"Energy directed with unwavering focus can bend the arc of destiny — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent."

"We've persevered because of a belief we share with the Iraqi people - a belief that out of the ashes of war, a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization. Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibility. Now, it's time to turn the page."

"It is a essential truth that serenity begins the moment you cease demanding that the external world conform — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"A quiet mind is capable of understanding that a single moment of clarity can change a lifetime."

"So here's the question: Without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be any different from the last four years?"

"I am an American citizen and it is my home now. I like the U.S.A., which is not a place too many people have liked since Bush. The U.S. has a young population, and everything can change within a year."

"The soldiers did go away and their towns were torn down; and in the Moon of Falling Leaves (November), they made a treaty with Red Cloud that said our country would be ours as long as grass should grow and water flow."