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.

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.

I suppose, in a way, this has become part of my soul. It is a symbol of my life. Whatever I have done that really matters, I've done wearing it. When the time comes, it will be in this that I journey forth. What greater honor could come to an American, and a soldier?

The feeling remains that God is on the journey, too.

Every book is a new journey. I never felt I was an expert on a subject as I embarked on a project.

I've been pleased to work with so many wonderful stars through the years. This has been an amazing journey. I hope it continues.

In my subconscious, my books were part of a single emotional journey.

But even if I'm left high and dry at the end of this wild journey, just taking it is a great feeling.

Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You'll find what you need to furnish it - memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey.

These matters having been arranged, I had a temporary awning erected near the river, and was for three or four days busily employed writing an account of our journey for the Governor's information.

My music is about the journey, about love and the human experience.

The only journey is the one within.

People who can pull you in and take you on a journey, as opposed to simply adding flash. Again, that feels very clinical, and I don't respond to that the way I used to.