Good words about the First Amendment are always a good way to start the week:

“You can spur and … trigger minds into not being so much asleep by using art, using song, to make them think progressively against what’s wrong — or what’s ignored.” — Chuck D, rapper, Public Enemy, 2001

“Spinning may work in the short term, but it’s an absolute disaster in the long term. You pay a price for spinning.” — Tim Russert, Washington bureau chief, NBC News, 2007

“The church is not a branch of a political party … its distinctive identity and mission must be protected, both for the sake of the church and for the sake of our culture and the world.” — David P. Gushee, author, professor, Mercer University, 2008

“The sole basis for protecting publishers who spread false information is that otherwise the truth would too often be suppressed. Innocent falsehoods are sometimes protected only to ensure access to the truth.” — Byron White, U.S. Supreme Court justice, 1971

“Our founders warned more than 200 years ago that their study of history and their understanding of human nature had led them to caution against the suspension of individual liberties, especially in time of war.” — Al Gore, former U.S. vice president, 2007

“The issue of diversity for us is not simply a matter of race; it is the issue of creating a climate in which ideas that are different are welcomed and people who are different are welcomed.” — Gordon Gee, former chancellor, Vanderbilt University, 2000

“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.” — Martin Luther King Jr, civil rights leader, 1963

— Quotes from First Amendment Calendar, produced by the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, 2009