The U.S. affirms freedom of speech.[Vladimir] Putin is no friend of freedom of speech.

D.C. is known as Hollywood for ugly people.

I think I'm one of five people in the Senate who's never been a politician before. And now that I am a politician, what I find weird about it is that I respect myself less.

We should vigorously debate policy differences. We have too much all-or-nothing in American politics.

What happens in Senate fight club stays in Senate fight club.

I didn't go to Harvard because I thought they had good academics. I went because they had crappy enough sports so they'd let me play.

We're not at war with all Muslims, we're at war with a subset of Islam that believes in killing in the name of religion, as jihadis do.

Let's be clear: Has the U.S. ever made any mistakes? Of course.Is the U.S. at all like [Vladimir] Putin's regime? Not at all.

[Vladimir] Putin is an enemy of the free press. The U.S. celebrates free press.

[Vladimir] Putin is an enemy of political dissent. The U.S. celebrates political dissent and the right for people to argue free from violence about places where our ideas are in conflict.

Clarification is not to clarify things. It is to put one’s self in the clear (Sir Humphrey Appleby)

I always challenge myself. I get out in deep water and I always try to get back. But I get hung up. The audience never knows, but that's when I smile the most, when I show the most ivory.

There's nothing wrong with the fashion industry. What's wrong is changing yourself for something you don't really care about just to get somewhere faster.

There is no greater leadership challenge than parenting.

The wonder is that Jesus purposed to make your heart and mine just as sweet and lovely and pure and holy as His own.

It took me years to learn that sentences in fiction must do much more than stand around and look pretty.

If people had no fear, you'd hardly need to have to teach them. It's the fear that screws everything up.

The one instrument that has relative political autonomy is monetary policy. Central banks do not need to go to Congress to get approval for an interest rate hike.

If I could give you only one advice, I would say: Don't identify with anything. Be completely empty - no one. Be no-body and see if you lose anything but delusion.

The member of Congress who is not making a career of politics looks quite differently at the world.