Once I decide to do something, I can't have people telling me I can't. If there's a roadblock, you jump over it, walk around it, crawl under it.

Kennedy was haunted by the Bay of Pigs invasion but carried the country through the Cuban Missile Crisis. He later increased the number of U.S. military advisers to South Vietnam to more than 16,000.

JFK used to say the bishops and the cardinals were all Republicans, but the nuns were Democrats! I sort of believe that too.

A hero is someone we can admire without apology.

The difference between authorized and unauthorized biographies is the difference between riding in carriage or squatting in steerage.

Studies have been done showing that there really are gender differences, that women do bring more congeniality and compromise to the table.

People forget that unauthorized does not mean untrue and authorized does not mean authentic.

Presidents often disappoint, but first ladies rarely do.

There's still time for redemption if I live long enough, don't you think?

I would love to do an unauthorized biography about Congress. It's like a secret society up there.

Most historians agree that Abraham Lincoln was the most important man to ever occupy the White House because he abolished slavery and kept the states united through a bloody civil war.

But he thought that if the world was layered with meaning, then she was the evidence, right here.

Truth be told, ginormous portions have become a pet peeve of mine.

The corniest movie ever made about the white man's need to lose his identity and assuage racial, political, sexual and historical guilt.

It's important for people of color to link up with issues around globalization, food security, health, the environment.

Winning is more related to good defense than good offense

From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.

All my actions have their rise in my inalienable love of mankind.

As the oldest I was a daddys girl and loved him with all my heart. My daddy had holes in his shoes so that he could pay for my photography classes, you know what I mean.

I love being a mom. That's the best job I've ever had. All the other stuff I love the same, but being a mom trumps all of it.

Remember that mentor leadership is all about serving.