"I hold that it is a man’s duty in this life to give to the world the benefit of his experience. All that he sees he should set down exactly as he sees it, and so simply, withal, that to the dullest comprehension the moral involved shall be perfectly obvious."  --John Kendrick Bangs, Ghosts I Have Met and Some Others (1898) 

"When stupidity is considered patriotism, it is unsafe to be intelligent."  --Isaac Asimov

"Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say."  --Barbara Kingsolver

"In a 2015 interview, Kingsolver emphasized her passion for helping individuals find their voices. Through listening and processing what’s going on around us — and in other communities — we'll encounter and come up with new ideas, allowing us to advance the conversation [underline/bold me]."  -- inspiringquotes.com

“The truth that makes men free is, for the most part, the truth which men prefer not to hear.”  --Herbert Agar

"Change — real change — comes from the inside out."  --Stephen Covey

"Injustice makes the rules, and courage breaks them."  --Ursula K. Le Guin 

"If you feel you are in a black hole, don't give up. There's a way out."  --Stephen Hawking