In short, we cannot grow, we cannot achieve authentic discovery, and our eyes cannot be cleansed to the truly beautiful possibilities of life, if we simply live a neutral existence.

We cannot solve the problem of terrorism by asserting our will on the world.

We cannot kill or capture our way out of an industrial-strength insurgency.

It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.

We cannot continually barricade ourselves under some falsified idea of race, because our idea of blackness and race is simply reactionary. Africans didn't walk around Africa being black and proud, they walked around proud.

We cannot wish for that we know not.