And now let me give the sentiment which has been, and ever will be, the governing passion of my soul: 'Liberty for each, for all, and forever!'

Enslave the liberty of but one human being and the liberties of the world are put in peril.

There must be no compromise with slavery - none whatever. Nothing is gained, everything is lost, by subordinating principle to expedience.

I will be as harsh as truth, and uncompromising as justice... I am in earnest, I will not equivocate, I will not excuse, I will not retreat a single inch, and I will be heard.

With reasonable men, I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost.

Everyone should be treated fairly no matter what they look like.

No man shall rule over me with my consent. I will rule over no man.

I have a need to be all on fire, for I have mountains of ice about me to melt.

The compact which exists between the North and the South is a covenant with death and an agreement with hell.

We may be personally defeated, but our principles never!

You can not possibly have a broader basis for government than that which includes all the people, with all their rights in their hands, and with an equal power to maintain their rights.

There are other beings live in between interval rhythms of our consciousness.

Peace is joy at rest. Joy is peace on its feet. quoting her pastor in Salon, April 25, 2003

One performer whose band played my music better than I could myself was Art Farmer. He recorded 'Sing Me Softly of the Blues' and 'Ad Infinitum'.

I used to have to wear a gas mask to school when I was a kid because of the dust. I would tell people that the first light I saw was in a movie theater, because the sun was just a little glow.

I've got to do something to make up for all those self-absorbed and selfish years when I just, you know, was taking drugs, sitting in my room, doing bad things, whatever.

A man can suffocate on courtesy.

I've always played very human sort of characters.

I know who I am inside and outside, and I know what I want to do. And I will always go with my dreams.

You are not living, you are surviving.

With the spirit of my administration, New York City is poised for dramatic change. The era of fear has had a long enough reign.