And if so many brave men and women could sacrifice their lives for our most fundamental rights, then surely we can do our parts as citizens of this g… - Michelle Obama

I began to understand that his version of hope reached far beyond mine: It was one thing to get yourself out of a stick place, I realized. It was another thing entirely to try and get the place itself unstuck.

I believe that each of us carries a bit of inner brightness, something entirely unique and individual. A flame that's worth protecting. When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it. When we learn to foster what's unique in the people around us, we become better able to build compassionate communities and make meaningful change.

a happy marriage can be a vexation, that it’s a contract best renewed and renewed again, even quietly and privately — even alone.