If you don't like nice people, try the ones who aren't nice, and see how you like that!

Human sympathy has its limits, and we were content to let all their tragic arguments fade

The well-known passage in Micah 6:8 ('does the Lord require of you?') declares that justice and mercy are two foundational aspects of God's character... forgiveness is by no means as simple or expeditious as is often suggested; it is a complex and demanding matter. The question of forgiveness and compensation really should not be discussed apart from the question of justice.

I like a friend the better for having faults that one can talk about.

Early on, I was so impressed with Charles Dickens. I grew up in the South, in a little village in Arkansas, and the whites in my town were really mean, and rude. Dickens, I could tell, wouldn't be a man who would curse me out and talk to me rudely.

I was told that Daddy was murdered by a white man. I could have adopted an attitude of hating whites. But then in 1974 my grandmother was killed by a black man, so I could have hated blacks too.

Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained.

Whoever degrades another degrades me, And whatever is done or said returns at last to me.

The true greatness of a person, in my view, is evident in the way he or she treats those with whom courtesy and kindness are not required.

It is very difficult to get up resentment towards persons whom one has never seen.

Grace offered in words can be very healing, but actions are the true expression of love.

I look back now and realize that the gift of a true friend is that she sees you not the way you see yourself or the way others see you. A true friend sees you for who you are and who you can become.