““To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” ”

—Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

“"The children of illiterates die young. Mothers and fathers don't know how to care for their babies' health. Men and women can't get good jobs. That's all because they can't read. These illiterate men and women around the globe are like people who cannot speak. They have no voice in their government. They cannot write to their leaders. They cannot tell about their needs. The illiterates of the world are the silent prisoners of their illiteracy. We can't hear them cry out. We don't know they are in pain."”

—Dr. Frank C. Laubach, "Apostle to the Silent Billion"