"I was always concerned with writing to my age at a particular moment. That was the way I would keep faith with the audience that supported me as I went along."

"Plus, you know, when I was young, there was a lot of respect for clowning in rock music - look at Little Richard. It was a part of the whole thing, and I always also believed that it released the audience."

"My image had always been very heterosexual, very straight. So it was a nice experience for me, a chance to clarify my own feelings about gay and lesbian civil rights."

"For me, I was somebody who was a smart young guy who didn't do very well in school. The basic system of education, I didn't fit in my intelligence was elsewhere."

"One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes."

"A mindful spirit recognizes that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

"I think I am very goal oriented. I'd like to win the America's cup. I'd like Oracle to be the No 1 software company in the world. I still think it is possible to beat Microsoft."

"No, let's make sure that people understand that this is a very important war that is helping to protect us here at home. And that we have no choice but to win it. As difficult as it is."