Congress is unable to do the work of the American people because too many politicians believe that compromise means capitulation.

The truth of the matter is the tone is toxic here in Washington, and we have been exporting it around the country.

Hope fills the holes of my frustration in my heart.

I have family in Tanzania. I can't even explain the joy of riding through the Tanzania national park and seeing giraffes run across the road and elephants over in a pond and baboons running.

There is more power in unity than division.

Hope is the motivation that empowers the unemployed, enabling them to get out of bed every single morning with unbounded enthusiasm as they look for work.

We've gotten to the point now where Republicans and Democrats have nothing in common besides being members of the 'caustic caucus,' and we can't get anything done.

Social Security is a covenant that should not be broken.

Let's do more than say the 'Pledge of Allegiance.' Let us live it!

[Raul Castro] is one of the most amazing human beings I've ever met.

This deal is a sugar-coated satan sandwich. If you lift the bun, you will not like what you see.

Do not forget about the butterflies.

I do not think that there can ever be enough books about anything

The ingenuity of the average worker is sufficient to outwit any system of controls devised by management.

Having red hair is never good when you're a kid. I was picked on a lot and didn't have a lot of friends. But I think that gave me a thick skin and helped make me a better person.

You can choose to die. You can choose to run... but dying alone won't change a thing. Trust me on that one. If you really want things to change... you're going to have to live.

I don't think the function of writing, at least for me as a fiction writer, is to say to people, "Here's the answer." It's not an op-ed.

I don't do a lot of top-down teaching.

Words are the source of all power. And names are more than just a collection of letters.

Power comes from who you are, not what you have, and the transformation starts with how you allow others to treat you.

If you spend all of your time racing ahead to the future, you're liable to discover you've left a great present behind.