I grew up in Palestine, West Virginia, which is mostly a farming community; there aren't a lot of jobs.

I remember the first time I put on the Army uniform. I just felt like a totally different person - I felt proud.

I could be, you know, the person that shows little kids that giving up isn't something that you should do.

The truth is always more heroic than the hype.

I try to dream about peaceful things, beaches, that is what I cannot understand. Why are they chasing me?

Honesty has always been very important to me.

I'm not about to take credit for something I didn't do. I did not shoot - not a round, nothing. I went down praying to my knees - that's the last thing I remember.

Certain days I think definitely because we went in there and we got Saddam and that was our mission. On other days, we lost so many lives and so many brothers and sisters...on that aspect, no.

I have repeatedly said, when asked, that if the stories about me helped inspired our troops and rally a nation, then perhaps there was some good.

The whole idea that the rescue was staged or the soldiers were shooting blanks, that's just obvious stuff. Why would you do that in the middle of a war? It's just crazy.

The nurses at the hospital tried to soothe me, and they even tried unsuccessfully at one point to return me to Americans.

Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.

Boys are marvellous creatures. Perhaps they will sink below the brutes

Applause waits on success.

If you get into the habit of being quick it is just as easy as being slow.

For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Lust and learning. That's really all there is, isn't it?

We need more than new policies. We need a new worldview, and a new bottom line. We need to replace economic values as our ordering principle, with humanitarian values as our ordering principle.

I think I'm most nervous about revealing how nervous I have always been. People think me calm, confident, poised. Inside I'm a jelly.

I'm the queen of the nerds.

Eventually every man gotta face the problem of tryin' to figger if it's worthwhile to prove that he is himself.