“When I think about it, the mission was not a highly dangerous affair. You could do something about it if there was a problem. But, looking back, I’d say we were pretty lucky.”

“Fundamentally I think soldiering is pretty similar to politics. It’s not about you, it’s all about the people you serve with. It’s all about the results, it’s all about the operation, it’s all about the mission. The reason we’re here at all in politics is to serve the people.”

“When I told you that I’d pray for you, what did you think I was talking about?”

“I think the greatest compliment that I could ever receive is when people say to me I forgot you were short and that’s what it’s all about.”

“Sometimes
when you are trying
not to think about something
it keeps popping back in your head
you can't help it
you think about it
and
think about it
and
think about it
until your brain
feels like
a squashed pea.”

“Maybe if I didn't say anything about what happened, we could get back to the way we were. Ignoring a problem was a perfectly acceptable way to deal with it, as long as both people agree never to bring it up again.”

“Positive thinking is how you think about a problem. Enthusiasm is how you feel about a problem. The two together determine what you do about the problem.”

“You know, if you're an American and you're born at this time in history especially, you're lucky. We all are. We won the world history Powerball lottery, but a little modesty about it might keep the heat off of us. I can't stand the people who say things like, "We built this country!" You built nothing. I think the railroads were pretty much up by 1980.”

“There is nothing fine about being a child: it is fine, when we are old, too look back to when we were children.”

“When you had to do something, you had to do it. And eventually, if you were lucky, you did it well.”