I would like people to recognize in looking at my story that the person who has the most to do with what happens to you is you. It's not the environment, it's not the other people who were there trying to help you or trying to stop you. It's what you decide to do and how much effort you put behind it.

"Interview: Dr. Benjamin Carson Talks Race, Politics and Life After Medicine", The Christian Post (March 8, 2013)