Charles E. Schumer Quotes

I raise my stein to the builder who can remove ghettos without removing people as I hail the chef who can make omelets without breaking eggs.

We wanted to bring attention to the fact that we had so many deals taking place that we could have made change for the better for all people, and we felt that we would be a catalyst to bring this to attention to society.

I've seen young people raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix a problem in their community. I've seen young people raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to dig wells in Africa. I've seen young people pass laws, largely impacting their communities. They do have the power to change the world.

I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or a survey and Legal Services Corporation board when President [Jimmy ]Carter appointed me and trying to get lawyers for poor people. I have worked in these areas. I know it's more than just a hope. You've got to translate it into a policy that leads to action.

Real change in society must start from individual initiative.

The liberals have not softened their view of actuality to make themselves live closer to the dream, but instead sharpen their perceptions and fight to make the dream actuality.

I don't think it's necessary to feel guilty. Because I know that I'm still doing the work that is going to help more sisters and brothers to challenge the whole criminal justice system, and I'm trying to use whatever knowledge I was able to acquire to continue to do the work in our communities that will move us forward.

I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.

I want to use television not only to entertain, but to help people lead better lives.

Acting is one thing, but actually trying to change the world and the way people think to make people's lives better? That's the stuff I'm most proud of.

We want to make nation-building a people's movement.

In the modern world the intelligence of public opinion is the one indispensable condition for social progress.

The short-range involves the long-range. Immediate steps have to be taken to reeducate our people into the, a more real view of political, economic, and social conditions in this country, and our ability in, in a self- improvement program to gain control politically over every community in which we predominate, and also over the economy of that same community as here in Harlem. Instead of all the stores in Harlem being owned by white people, they should be owned and operated by black people.

We the people are the change makers.

Any realistic vision of change must be based on the notion of empowerment of people.

I had too many businesses that are frivolous. I have enough. What interests me most is under-served communities. We need a new style of empowering these people, and new approaches.

The problem is to extract the desirable traits of forms of community life which actually exist, and employ them to criticize undesirable features and suggest improvement

Even small efforts to bring about a change in the social fabric eventually reap large fruits.

You are not likely to see any general reformation, till you procure family reformation.

The few have not strength to achieve great changes unaided; the many have not wisdom to be moved by truth unmixed.

Give us back our tax dollars that we pay for police who do not serve nor protect. Then maybe we can educate our people, make them a better people and make our community a more decent and safe place to live.

Politics is not about power. Politics is not about money. Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning. Politics is about the improvement of people's lives.

If there is going to be change, real change, it will have to work its way from the bottom up, from the people themselves. That's how change happens.

The great reformers of the world turn into the great misanthropists, if circumstances or organization do not permit them to act.

Compassion can change a lot of things, including the world. Young people especially need to know that, because they're the future.