Quotes About Identity

But when we understand that we are called to be the church, not just go to church, it changes our identity. No longer do we go to a building where religious activities happen and that is "church." We now are the church all week long.

When we think of church primarily as a place or an event we go to, we minimize the theologically rich identity of the church as the people of God. And this identity — of being the church — is more than a passive statement about who we are; it's also a call to action. As representatives of Jesus, those called to communicate and live out his message and the message about him, we are on a mission.

Most important, a boy needs male modeling of a rich emotional life. He needs to learn emotional literacy as much from his father and other men as from his mother and other women, because he must create a life and language for himself that speak with male identity. A boy must see and believe that emotions belong in the life of a man.

I recognize you. You are a boy—full of life, full of dreams, full of feeling.

Fathers and sons are players in a tale of unrequited love—a story told in yearning, anger, sadness, and shame.

Teach boys that there are many ways to be a man.

Why did Iwanski risk so much to save Jews? He told the author, "When a Jew cries, I cry. When a Jew suffers, I am a Jew. All are of my nation, for I am a man.

Why did Iwanski risk so much to save Jews? He told the author, "When a Jew cries, I cry. When a Jew suffers, I am a Jew. All are of my nation, for I am a man."i

As an aside: I urge you to count the non-white faces in that Halloween photo and consider the claim about "daring to be different.")

A job should not define who or what you are. You should be able to leave today and it not change the overall purpose or direction of your life.

A job should not define who or what you are. You should be able to leave today and it not change the overall purpose or direction of your life. Your calling is a much larger concept than what you do daily to create income. Work opportunities can come and go—the direction of your life should remain constant.

Your security is determined by your ability to define what it is you do that has value. The clearer you can be on what it is you do well and what provides value for someone else, the more security you have.

Circumstances will never determine your amount of happiness. Circumstances only highlight who you already are.

It is important not to confuse "patriotism" with "nationalism." As I define it, nationalism is a monologue in which you place your country in a position of moral and cultural supremacy over others. Patriotism, while deeply personal, is a dialogue with your fellow citizens, and a larger world, about not only what you love about your country but also how it can be improved.

Art is an attempt to capture the truths of the world as you see it in a medium you can share with others. It is about lending your voice, your perspective to local, national, and global conversations. And that is why, in the United States in particular, our definition of what is art and who is an artist must be as varied as our citizenry.

Much has been written about how tribal we are getting. We see it in our social media feeds, and it is reflected in the increased polarization of our political parties along geographic and social divisions.

Our own history has shown that we are stronger as a mosaic than a melting pot.

We know that homosexuality is not limited to any race, religion, or socioeconomic class—it is part of human diversity.

It is important not to confuse "patriotism" with "nationalism.

And I saw how thoroughly these families embraced their American identity—they were patriots, just like the people with whom I had grown up. But they also understood that they were from another continent. This is one of the greatest lessons of our nation's improbable makeup: A united citizenry can be quilted together from so many different cultural fabrics.

We should feel proud that we are

How can you tell somebody whose is pursuing happiness that they're somehow not American when that was the very first promise that America made?

I got picked on a lot, even by teachers too. I liked to listen to musicals and bake, and my homeroom teacher found out and mocked me in front of the whole class for baking.

A huge part of what animates homophobia among young people is paranoia and fear of their own capacity to be gay themselves.