“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” — Robert F. Kennedy, speech in Capetown on June 6, 1966
“Maybe I’ll be gone before you read this…I’m getting prepared. I have some things I’d like to take care of first, some work that needs finishing, and some people I need to see…I made a small place for myself in the story of America and the history of my times…The bell tolls for me. I knew it would…I hope those who mourn my passing, and those who don’t, will celebrate as I celebrate a happy life lived in imperfect service to a country made of ideals, whose continued success is the hope of the world. And I wish all of your great adventures, good company, and lives as lucky as mine.” –John McCain, in his new book The Restless Wave
“Let me be clear: I understand that many people believe that only God should determine the time of their death, and I support them 100 percent. Others want every additional minute of life that medical science can give them, and I support these people 100 percent. But the end of life is an extremely personal experience. If, when my time comes, I see only unbearable suffering ahead of me, then I want my preference to have access to medical aid in dying to be supported 100 percent, as well.
“As Archbishop Desmond Tutu has written, ‘Regardless of what you might choose for yourself, why should you deny others to make this choice?'”–Excerpt from Diane Rehm’s Op-Ed in the New York Times on 6/7/18
“If our leaders seek to conceal the truth, or we as people become accepting of alternative realities that are no longer grounded in facts, then we as American citizens are on a pathway to relinquishing our freedom.” –Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at Virginia Military Institute
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I always knew the woman I wanted to be.” — Diane von Furstenburg
“He is wicked smart. But he also combines that with a good bedside manner. He always projects a sense of being much more concerned about getting the job done than who’s getting the credit.” — Barack Obama about Jeff Zients
“What companies need to do is put aside their short-term interests and say we have to be playing a longer game here in addressing these challenges.” –Peter Sher, JPMorgan Chase
“There is no Republican Party. There’s a Trump party. The Republican Party is kind of taking a nap somewhere.” — Former House Speaker John Boehner (Republican)
“If I were President of the United States and I had a lawyer that told me I could pardon myself, I think I would hire a new lawyer.” –Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley to CNN
“Cynicism has a good batting average in U.S. politics.” –538.com
“I’m very well prepared. I don’t think I have to prepare very much. It’s about attitude. It’s about willingness to get things done.” –Donald Trump, in advance of the summit with North Korea