I had made a decision early on that we were going to do the right things and that if they worked we were going to be very successful. And if for some reason they didn't, all the claims and the protestations and the excuses wouldn't make any difference.

I think we've got outstanding teaching in Michigan classrooms.

The greatest luck that I've had has been the ability to find men and women who came into my administration who worked with me and brought extraordinary talents that we were able to take full advantage of.

Manufacturers account for nearly 60 percent of all industrial research and development.

I've been in the legislative branch and now the executive branch and in each case I felt it was important we use our constitutional responsibilities to the fullest.

I'm very pleased with the job President Bush is doing and he's off to a terrific start.

The parent knows instinctively that if they're working and setting an example for their child that means that child is more likely to be in school, more likely to stay out of trouble and more likely to complete their education.

I've gone from being one of the youngest governors to now the longest consecutive serving governor in the country.

Believe me, I'm not going to try to get into testing.

I had made a decision early on that we were going to do the right things and that if they worked we were going to be very successful. And if for some reason they didn't, all the claims and the protestations and the excuses wouldn't make any difference.

All 50 states had the same national economy. And on virtually any measurement you wish to look at, Michigan has moved up and improved against the others.

I don't put labels on myself.

I wish we could have acted quicker on Detroit or other failing schools.

We didn't pass any constitutional amendments that affected the executive branch while I was governor.

As governor, I learned the importance of having an agenda.

Given the professionalism of Michigan teachers, I think they're not teaching because of the financial rewards.

Nobody gets any guarantees.

I expect my next job to be outside government.

I created no authority that wasn't already there under the constitution.

Redistricting is one of the purest actions a legislative body can take.

The Clean Michigan Initiative has been and continues to be a success.

And there should not be a limit on the creation of new public schools. We ought to expand choices for parents.

I care about the children of Detroit.

The asbestos problem impacts everyone.

Sometimes it is better to begin the journey, to get under way, then it is to sit back and wait until such time that you're convinced that all conditions are perfect and that there'll be no surprises along the route.

While America's infrastructure needs are substantial, there is no reason to delay completion of the highway bill. Every day of delay means jobs lost, investment opportunities missed and growth sacrificed.

I have an old saying that the harder I work, the luckier I get.

You win by working hard, making tough decisions and building coalitions.

We have broken the cycle of dependency. People have found out they're better off working.

Very few charter schools are being created in some of the best school districts in the state. If you're an educational innovator, that isn't where the greatest need is.

Despite these hurdles, manufacturers in the U.S. and their employees are doing remarkable work.

I just have a position that any child that's in a failing school should be able to get out, or be in a position to have that school fixed.

I'm a compassionate conservative.

As you look around the country there are still a significant number of states where their whole school debate is over school funding and we've been focused on the quality debate for most of the '90s.

Michigan is also the only industrial state that has a AAA credit rating.

The current Michigan Constitution was written in 1961 and '62.

I kept telling everyone I wasn't going to Washington to stay. I go to visit.

Manufacturers employ more than 14 million Americans doing what Americans do best, making things, building things, transforming raw materials into finished products.

There is no executive order; there is no law that can require the American people to form a national community. This we must do as individuals and if we do it as individuals, there is no President of the United States who can veto that decision.

Get me inside any boardroom and I'll get any decision I want.

Boldness and decision command, often even in evil, the respect and concurrence of mankind.

The two important things I did learn were that you are as powerful and strong as you allow yourself to be, and that the most difficult part of any endeavor is taking the first step, making the first decision.

In the coming days, I know there will be some reflecting on my time as mayor. Many of you will search to find what's behind my decision. It's simple. I have always believed that every person, especially public officials, must understand when it is time to move on. For me, that time is now.

For me, romance isn't an over-the-top act. It's someone offering to help and to support me. Or if that person thinks I'm making the wrong decision, he'll tell me. I want him to be honest, because being that honest takes a lot of guts.

Networks decide who will have a chance to do shows, but it is the viewers who make the final decision of who stays and who goes. I am very fortunate, in that the television viewers of our country have decided that Bob Barker can stay.

Using the power of decision gives you the capacity to get past any excuse to change any and every part of your life in an instant.

Presidents quickly realize that while a single act might destroy the world they live in, no one single decision can make life suddenly better or can turn history around for the good.

The promise of equal educational opportunity envisioned by the Brown decision remains unfulfilled.

With respect to the FBI, they had problems communicating in a vertical way, within the FBI itself, so that information of importance could get pushed up to those who were decision-makers.