I think I will serve as secretary of state as my last public position.

The challenge is to practice politics as the art of making what appears to be impossible, possible.

We have a close, unshakable bond between the United States and Israel, and between the American and Israeli people. We share common values and a commitment to a democratic future for the world, and we are both committed to a two-state solution. But that doesn't mean that we're going to agree.

If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle.

We would very much like to see Iran take a position as a responsible leader that doesn't intimidate or threaten or scare its neighbors and others. But the choice is really up to Iran and we're going to keep working to try to come out with the right decision.

In too many instances, the march to globalization has also meant the marginalization of women and girls. And that must change.

Let's not leave an educational vacuum to be filled by religious extremists who go to families who have no other option and offer meals, housing and some form of education. If we are going to combat extremism then we must educate those very same children.

The American people are tired of liars and people who pretend to be something they're not.

There is a great deal of political pressure to only talk about abstinence, and to deny support for condoms and education on using them. This policy will lead to the unnecessary deaths of many people.

Voting is the most precious right of every citizen, and we have a moral obligation to ensure the integrity of our voting process.

We'll hold out our hand; they have to unclench their fist.

You show people what you're willing to fight for when you fight your friends.

I think I will serve as secretary of state as my last public position.

In almost every profession - whether it's law or journalism, finance or medicine or academia or running a small business - people rely on confidential communications to do their jobs. We count on the space of trust that confidentiality provides. When someone breaches that trust, we are all worse off for it.

The American taxpayer should not be treated more shabbily than debtors from other nations and we should be encouraging other nations to help rebuild Iraq's economy.

As I speak to you today, government censors somewhere are working furiously to erase my words from the records of history. But history itself has already condemned these tactics.

In the aftermath of September 11, and as the 9/11 Commission report so aptly demonstrates, it is clear that our intelligence system is not working the way that it should.

You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health. And reproductive health includes contraception and family planning and access to legal, safe abortion.

Often times when you face such an overwhelming challenge as global climate change, it can be somewhat daunting - it's kind of like trying to lose weight, which I know something about.

There are 4 billion cell phones in use today. Many of them are in the hands of market vendors, rickshaw drivers, and others who've historically lacked access to education and opportunity. Information networks have become a great leveler, and we should use them together to help lift people out of poverty and give them a freedom from want.

We don't have enough support for maternal leave and the kinds of things that some of the European countries do. So we still make it hard on women to go into the work force and feel that they can be good at work but then doing the most important job, which is raising your children in a responsible and positive way.

No matter what you think about the Iraq war, there is one thing we can all agree on for the next days - we have to salute the courage and bravery of those who are risking their lives to vote and those brave Iraqi and American soldiers fighting to protect their right to vote.

One day after laying a wreath at the tomb of Martin Luther King Jr., President Bush appoints a federal judge who has built his career around dismantling Dr. King's legacy.

I'm undaunted in my quest to amuse myself by constantly changing my hair.

In the Bible it says they asked Jesus how many times you should forgive, and he said 70 times 7. Well, I want you all to know that I'm keeping a chart.

Every nation has to either be with us, or against us. Those who harbor terrorists, or who finance them, are going to pay a price.

I also believe that we have an extraordinary opportunity for the United States and European Union to lead the world in developing and implementing new and more efficient technologies - smart electrical grids and electrical vehicles.

We must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking about what is best for society.

The United States strongly condemns the illegal disclosure of classified information. It puts people's lives in danger, threatens our national security, and undermines our efforts to work with other countries to solve shared problems.

I think that we have to be constantly asking ourselves, 'How do we calculate the risk?' And sometimes we don't calculate it correctly; we either overstate it or understate it.

Both the American people and nations that censor the internet should understand that our government is committed to helping promote internet freedom.

Many of you are well enough off that the tax cuts may have helped you. We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.

I feel very lucky because of my parents and then my education, the opportunities that I've had, so I would like to continue working to improve lives for others.

Every president, if you watch what they look like when they come into office, you can see their hair turn white because it's such a hard job.

I'm not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers. We are the president.

For centuries, New York has served as the gateway for millions of people from all over the world in search of the American dream. It only makes sense that it would now serve as a gateway for the world's greatest athletes.

Countries that will not tax their elite who expect us to come in and help them serve their people are just not going to get the kind of help from us that historically they may have.

I believe in a zone of privacy.

Today we voted as Democrats and Republicans. Tomorrow we begin again as New Yorkers.

I will not comment on or confirm what are alleged to be stolen State Department cables. But I can say that the United States deeply regrets the disclosure of any information that was intended to be confidential, including private discussions between counterparts or our diplomats' personal assessments and observations.

The challenges of change are always hard. It is important that we begin to unpack those challenges that confront this nation and realize that we each have a role that requires us to change and become more responsible for shaping our own future.

Probably my worst quality is that I get very passionate about what I think is right.

The candidates we have in this campaign are... the most accomplished, in terms of public service, that we've had since 1960. One of them will be successful.

All of us have to recognize that we owe our children more than we have been giving them.

What we have to do... is to find a way to celebrate our diversity and debate our differences without fracturing our communities.

'Smart power' is the use of American power in ways that would help prevent and resolve conflict - not just send our military in.

A nuclear-weapons armed Iran is not in anyone's human-rights interests. That is a direct threat to the lives and the livelihoods and the stability not only of the region but beyond.

A psychologist once told me that for a boy being in the middle of a conflict between two women is the worst possible situation. There's always a desire to please each one.

America is stronger because of President Obama's leadership, and I'm better because of his friendship.