Marquita Burke-DeJesus

My life is too valuable to remain shielded and protected behind the coziness and comfort of security.

I look up to the sky and scream to the wind, 'Give me adventure.' She whispers back, 'You are braver than you know.

While many of us give to the hungry orphan, we have forgotten to love her.

When the statistics have a face, poverty becomes personal.

Suffering has a noble purpose.

Suffering reminds us of our brokenness, our humanity. It disarms us of our self-absorption and magnifies our need for one another.

Those who suffer suffer because hurt people hurt people, and busy people let it happen. So am I going to be busy or am I going to be brave?

Bravery is an amazing and aggressive teacher. Its gives me the energy to dive into life, recover from disappointment, and mentally escape whatever locked door holds me in.

No matter how unfamiliar my world becomes, I can always find my way home when I dance.

No matter what chains are broken, slavery is a condition of the heart.

I cannot fail these girls by diverting my eyes from the invisible residue of slavery that clings to them like a shadow.

The road less traveled continues to beckon me onward, towards a journey of transformation and engagement.

I think bravery is a lot less formal than it sounds. Bravery is being able to have a conversation with a stranger. It's going back to school even after years of being away. It's being you even when it's easier to be someone else.

I learned it was better to tiptoe through life and arrive at death's door safely.

It is about doing the most good with the only two hands I can control.

Illusions of freedom will never satisfy me.