hiding them from sight--only ensures that they remain broken and we do, too. There is no wholeness outside of our reciprocal humanity.

You ultimately judge the civility of a society not by how it treats the rich, the powerful, the protected and the highly esteemed, but by how it treats the poor, the disfavored and the disadvantaged.

We have a system of justice in [the US] that treats you much better if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor and innocent. Wealth, not culpability, shapes outcomes.

You don’t change the world with the ideas in your mind, but with the conviction in your heart.

Somebody has to stand when other people are sitting. Somebody has to speak when other people are quiet.

The opposite of poverty is not wealth. I don't believe that. I actually think, in too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice.

The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.

Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done.

We live in a country that talks about being the home of the brave and the land of the free, and we have the highest incarceration rate in the world.

I don't think there's been a time in American history with more innocent people in prison.

Always do the right thing even when the right thing is the hard thing

Writing a story, regardless of length, begins always with a single word.

Avoid judging others by trying to understand others and their concepts of love and care.

Who is a rebellious person? The rebellious person is one who does not bother about the society at all. He simply lives through his innermost core

Integrity, wisdom, skill, intelligence – such things are forged in adversity.

I'm so lonely I don't even want to be with myself anymore.

I would imagine that if you could understand Morse code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy.

You are holding in your hands not only a book of readings and instruction for the journey, but one monastic's heart of love held out to a searching world.

Socrates had a student named Plato, Plato had a student named Aristotle, and Aristotle had a student named Alexander the Great.

When I hear the words jazz pianist, that just means I have the skills to do most things. Because to be a jazz pianist, even to be a bad jazz pianist, you have to be pretty good.

Remember there is plenty of room at the top-but not enough to sit down.