Robert Fulghum Quotes

I hope someday what people can do with their lives depends on their talents and how hard they are willing to work, rather than on where they happen to be born.

We believe in the Australian promise; that if you work hard, you won't be left behind.

The American dream, to me, means having the opportunity to achieve, because I don't think you should be guaranteed anything other than opportunity.

In a country where there is no privileged class, genius and industry may attain the highest honors.

As Americans, I think we really believe that with the meritocracy that exists in our country, the equality of opportunity is so important to the foundation of our culture and our society.

I would like my kids to inherit a world where people succeed because of merit and hard work, not entitlement, and where people accept others for what they are and not try to change them.

We are building a country where a person's prospects are determined by their own initiative and hard work and not by the color of their skin, place of birth, gender, language, or income of their parents.

We come from different backgrounds. Some people grow up with money in their pocket, or they have a certain last name; others have nothing. But it comes down to work ethic. That's where we all play on the same playing field.

Imagine if your success in life is determined only by your guts, your hard work, and your willpower, and not by the wealth of your parents. I think it'll be a much more interesting world. I think this could change the way the planet is run.

All democrats object to men being disqualified by the accident of birth; tradition objects to their being disqualified by the accident of death.

Nobody owes anybody a living, but everybody is entitled to a chance.

I have no respect for the passion of equality, which seems to me merely idealizing envy - I don't disparage envy, but I don't accept it as legitimately my master.

We should remember that one man is much the same as another, and that he is best who is trained in the severest school.

We live in the kind of society where, in almost all cases, hard work is rewarded.

I returned to India because I believe in an India of honesty and hard work, not of corruption and crookedness. I believe in an India of openness and straightforwardness, not of hypocrisy and double-dealing. I believe in an India where opportunities are available to all, and not just to a chosen few.

God allows unjust disparities between rich and poor because He does not miraculously intervene to establish justice against human wills. Also, discrepancies are not unjust by themselves; justice does not mean equality of result but equality of opportunity.

The liberal ideal is that everyone should have fair access and fair opportunity. This is not equality of result. It's equality of opportunity. There's a fundamental difference.

What I believe unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all - the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead.

Every American wants a clean slate, but nobody wants to lose what they've got.

Conservatives often say that we should care not about equality of outcomes but about equality of opportunity.

Accomplishments have no color.

I don't believe that the American dream should be reserved for those who are born into the elite or somehow have been given an advantage over others. My growing-up experience is probably the most important thing that guides my priorities and my work today.

A person should not have a second class life because he chose the wrong parents.

Elect me for what I am, not for what I was born.

Nowhere in the world is presented a government of so much liberty and equality. To the humblest and poorest amongst us are held out the highest privileges and positions.