"I may have to retire involuntarily. Why should I do it voluntarily?"
-- Peter Ustinov, 1921-2004

"If Condoleezza Rice can find time to do '60 Minutes' on television before the American people, she ought to find 60 minutes to speak to the commission under oath."
-- Sen. John Kerry

"The scriptures say, what does it profit, my brother, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?... When we look at what is happening in America today, where are the works of compassion?"
-- Senator John Kerry, quoting James, 2:14.

"Manhattan is a place where everyone wants to feel special and wants to be the best. We're magnets for perfection, and we want it from everyone around us." [He says this leads to an all-or-nothing way of thinking - if you are not perfect, you're worthless - an outlook that inevitably brings disappointment]. "There's this spiraling down, this fighting against the shame of feeling you're not he best, you're not special."
-- Dr. Richard Pfieffer, Anger Management Specialist, paraphrased by Jennifer Romolini in All the Rage in Time Out New York.

"The Iraqi's are trying to write their constitution. Why? Take ours - we're not using it!"
-- Robin Williams

"It's nice to have a President that confuses his commandments and amendments."
-- Robin Williams

"I'm not pretending I won't be famous any more, but believe me in the modern world if you take yourself out of the financial aspect of things, ie you're not making anybody any money or you're not losing anybody any money, believe me I'll be of very little interest to the press in a certain number of years."
-- George Michael, on announcing his retirement form the commercial music industry.

"Your government failed you. Those entrusted with protecting you failed you. And I failed you."
-- Richard A. Clarke, former counterterrorism chief, as quoted in today's The New York Times.

"When I go home from today's work and I choose, because of my nature, to associate with another man, how is that a problem for you?... How does that hurt you?"
-- Barney Frank, Congressman from Massachusetts, said in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, as quoted in The New York Times.

"The Republican National Committee announced today that the Republican Party is changing its emblem from an elephant to a condom. Governor Marc Racicot, RNC chairman, explained that the condom more clearly reflects the party's stance today, because a condom accepts inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and gives you a sense of security while you're getting screwed."
-- An Internet forwarded e-mail

''I'm sure I'll be criticized for lots of things, and I'm sure they'll launch their dogs on me... But, frankly, I find it outrageous that the president is running for reelection on the grounds that he's done such great things about terrorism.''
-- Richard A. Clarke, Counterterrorism Coordinator to Presidents G.H.W. Bush, WJ Clinton and G.W. Bush, in an interview with 60 Minutes.

"If you would be so kind to write such a letter, please include your opinion of my character, my work ethic, my integrity and my probity."
-- Martha Stewart, in a letter to celebrity friends and VIPs requesting that letters be sent to the judge to reduce her sentencing.

"I am glad the prosecutors finally dismissed the child pornography charge without me or the taxpayers having to pay for a costly, circus-like trial . . . These are certainly troubling times when our Attorney General John Ashcroft has actually ordered the semi-nude Spirit of Justice to be covered with drapes . . . [the fine and plea] seemed like the sanest way to make it end."
-- Paul Reubens, AKA Peewee Herman in Page Six, today.

"I feel uncomfortable [about Iraq] due to the fact that we were misled with the information on
weapons of mass destruction."
-- Aleksander Kwasniewski, President of Poland

"We agree that the mayor should have a larger role in
running the school system than in the recent past, but he
should not have unchecked power to hire personnel, make
contracts and set policy. The time has come, then, for a
mid-course correction by the Legislature to restore
transparency, public engagement and accountability to the
school system.


Since the mayoral takeover, the school system has been
reorganized along the lines of a corporate business model,
as though educating children was no different from selling
toothpaste. The Department of Education is today a tightly
centralized, top-down structure of regional and local
officials who relay instructions from the department's
headquarters to the schools. Not only does the
reorganization leave out any role for public involvement,
it has also led to serious malfunctioning of school
services.


The reorganization, for example, caused the disruption of
school discipline and the near collapse of school safety
during the past six months. The department wiped out the
old disciplinary system, leading to long delays in dealing
with suspended students - who were quickly returned to
their schools and got into more trouble. And Mr.
Bloomberg's solution of putting armed police officers into
the schools is not a long-term answer to the deeper
problem, which is the erosion of the authority of teachers
and principals in schools. In addition, the reorganization
left thousands of children who have disabilities without
access to the services they need."

-- Diane Ravitch and Randi Weingarten in an Op-Ed piece titled Public Schools, Minus the Public in The New York Times, today.

"Keep away from small people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great".
-- Mark Twain

"Spain is going to see eye to eye with Europe again."
-- José Zapatero, prime minister-elect of Spain, as quoted by The New York Times.

"There is something on the Internet that made me both laugh and cry and shake my head. It seems there's an online Presidential Prayer Team urging us to pray for George W. Bush as he governs, and as he seeks, among other things, the wisdom to legally codify the definition of marriage. This is a sincere group. But another Internet site, which surely means to be sarcastic, offers the following: They say if the president has his way - to wit, that marriage in the U.S. shall consist of a union between one man and one woman - he will have to consider that biblically it shall also consist of a union between one man and one or more women. (Genesis 29:17-28; II Samuel 3:2-5)... Also, marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Samuel 5:13;II Chronicles 11:21)... Marriage shall be valid only if the wife is a virgin. If she is not, she shall be executed by stoning. (Deuteronomy 22:13021)... Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden. (Genesis 24:3, Numbers 25: 1-9, Ezra 9:12; Nehemiah 10:30)... Marriage is for life, no state or federal law shall permit divorce. (Deuteronomy 22: 19; Mark 10:9)... If a married man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's wife or deliberately does not give her children, he may pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner determined by law. (Genesis 38: 6-10; Deuteronomy 25:5-10)... There you have it. It's right there in the Bible, as Mel Gibson says."
-- Liz Smith, in today's New York Post.

"Work hard. Eat what they give you. Wear what they hand you. Exercise. And, for once in your life, follow the rules."
-- Andrea Peyser, paraphrasing Leona Helmsley in an article titled Take It from Leona, in today's New York Post.

"This President can't talk about his positive vision for America, because at each turn he has put this nation on the wrong track."
-- John Kerry, March 11, 2004.

"Be wary of what you read on the Internet! A letter purportedly written by Bette Midler to George W. Bush on the subject of gay marriage is all over the Web. The letter begs Bush to rethink his avowed intention to amend the Constitution, [regarding] gay marriage. But The Divine One didn't pen this plea. Friends say that, while Bette agrees with the specifics of the missive, she is not the author."
-- Liz Smith, in yesterday's New York Post

"We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another."
-- Jonathan Swift

"...there was an invisible, gelatinous, repressive air to it all. The scariest kind of censorship is self-censorship—the intimidation that's happening under the established order that we live in."
-- Richard Belzer, regarding the Oscar cerimonies this year, to Michael Musto.

"So, other than Martha Stewart, our only other felons are people who smoke cigarettes or marry gays. Somebody, anybody, please tell me what's with our legal system."
-- Cindy Adams, New York Post

"I'm in favor of legalizing drugs. According to my values system, if people want to kill themselves, they have every right to do so. Most of the harm that comes from drugs is because they are illegal."
-- Milton Friedman

Dear Friends:

"I am obviously distressed by the jury's verdict but I continue to take comfort in knowing that I have the confidence and enduring support of my family and friends.

I will appeal the verdict and continue to fight to clear my name. I believe in the fairness of the judicial system and remain confident that I will ultimately prevail.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the words of encouragement I have received from thousands of supporters. It is your continued support that will keep me going until I am completely exonerated.

Sincerely,"

-- Martha Stewart, in an open letter, posted yesterday, on her webpage titled MarthaTalks.

"... the number of dollars you possess is of no importance. There are only three things that matter: loving , laughing, and learning."
-- Sally Brompton

“There is good evidence that how long you sleep seems to be the most important indicator of how long you’ll live”.
William C. Dement with Christopher Vaughan, The Promise Of Sleep

"The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back."
-- Abigail van Buren

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself”.
-- Anonymous

"The first time I hosted the Oscars 13 years ago things were so different in the world. Bush was president. The economy was in the toilet and we had just finished a war in Iraq."
-- Billy Crystal