Paul Wellstone

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

The first task in teaching is to bring to consciousness what the students already believe by virtue of their personal experiences about themselves and society.

The American polity is infected with a serious imbalance of power between elites and masses, a power which is the principal threat to our democracy.

We can and must move U.S. politics forward by means of committed participation.

Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning.

Politics is not about power.

Politics is not about money.

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.

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

A politics that is not sensitive to the concerns and circumstances of people's lives, a politics that does not speak to and include people, is an intellectually arrogant politics that deserves to fail.

I don't think politics has anything to do with left, right, or center. It has to do with trying to do right by people.

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.

The people of this country, not special interest big money, should be the source of all political power.

Politics isn't about big money or power games it's about the improvement of people's lives.

Never separate the life you live from the words you speak.

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.

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.

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.

When too many Americans don't vote or participate, some see apathy and despair. I see disappointment and even outrage. And I believe that out of this frustration can come hope and action.

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