"Young children typically have very strong anti-drug attitudes. It’s essential to reinforce them. ...We know that young people need to hear anti-drug messages where they work, where they play, and where they hang out. (Donna E. Shalala, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Say ‘No’ to Legalization of Marijuana, The Wall Street Journal, August 18, 1995)

"We’re recruiting parents and other family members to set drug free examples for young people and talk with them about drugs. We’re helping schools, community groups, religious organizations, the private sector, and state and local governments to join forces to give young people something to say ‘yes" to." (Donna E. Shalala, U.S. Secretary of Heal and Human Services, Say ‘No’ to Legalization of Marijuana, The Wall Street Journal, August 18, 1995)

"So the good news seems to be that with the help of a good family and a religion, kids can resist the siren song of the pushers. The bad news is that most of our children don’t live in that world anymore." (Pop Culture and Drugs, Wall Street Journal, July 26, 1995)

"As Bill Lofquist so eloquently puts it: ‘If we were to use as a beginning point a new commitment to viewing and respecting young people as resources in all that we do - which incidentally would mean that we would also begin viewing and respecting all people as resources - we would create a new basis for shaping a shared vision and clear mission for youth opportunity systems' (1992)." (Resiliency Requires Changing Hearts and Minds, Bonnie Benard, Western Center News)

"Individuals who have succeeded in spite of adverse environmental conditions in their families, schools, and/or communities often have done so because of the presence of environmental support in the form of one family member, one teacher, one school, or one community person who encouraged their success and welcomed their participation." (Prevention Should Emphasize Protective Factors, Bonnie Benard, Western Center News, September 1991)

"We must create environments for children from infancy on that are characterized by respect for difference and by high expectations of success for all children." (Schools should celebrate multi-cultural ‘salad,’ Bonnie Benard, Turning the corner from risk to resiliency, Western Center News, June, 1991)

"Identifying the variety and richness of skills, talents, knowledge, and experience of people in low-income neighborhoods provides a base upon which to build new approaches and enterprises. (Quote from John McKnight in Resiliency Requires Changing Hearts and Minds, Bonnie Benard, Western Center News)