It helps if the hitter thinks you're a little crazy.

I always thought that there was going to be life after baseball, and so I designed that in my life I would have other interests after baseball that I would be able to step into. And I didn't realize the grip that baseball had on me and on my family.

I had the pleasure, as Robin said, to live a childhood dream as many young Americans and Puerto Rican children live that play youth baseball. And I feel honored and very thankful for that opportunity.

For my children, they spent 15 to 20 years of their life in baseball. And Ruth and I spent so many years of our married life that that was our life. We knew nothing else.

I like to refer to my years with the Angels as the foundation of my career.

One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something.

It took me a while to figure that out and to realize what a gift that I had been given. And when I finally did, I dedicated myself to be the best pitcher I possibly could be, for as long as I possibly could be.

And when I retired, trust me, not only did Nolan Ryan, but the entire Ryan family had withdrawals from baseball. And it was tough.

Everyone has limits. You just have to learn what your own limits are and deal with them accordingly.

Dick Moss, my agent. Dick became my agent in 1979 when I signed my contract with the Houston Astros.

I am going to spend my time today just thanking the people that played a role in my career, because I truly do believe that I was blessed by a lot of people that paths crossed mine as I went down the road in my career.

And then when I went to stay in '68, I can honestly say that I was not focused on my career and on what it took to be a major league pitcher and to be a starting pitcher.

Baseball life is a tough life on the family.

What man in his 40s would not like to look in the mirror and find Nolan Ryan?

When I got traded to the California Angels, I really wasn't that excited about going to the Angels because it meant changing leagues and also a whole new set of teammates. But shortly after I got there I realized that it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

I can honestly say it took two full years for me to get over the fact that I was no longer a baseball player.

And to play as long as I did and to have a family you have to be very blessed and I was with my wife Ruth. Ruth, I appreciate the job you did, and my three fine children, Reid, Reese, and Wendy.

And that's what makes this a great game, is the support and the commitment that the fans give the game.

It helps if the hitter thinks you're a little crazy.

I came into the game when I broke into the major leagues, the minimum salary was seven thousand dollars, and I'd have to go home in the wintertime and get a job.

I feel very fortunate that I played for the four organizations I did.

And when I went to Houston, they had a conditioning coach by the name of Gene Coleman. And that was the first time I had gone to an organization that had a program with a weight room and designed specifically for pitchers.

Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent.

My job is to give my team a chance to win.

And I'm a believer that you take a negative and turn it into a positive, and as it turned out, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. And so I do appreciate the Ranger staff and the Ranger organization for giving me that opportunity.

Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt.

Put the right pitching mechanics together with good health, and there's nothing surprising about lasting a long time.

A comic book and a straight drama all have the same elements. If you're playing tragedy, you have to be aware of the comedy; if you're playing comedy, you have to be aware of the tragedy. If you're playing comic book, you have to be aware of the reality.

The Obama administration has now taken exactly the same position as the Bush administration. I don't see how you can keep people from knowing who visits the White House and adhere to a policy of openness and transparency.

The tragedy of Eliot Spitzer is almost Greek: Ascendant son of wealth and privilege dedicates his life to social justice, warns of the corruption lurking among us, and falls victim to his inner demons at the very moment of vindication.

You know that I had heard so many times people say things like, 'You could never write 'Harry Potter' and have it be about Harriett Potter because nobody would read it; people only want to read an adventure story if it's about a boy,' and I thought, 'I don't think that's true.'

My job is to allow the character to live and breathe - and become as real to the reader as he or she is to me.

Architecture is not an inspirational business, it's a rational procedure to do sensible and hopefully beautiful things; that's all.

Everything is arranged so that it be this way, this is what is called culture.

I was 23 years old. It was a wild time. I was covering everything that blew up - blackouts, Studio 54, son of Sam killer, and all of that stuff.

I wake up with the story in my head, so I really like to be at my desk about five minutes after I wake up. So I don't get dressed. I put on a bathrobe, I make tea and sit at my desk.

I am actually going to two therapists right now. I don't know, I actually feel like therapy has just made me more uncomfortable.

Keeping customers is about the experience, and the employees control the culture and temperature of the business. Never forget that.

I joined the 800th MP Brigade when they were already deployed.

I don't think there is anything wrong with cosmetic surgery at all. I think it's great. But I don't think it's alright to distort yourself.

I'm not a politically radical person. In fact, I'm much more interested in being radical aesthetically.

I did 13-something years of talking to wrestlers and promoters about why they did certain things and why they booked matches a certain way and what they were thinking and whether they were satisfied with the draw. And I got a lot of insight in the business.

It's incredible to see the creativity, beauty and hardships people capture when filmmaking is opened up and shared with the world.

We all have very personal relationships to what happened on 9/11 and the events after tracking Osama bin Laden. Nobody can escape from the influence of that.

Like many features of a landscape, knowledge looks different from different angles.

For my last meal, I'd want an Irish breakfast with soda bread and one of my dad's omelettes with three or four eggs.

I've always been a fan of science fiction.

When people don't know who you are, they're seeing your work for the first time. But if they've seen a lot, getting certain things across is a more difficult.

I work at home, in the country, and days will go by when, except for my husband and son and the occasional UPS man, the only sentient creatures that see me are my chickens and turkeys.