Extended excerpt [Essay. Full paragraph quoted.]:

“Bravery doe not arise from ignorance of the consequences or reckless disregard of them. It is the definition of action taken in the wake of fear and in full awareness of the possible consequences. Seeking fearless heroes is a feckless enterprise. Mastering fear and soldiering on: That is bravery.” 

Source link: “A Loyal Son of the South” (Spring 2013) South Writ Large: http://southwritlarge.com/articles/a-loyal-son-of-the-south/

Extended excerpt [Essay. Carter's father, Hodding Carter II, was a southern newspaper owner and journalist.]:

“Which leads to my second lesson as my father's son. No political position or ideological game plan is entitled to unblinking acceptance. Truth is not the monopoly of any one people or person or region or nation. All of mankind being fallen, none can demand tribute as unassailable.”

Source link: “A Loyal Son of the South” (Spring 2013) South Writ Large: http://southwritlarge.com/articles/a-loyal-son-of-the-south/

Extended excerpt  [Newspaper Op-ed]:

“Why should the powerful care? Because the public schools are the place where most people receive their education. If they do as bad a job over the next 25 years as they have over the past 25, all of us can kiss America's current position in the world goodbye, along with economic prosperity. We're no longer a giant among pygmies. Our allies and friends now include ferocious competitors, all of whom are building their economic machines on firm foundations of well-educated and trained workers. … Moreover, the sheltering of upper income children in private schools not only accelerates the deterioration of public education, it hides the consequences from precisely those people who could do something about it.”

Source link: “In Public Schools, Class Will Tell” (13 June 1990) The New York Times [subscription service]: http://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/13/opinion/in-public-schools-class-will-tell.html

Misattribution notes: Carter's quote from “a wise woman” has been frequently misattributed to his son, Hodding Carter III.

Extended excerpt  [From chapter 27, ‘It's How We Like It']:

“A wise woman once said to me that there are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these she said is roots, the other, wings. And they can only be grown, these roots and these wings, in the home. We want our sons' roots to go deep into the soil beneath them and into the past, not in arrogance but in confidence.” (p. 337)

Source: Library – Where Main Street Meets the River (1953) Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) No: 655021