Government exists to create and preserve conditions in which people can translate their ideas into practical reality. In the best of times, much is lost in translation. But we try.

A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.

Never be satisfied with less than your very best effort. If you strive for the top and miss, you'll still 'beat the pack.'

An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history.

There is an old saying, The harder you try the luckier you get. I kind of like that definition of luck.

I hope never to see the day that I cannot admit having made a mistake.

Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.

The spirit of seeking understanding through personal contact with people of other nations and other cultures deserves the respect and support of all.

Teddy Roosevelt... once said, 'Speak softly and carry a big stick.' Jimmy Carter wants to speak loudly and carry a fly swatter.

I believe that truth is the glue that holds government together, not only our government, but civilization itself.

There is no undertaking more challenging, no responsibility more awesome, than that of being a mother.

What you think of about a nation or a situation is your self-expression and mind’s reflection.

It is a war built on lies that has fanned the flames of international terrorism

The trouble with democracy is that 50 percent of the voters are below average.

For me, the canvas is an abstract interpretation of a wall. It's a piece of art with its own history, one that alludes to the passage of time and to the theater of life.

He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.

The songs are about things that we were thinking and we wrote 'em down, and when you listen to 'em, whatever you think it's about... THAT'S what it's about!

Trust comes only with genuine effort, never with a lick and a promise.

I didn't have a stage mom at all. I was the one who planned out my auditions and drove myself an hour and a half into the city.

I believe in anything that causes mass hysteria in children.

Writing in English was a major challenge. I didn't want other songwriters to write for me. I wanted to preserve the spirit of my songs in Spanish. I am the same Shakira in English as I am in Spanish.