My tenure in the Senate was really as an independent and whichever, regardless of party label.

The essence of a democracy is a free electorate.

There's nothing more important than our good health - that's our principal capital asset.

If you are going to have to play defense all the time, you cannot have the kind of ingenuity, assertiveness, independence, and intelligence which is what has made our country strong.

We don't need holy wars. What we need is tolerance and brotherhood and simple humanity.

Strong advocacy for education, health care and worker safety will be indispensable if they are to get their fair share of President Bush's austere budget for the next fiscal year.

I must say I am not pleased to have to arrange the Senate schedule around the availability of Senators who are running for President.

The fundamental purpose of government is to protect its citizens.

I'm battling cancer. It's another battle I intend to win.

I don't like labels. I think they conceal more than they reveal, sort of like a bikini.

I knew people were going to see me see deteriorate before their eyes.

A group of white South Africans recently killed a black lawyer because he was black. That was wrong. They should have killed him because he was a lawyer.

I know a lot of people think, 'She's so glamorous.' But that's really not me at all.

A little superstition is a good thing to keep in one's bag of precautions.

I'm not the girl for superhigh fashion because I don't have the right body. When I want to get dressed up, I'm a Roberto Cavalli girl.

I love to work with people and do what I love.

I began to measure things in absence instead of presence.

Chicago is great! It's like the heart of America. It's the center and it's a beautiful city.

After four or five different wars, I grew weary of that work, partly because in an open war, open to coverage, as Vietnam was, it's not that difficult, really.

The more data we have, the more likely we are to drown in it.

Do I want to be a hero to my son? No. I would like to be a very real human being. That's hard enough.