John Lewis

“We come to Selma to be renewed. We come to be inspired. We come to be reminded that we must do the work that justice and equality calls us to do.”

“Before we went on any protest, whether it was sit-ins or the freedom rides or any march, we prepared ourselves, and we were disciplined. We were committed to the way of peace - the way of non-violence - the way of love - the way of life as the way of living.”

“Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Never lose that sense of hope.”

“I'm very hopeful. I am very optimistic about the future.”

“We all live in the same house, we all must be part of the effort to hold down our little house. When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just... do something about it. Say something. Have the courage. Have the backbone. Get in the way. Walk with the wind. It's all going to work out.”

“Sometimes I feel like crying, tears of happiness, tears of joy, to see the distance we've come and the progress we've made.”

“I believe in forgiveness; I believe in trying to work with people.”

“Without prayer, without faith in the Almighty, the civil rights movement would have been like a bird without wings.”

“The civil rights movement was based on faith. Many of us who were participants in this movement saw our involvement as an extension of our faith. We saw ourselves doing the work of the Almighty. Segregation and racial discrimination were not in keeping with our faith, so we had to do something.”

“We are one people with one family. We all live in the same house... and through books, through information, we must find a way to say to people that we must lay down the burden of hate. For hate is too heavy a burden to bear.”

“Not one of us can rest, be happy, be at home, be at peace with ourselves, until we end hatred and division.”

“We are one people; we are only family. And when we finally accept these truths, then we will be able to fulfill Dr. King's dream to build a beloved community, a nation, and a world at peace with itself.”