How do I take a step? How do I lift my foot off the ground, move it through the air a little bit and then bring it down? I had to teach myself to walk again.

When I was playing I felt tired all the time. My recovery period was a lot longer than the other players. They'd be ok after an hour - I'd have to stay in bed till the next session.

It's been a long road back to health and fitness for me. I am just glad to have been given the opportunity to do what I love most.

It was like falling off a building and suddenly, bang, you hit the bottom. The first time it happened was on an ordinary day at home. I was taking down some curtains. I took one step, turned around, took another step and then I fell and hit my head hard on the rowing machine.

I was this guy who'd been racing around down there, on that field in 1999, running straight over people, scoring tries, winning games, having fun. And I ended up so sick I couldn't even run past a little baby.

I thought about dying whenever I got bad news about other people.

I was on dialysis for 18 months before the transplant, so it was important I tried to look ahead to days like my comeback this Saturday. You need those big goals to drive you on.

I am very excited to be here in Wales and look forward to putting on the Cardiff Blues shirt.

The biggest thing for me is just to get out on that field. Just to do that will be incredible.

I was diagnosed with the illness right before the 1995 World Cup.

How do I take a step? How do I lift my foot off the ground, move it through the air a little bit and then bring it down? I had to teach myself to walk again.

It's a really exciting time to be involved in Welsh rugby.

I was only operating at about 80% of my capacity.

Towards the end of 2003 it was hard to get through training - and the darkest point was when a doctor told me there was a possibility I could end up in a wheelchair.

Each haka has its own interpretation, but you have to make sure you are in unison with your team-mates; the haka should be a proper war cry.

For me to get through the toughest periods in my life, I had to look within to find the energy to do it. I don't give up. Never have. Never will.

I always say to people that you have never seen the best of me, and that's what I mean - I've never been fully fit.

I have a stab wound on my left hip and one on my thigh and a slash mark across my right calf. I have a bottle stab wound on my left calf.

I have crooked toes from wearing boots that didn't fit me because that's all I could afford as a kid.

I went to a boarding school with a strong Maori tradition, where we were taught all about the haka.

It annoys me when people who don't know what they're talking about boo the referee.

It was in 2003 that I realised there was no choice but to have dialysis treatment - by the time of the World Cup that year, I could barely walk. A year later, I finally had a kidney transplant.

Looking back, my whole life seems so surreal. I didn't just turn up on the doorstep playing rugby; I had to go through a whole lot of things to get there.

Until 1998, I worked in marketing at ASB bank. I loved it.

I like to be able to get swift curves in the plant drawings that are usually drawn in five to ten minutes.

Definition is the companion of clarity; clarity is the guide to your goals.

But Madonna has a small amount of talent when it comes to movies.

Paralyze resistance with persistence.

First impressions matter more in basketball than in any other sport, and they can be savored only in person. Players can't hide behind pads or helmets, so we can stare at them, evaluate every move they make: running, jumping, walking, even ogling the cheerleaders. We can see every ripple and tattoo. If they're lazy, we can tell.

It's definitely an exciting time to be an actress.

I'm like a tourist when I'm in London.

As a policy-maker in our country, I would much rather we have that investment in our refineries.

I've long ago compromised my eight hours a night.

Today we're dumping 70 million tons of global-warming pollution into the environment, and tomorrow we will dump more, and there is no effective worldwide response. Until we start sharply reducing global-warming pollution, I will feel that I have failed.

A real conversation always contains an invitation. You are inviting another person to reveal herself or himself to you to tell you who they are or what they want.

When it comes to two of the big social earthquakes in the last fifty years - which are the gay movement and the women's movement - I think there is a direct line from Kinsey to those.

A great American city is fighting for its life.

Furthermore, even if ideas were gettable - say, stacked in a secluded cave like the Dead Sea scrolls - I wouldn't go there. An 'idea,' especially one adhered to from start to finish, can be disastrous for a compelling piece of fiction.

If one of my boys was asking me if they should go into politics, I'd say there's only one reason to go into public life and that's to help people.

My father never saw me play ball, and I was an outstanding ballplayer. I missed all that adoration.

Superwoman is more of a performer, which Lilly isn't. Having said that, I guess both of them are completely over the top, dramatic and full of energy.

I love for the crowd to feed off me, and I try to make my teammates feed off me.

I hired Tina Fey for 'SNL,' which was certainly a good match. She took off right away there.

The only time you fail is when you fall down and stay down.

I was terribly shy and never said anything in class. Then I started getting into school plays. When you've got words to say, you've got a sort of armour.

I've always done drama, but I suppose 'Tyrannosaur' was a bit of a watershed moment for me. It was like when Kathy Burke did 'Nil By Mouth' - suddenly, people were saying, 'Oh, she can do that, too.'

The German ueber-photographer Andreas Gursky was the perfect pre-9/11 artist.

I love the feeling of being on a team, rehearsing together, sharing a dressing room - I love that so much.