One of the greatest tragedies in life is to watch potential die untapped.

A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circlue of our felicities.

Time and money spent in helping men to do more for themselves is far better than mere giving.

As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me.

I would like people to recognize in looking at my story that the person who has the most to do with what happens to you is you. It's not the environment, it's not the other people who were there trying to help you or trying to stop you. It's what you decide to do and how much effort you put behind it.

If not us, who? And if not now, when?

Some people go through life trying to find out what the world holds for them only to find out too late that it's what they bring to the world that really counts.

There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.

If, after all, men cannot always make history have a meaning, they can always act so that their own lives have one.

Please, put aside all excuses and ask yourself, "What should I be doing?" Yes, you alone can make a difference. The question is, will you?

Circumstance does not make the man;

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. The man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his heart is set. This is as true of earthly as of heavenly things. Even the man