Illinois has less than a 12 percent black population and I won with 55 percent of the vote.

I really think that's the key, part of the spiritual renewal that America needs to have, the notion that we really can have confidence in a better tomorrow.

Defining myself, as opposed to being defined by others, is one of the most difficult challenges I face.

We must invest in infrastructure development and rebuilding communities to create jobs.

There are a number of steps that we can take to reinvigorate and rebuild the economic and the physical infrastructure of our country and then to rebuild us, frankly, on a spiritual level.

I was the only person of color in the Senate, and my colleagues were Strom Thurmond, Jesse Helms and Trent Lott.

Magic lies in challenging what seems impossible.

There are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, just permanent interests.

It's time to take the 'Men Only' sign off the White House door.

It's not impossible for a woman - a Black woman - to become President.

My parents were always philosophizing about how to bring about change. To me, people who didn't try to make the world a better place were strange.

A well-lived day is medicine unto itself.

Be the consequence of finding inspiration not rent-a-storage for one.

Beauty: the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one cannot add or subtract or change without impairing the harmony of the whole.

The success of each of us benefits us all, and the success of us all benefits each of us individually.

I think cults are probably a little less scary. To me, it's scarier that 25 people would wear robes and jump up and down and try to convert everyone to happiness than a Kool-Aid suicide.

We feel good about ourselves to the exact degree we feel in control of our lives.

Substance and content over style and hype any day.

The crux of the matter, is that people don't understand the true nature of money. It is meant to circulate, not be wrapped up in a stocking

It is the nature of a man as he grows older, a small bridge intime, toprotest againstchange, particularlychangefor the better.

Well, you know, like, I don't really give a f**k what the general public think.