America is stronger because of President Obama's leadership, and I'm better because of his friendship.

Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.

But friendship is precious, not only in shade, but in the sunshine of life; and thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine

Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee.

I'm a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they're interested in.

Two people getting together to write a book is like three people getting together to have a baby. One of them is superfluous.

There is just no comparison between having a dinner date with a man and staying home playing canasta with the girls.

According to the law of requisite variety, the survival of any system depends on its capacity to cultivate variety in its internal structures. Disequilibrium is life ... When I'm in a spiritual slump, nine times out of ten, something sacred has become routine ... one of the ways I snap out of a spiritual slump is by disturbing by routine and experimenting with spiritual disciplines.

If you don't have a dream, get around people who do. You might just catch what they have.

One of the mistakes we make as parents and as leaders is this: we do everything within our power to create emotional and relational and spiritual biospheres. We avoid conflict. We mitigate risk. We minimize discomfort. We sidestep sacrifice. Then we wonder why people grow to a certain stature and stop. We wonder why leaders fall.

I don't have any more wisdom in our courage for this journey than you do. Maybe less. But if you could use a traveling companion, I would come along. I would be only like one of those two men on the road to Emmaus, mostly confused myself, with a slow heart that burned within. Maybe together we would be able to discern Christ on the road beside us.

Any religious person who says he does not really need human friends because God is his Friend is calling God a liar because He's the One Who says we also need human friends.