A free and truly independent press - fiercely independent when necessary - is the red beating heart of freedom and democracy.

The great lesson my mother and father gave me was almost invisible. It was a strong sense of being rooted.

But we cannot rely on memorials and museums alone. We can tell ourselves we will never forget and we likely won't. But we need to make sure that we teach history to those who never had the opportunity to remember in the first place.

If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all.

Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.

The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called 'truth'.

A tough lesson in life that one has to learn is that not everybody wishes you well.

Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow.

What separated Ed Murrow from the rest of the pack was courage.

Now, I know you expected me to say that, well, I just kick back in the rocking chair, fished a little bit, listened to Willie Nelson tapes and watched old baseball games on the Classic Sports network. And, tell you the truth, I have done that for maybe about five total minutes.