Growing up, I was always in the kitchen. Even in third grade, I made cooking videos called 'The Little Italian.' Very little production value, but it was good.

My heroes are the non-commissioned officers. If I had another life thats what Id be - a regimental sergeant major or a similar rank. Thats where the spirit of the armed forces is.

I never expected to be Defence Secretary. It's a great privilege.

We in the west walked away from Afghanistan at the end of the cold war and left it as a country devastated socially and armed to the teeth. If we do that again there will be consequences.

I come from a pretty tough background and I learned a long time ago not to be bothered.

On the back benches, you can have your say but no power to do anything.

Despite the increasingly presidential style of political leadership in our country, teamwork is essential.

You can't change people with love. It doesn't work that way.

Bobby Kennedy said that when he had been a boy there were three major influences on children – the home, the church, and the school – and now there was a fourth – television.

Isn't it time to stop waiting for a partner with an already built empire and start looking for an ambitious partner to build an empire with?

A mystery novel localizes the awesome force of the real death outside the book, winds it tightly in a plot.

The Creators,” Minho said; then he spat on the floor. “I’m gonna break your faces!

The criticism that has most consistently bothered me is the allegation that I'm a schlockmeister whose only objective is to shock people.

If you need me or my help I will help you, whatever path you may follow. For me there is no difference. All paths lead to the same goal, that is, to realize the Divine.

Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.

With bikes, it is absolutely the case that you will get what you pay for. Invest in quality so it will endure wear and tear.

When novels deal in abstractions, they generally go off the rails.