Sometimes, the only realists are the dreamers.

Our politics are our deepest form of expression: they mirror our past experiences and reflect our dreams and aspirations for the future.

I think the future also will not belong to those who are cynical or those who stand on the sidelines.

The future will belong to those who have passion and are willing to work hard to make our country better.

I emphasize self-esteem, self-confidence, and dignity, not as an ideal, but as a real test of community organization. Without leadership development, community organizations do not have staying power.

I saw as a teacher how, if you take that spark of learning that those children have, and you ignite it, you can take a child from any background to a lifetime of creativity and accomplishment.

If a teacher does not involve himself, his values, his commitments, in the course of discussion, why should the students?

There are three critical ingredients to democratic renewal and progressive change in America: good public policy, grassroots organizing and electoral politics.

Politics is about the improvement of people's lives. It's about advancing the cause of peace and justice in our country and the world. Politics is about doing well for the people.

Politics is not predictions and politics is not observations. Politics is what we do. Politics is what we do, politics is what we create, by what we work for, by what we hope for and what we dare to imagine.

It is the belief that extremes and excesses of inequality must be reduced so that each person is free to fully develop his or her full potential. This is why we take precious time out of our lives and give it to politics.

Politics is not about power.

What makes community organizing especially attractive is the faith it places in the ability of the poor to make decisions for themselves.