What’s the Word?

“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: a desire, a dream, a vision.… But the will must be stronger than the skill.”

—Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), professional boxer and social activist

“While we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us.”

—Amanda Gorman (1998-  ), poet

“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.… You can hear other people’s wisdom, but you’ve got to reevaluate the world for yourself.”

—Mae Jemison (1956-  ), engineer, physician, and NASA astronaut

“Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.”

—Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919), entrepreneur and inventor

“Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.… The responsibility is ours alone to build a better society and a more peaceful world.”

—John Lewis (1940-2020), civil rights activist and U.S. congressman

“What do you do when you get power? The only difference between a hero and the villain is that the villain chooses to use that power in a way that is selfish and hurts other people.”

—Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020), actor and playwright