“When people are intimidated about having their own opinions, oppression is at hand.”

If you fear making anyone mad, then you ultimately probe for the lowest common denominator of human achievement.

Every advance in this half-century-Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, aid to education, one after another-came with the support and leadership of American Labor.

We are of course a nation of differences. Those differences don’t make us weak. They’re the source of our strength.

I’m not in favor of the government mandating a prayer in school because our country was founded on the fact that no particular religious faith would have ascendance over or preferential treatment over any other.

A fundamentalist can’t bring himself or herself to negotiate with people who disagree with them because the negotiating process itself is an indication of implied equality.

You can not divorce religious belief and public service. I’ve never detected any conflict between God’s will and my political duty. If you violate one, you violate the other.

Throughout my life, I’ve seen the difference that volunteering efforts can make in people’s lives. I know the personal value of service as a local volunteer.

It is difficult for the common good to prevail against the intense concentration of those who have a special interest, especially if the decisions are made behind locked doors.

Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.

All I want is the same thing you want. To have a nation with a government that is as good and honest and decent and competent and compassionate and as filled with love as are the American people.

What are the things that you can’t see that are important? I would say justice, truth, humility, service, compassion, love…They’re the guiding lights of a life.

God always answers prayers. Sometimes it’s ‘yes.’ Sometimes the answer is ‘no.’ Sometimes it’s ‘you gotta be kidding.

I believe that the boycott that we have against Cuba is counterproductive, and it also makes the twelve million or so Cuban people suffer unnecessarily just because of a foolish policy of the United States.

We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children.

Spirit is like the wind, in that we can’t see it but can see its effects, which are profound.

Trust is very much a part of our democracy.

If you give in to intimidation, you’ll go on being intimidated

Intimidation and propaganda work in a duet of oppression, while the people, lapped in fear and distrust, learn to dissemble and to keep silent.

The white man’s victory soon became complete by fraud, violence, intimidation and murder.

Iran is determined to use peaceful nuclear technology and no intimidation or threat can make us give it up.

My problem is that people get intimidated by someone big and beautiful like me. They hate to think I can be smart as well.

Since I was inexperienced in films, I thought it would be very intimidating to work with experienced people like Sanjay Suri and Samir Soni. But I must say they are very encouraging. They clapped when I gave a good shot.

You look up to your heroes and you shouldn’t be intimidated by them; you should be inspired by them.

Our future may look fearfully intimidating, yet we can look up to the Engineer of the Universe, confident that nothing escapes His attention or slips out of the control of those strong hands.