Rarely in my 45 years as a civil rights lawyer have I been so angry about an injustice as I am about what happened to Billy Ray Johnson

What a privilege to be here on the planet to contribute your unique donation to humankind. Each face in the rainbow of colors that populate our world is precious and special.

The focus of tolerance education is to deal with the concept of equality and fairness. We need to establish confidence with children that there is more goodness than horror in this world.

Without public pressure from caring people, our lawsuits will not be enough to stop this widespread abuse.

If I told you what we were doing there, I would have to kill you.

What the Nazis did to the Jews in Europe, plantation owners and law enforcement [officers] were doing to the African-Americans.

You do stand alone sometimes. But my mother stood by me through all this.

A writer’s promise is like a tiger’s smile

Principles can actually grow and overwhelm the things you are afraid of.

Every addiction is an attempt to slay hope.

Such an error, one finds, to do things for the best. They usually seem to be such unpleasant things.

If you're a queen, you're powerless, so I'd probably demote myself and go shopping.

There are times in your life when, despite the steel weight of your memories and the sadness that seems to lie at your feet like a shadow, you suddenly and strangely feel perfectly okay.

Are you nervous about no longer being a big fish in a small pond?

Neutrality is at times a graver sin than belligerence.

Animals awaken, first facially, then bodily. Men's bodies wake before their faces do. The animal sleeps within its body, man sleeps with his body in his mind.

I still think of Heaven as a liberal-arts school.