Al Sharpton

I very rarely read any fiction. I love biographies; I read about all kinds of people. I love theology and some philosophy. ”

If O.J. had been accused of killing his black wife, you would not have seen the same passion stirred up. ”

I was raised by a single mother who made a way for me. She used to scrub floors as a domestic worker, put a cleaning rag in her pocketbook and ride the subways in Brooklyn so I would have food on the table. But she taught me as I walked her to the subway that life is about not where you start, but where you're going. That's family values. ”

If it weren't for the mentorship and guidance from people like my mother, James Brown and others, I wouldn't have been able to make something of my life. ”

I've seen too much in life to give up. ”

I've never done anything else in my life other than preach and be an activist. Way before I was known. ”

As I often say, we have come a long way from the days of slavery, but in 2014, discrimination and inequality still saturate our society in modern ways. Though racism may be less blatant now in many cases, its existence is undeniable. ”

It seems some have chosen to ignore or have simply forgotten the big-picture vision promoted by Dr. King and his kin. ”

Bill Clinton strikes me as the kind of guy who goes wherever the polls lead him, rather than leading the polls. ”

National Action Network, the group I founded, has affiliates or chapters in over 40 cities around the country. ”