I was taught to respect everyone for the simple reason that we're all God's children. I was taught, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.... to judge a man not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character. And I was taught that character...is simply doing what's right when nobody's looking.

J. C. Watts

Categorized in : Children Character Kings

It doesn't take a lot of strength to hang on. It takes a lot of strength to let go.

J. C. Watts

strength motivational love

Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught.

J. C. Watts

integrity character thinking

It takes a lot of strength to let go.

J. C. Watts

letting-go

Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking.

J. C. Watts

honesty inspirational life

I'm looking forward to the day when America will mature to the point that we are a color-blind society. I'm not so sure that in politics that will ever be reality, because politics has a way of separating us based on skin color.

J. C. Watts

skin-color reality america

I'm secure in who I am. I don't need the validation of those that would say, you have to be a certain thing in order to be accepted. I'm comfortable going against the grain if I need to.

J. C. Watts

validation who-i-am order

I like to call the ethos I grew up with 'Oklahoma values.' But you'd be just as accurate if you said 'American values.' Except for our lack of a seacoast, Oklahoma has a little bit of just about everything that's American.

J. C. Watts

ethos oklahoma littles

If you are explaining, you are losing.

J. C. Watts

conservative explaining losing

Reparations, I believe, are talked about for political reasons, trying to cater for the purpose of getting votes. If Congress was serious about reparations - in '93 and '94 the Democrats controlled the House, the Senate and the White House, and not one single Republican vote was needed for reparations.

J. C. Watts

white house believe

Governor is not the position to have in Oklahoma. It is the head coach of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State or Tulsa.

J. C. Watts

tulsa oklahoma states

I never got into politics for it to be a career.

J. C. Watts

careers

My views on everything from welfare to a balanced budget to affirmative action can be traced to what Buddy and Helen Watts taught me as a young boy growing up poor but proud in Eufaula.

J. C. Watts

growing-up views boys

Everyone tries to define this thing called Character. It's not hard. Character is doing what's right when nobody's looking.

J. C. Watts

dark trying character

You take a poor black child. Give him a good education, tell him he's somebody, that God didn't create junk when he created him, and that black child will create his own affirmative action.

J. C. Watts

black giving children

Everything I am I owe to my faith and secondly to parents who were old school.

J. C. Watts

old-school parent school

I think you grow wherever God plants you. I hope I'm growing as a person of faith, as a Christian. That should be our number one objective this journey of life. That all starts with a personal intimate relationship with Christ and then being in prayer every single day about all of those things - being tenacious about it.

J. C. Watts

journey prayer christian

A Black man voting for the Republicans makes about as much sense as a chicken voting for Col. Sanders.

J. C. Watts

voting black men

Death and taxes may be inevitable, but they shouldn't be related.

J. C. Watts

inevitable sarcastic may

When it comes to the American dream, no one has a corner on the market. All of us have an equal chance to share in that dream.

J. C. Watts

chance share dream

The measure of a man is not how great his faith is, but how great his love is. We must not let government programs disconnect our souls from each other.

J. C. Watts

soul love-is men