„I truly do believe, if all of us do all that we can, that we will once again, in our time, restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law, I just know in my heart of hearts that this will be the generation that restores life in America.“

„When it comes to abortion, euthanasia, and other sanctity of life issues, we should not suppose that our choice is between reforming the law and working to change the culture. We must do both. The work of legal reform is necessary, though not sufficient, ingredient in the larger project of cultural transformation. Yes, we must change people's hearts. But no, we must not wait for changes of heart before changing the laws. We must do both at the same time, recognizing that just laws help to form good hearts, and unjust laws impede every other effort in the cause of the Gospel of Life.“

—  Francis George Catholic cardinal 1937 - 2015

God in Action: How Faith in God Can Address the Challenges of the World (2011) Ch. 3 "Personal Freedom in American Culture: We Can't Act If God Can't," pp. 72-73.

„I know these are difficult times. I know folks are worried. But I also know that now is not the time for fear or panic. Now is the time for resolve and steady leadership. Because I know we can steer ourselves out of this crisis. This is a nation that has faced down war and depression; great challenges and great threats. We have seen always that mountaintop from the deepest valley. We have always risen to the moment when the moment was hard – and we can do it again. We can restore confidence in our economy and renew that fundamental belief – that here in America, our destiny is not written for us, but by us.“

—  Barack Obama 44th President of the United States of America 1961

OBAMA: ‘Our Destiny Is Not Written For Us, But By Us’, STARS AND STRIPES: Rally For Change, Progress Plaza, Philadelphia, 8 AM, (10 October 2008) http://www.phawker.com/2008/10/11/obama-our-destiny-is-not-written-for-us-but-by-us/
2008

„I truly believe that we can overcome any hurdle that lies before us and create the life we want to live. I have seen it happen time and time again.“

—  Gillian Anderson American-British film, television and theatre actress, activist and writer 1968

Excerpt from the foreword in Girl Boss: Running the Show Like the Big Chicks, by Stacy Kravetz (1999)
1990s
Contesto: Another miraculous result of playing Scully has been all the incredible young women I have been blessed to meet along the way--women who have shared that they have received strength from Scully, that because of Scully's strength they have been afraid but done it anyway. These have been women from all walks of life: women from low-income neighborhoods who have persevered despite all odds to study hard and pursue their dreams, enabling them to enter into better schools and work environments; women who have illness and physical challenges who have gotten better and stronger because they believe they can. I truly believe that we can overcome any hurdle that lies before us and create the life we want to live. I have seen it happen time and time again.

„This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.“

—  George W. Bush 43rd President of the United States 1946

2000s, 2001, A Great People Has Been Moved to Defend a Great Nation (September 2001)

„Barack believes in the greatness of America. He’s seen it in his own life’s journey. But he also knows that what’s holding us back is that our leaders have lost touch with the ideals that make this country great. Ideals like equality. Justice. Freedom from want and despair. And he believes that until we restore a sense of common destiny and shared purpose; until we understand that we are only as strong as the weakest among us; that there is more that binds us together than drives us apart; until we see ourselves in one another – until we truly care for all children; not just our own then we will continue to struggle with the problems that plague us.“

—  Michelle Obama lawyer, writer, wife of Barack Obama and former First Lady of the United States 1964

2000s, A Challenge to Overcome (November 2007)

„To know me is to love me. This cliche is popular for a reason, because most of us, I imagine, believe deep in our hearts that if anyone truly got to know us, they'd truly get to love us - or at least know why we're the way we are. The problem in life, maybe the central problem, is that so few people ever seem to have sufficient curiosity to do the job on us that we know we deserve.“

—  Roger Ebert American film critic, author, journalist, and TV presenter 1942 - 2013

Review http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tie-me-up-tie-me-down-1990 of Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (25 May 1990)
Reviews, Two-and-a-half star reviews

„Once, I remember well, my life was a feast where all hearts opened and all wines flowed.“

—  Arthur Rimbaud French Decadent and Symbolist poet 1854 - 1891

Jadis, si je me souviens bien, ma vie était un festin où s'ouvraient tous les coeurs, où tous les vins coulaient.

„"And when we die,
All’s over that is ours; and life burns on
Through other lovers, other lips," said I
—"Heart of my heart, our heaven is now, is won!"
"We are earth’s best, that learnt her lesson here,
Life is our cry. We have kept the faith!" we said.“

—  Rupert Brooke British poet 1887 - 1915

"The Hill" (1910)

„We do know that no one gets wise enough to really understand the heart of another, though it is the task of our life to try.“

—  Louise Erdrich writer from the United States 1954

Origine: The Bingo Palace

„As a nation today, we have not rejected the sanctity of human life. The American people have not had an opportunity to express their view on the sanctity of human life in the unborn. I am convinced that Americans do not want to play God with the value of human life. It is not for us to decide who is worthy to live and who is not. Even the Supreme Court's opinion in Roe v. Wade did not explicitly reject the traditional American idea of intrinsic worth and value in all human life; it simply dodged this issue.“

—  Ronald Reagan American politician, 40th president of the United States (in office from 1981 to 1989) 1911 - 2004

1980s, First term of office (1981–1985), Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation (1983)

„I truly believe the only way we can create global peace is through not only educating our minds, but our hearts and souls. “

—  Malala Yousafzai Pakistani children's education activist 1997

„I am dead. Only vengeance can restore me! Only victory can return my life to me!“

—  Terry Goodkind, libro Stone of Tears

Origine: Stone of Tears

„Do I believe in God? Do I believe in me?
Some people wanna die so they can be free
(I said) Life is just a game, we're all just the same…do you wanna play?“

—  Prince American pop, songwriter, musician and actor 1958 - 2016

Controversy
Song lyrics, Controversy (1981)

„Governments will rise, and governments will fall, and man will do evil to man, and all we can do is turn our hearts to good.“

—  Margaret Peterson Haddix, libro Among the Enemy

Origine: Among the Enemy

„Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain.
These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.
I urge all Americans … I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited. Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.“

—  John McCain politician from the United States 1936 - 2018

2000s, 2008, Concession speech (2008)

„But I also see a problem where a lot of people don't believe in the American idea anymore. The condition of your birth doesn't determine the outcome of your life. This is America, you can make it. You work hard, play by the rules, you can rise, you can do well. That's what we're taught, that's what we believe, that's what we think of as America. Problem is, there are just generations of people in this country who do not think that.“

—  Paul Ryan American politician 1970

„I believe with all my heart that jimcrow is wicked and I know that it is a rotten core in our society. I know that we cannot say that we are a full democracy so long as jimcrow exists anywhere in our country. I will fight against it and refuse to countenance it in all was that I can, as long as I live. And yet I know that were all jimcrow laws to be abolished tomorrow, the war for the lberation of mankind would still not be won here. There would still be those not free, not equal.“

—  Pearl S. Buck American writer 1892 - 1973

Origine: What America Means to Me (1943), p. 183

„I believe it is through independence that we can do most to help our nation to flourish, to improve our quality of life.“

—  Alex Salmond Scottish National Party politician and former First Minister of Scotland 1954

Citizens Advice Bureaux (August 15, 2007)

„If I were to live my life over again, I would be an American. I would steep myself in America, I would know no other land.“

—  Henry James American novelist, short story author, and literary critic 1843 - 1916

Said to Hamlin Garland in 1906 and quoted by Garland in Roadside Meetings (1930; reprinted by Kessinger Publishing, 2005, ISBN 1-417-90788-6, ch. XXXVI: Henry James at Rye (p. 461).