Short

A connection should probably make you feel a little uneasy. Because if you make a connection it means you're beginning to take responsibility for that person's life.

Never put on a piece of clothing without curiosity, without thinking: what kind of risks are the people taking so that I can have an affordable shirt?

May you thrive in a way that enhances the justice, and the safety, and the dignity of every person who has made the clothes that you are wearing today.

Success comes to the prepared mind. Success is not like rain that falls from the sky equally upon everyone. Success is what you reap when you sow with passion and optimism.

Without hard work, we are not entitled to a good life—and without compassion, we will not attain the good life in a world-majority population of have-nots.

Be you. Be unique. Be prepared to be alone sometimes when you're unique. It's not a bad thing. You could travel with the sheep, follow everybody else's stuff, but then you're not you.

Intolerance on this continent is ever-present and ever dangerous. At the same time, a determined man or woman can achieve remarkable things.

Every defeat to me was a challenge. And for six generations, that is what Spelman women have done. They have seen every defeat as a challenge.

Sometimes I'd save them the trouble and raise the questions myself, in my own head, lying awake at night, doubting whether I had what it took to succeed.

We have stone-age emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology. These three stanchions of current civilization explain why we are constantly in trouble.

All of mankind's problems are due to the fact that we do not know what we are and cannot agree on what we wish to become.

It is the ultimate luxury to combine passion and contribution. It's also a very clear path to happiness.