I'm pleased to say my knee feels a lot better. It's still not back to normal and I don't know if it ever will be but I'm learning to deal with it instead of expecting it to be like it was before.

I can't do the same movies all my life. I'm conscious of that. But it's a trade-off. 'Dear John' allowed me to do movies I've wanted to do. You learn to balance it out. I'm still learning. Only now am I getting to do the kinds of movies that I have wanted to do. So it's a steady climb. You don't jump into a Soderbergh film.

But if we learn to think of it as anticipation as learning as growing if we think of the time we spend waiting for the big things of life as an opportunity instead of a passing of time what wonderful horizons open out!

Instead of going to college I spent my time out on the road learning how to be a better musician.

A lot of the problems I had with fame I was bringing on myself. A lot of self-loathing a lot of woe-is-me. Now I'm learning to see the positive side of things instead of like 'I can't go to Kmart. I can't take my kids to the haunted house.'

The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that you're in control of your life. If you don't life controls you.

Instead of begging OPEC to drop its oil prices let's use American leadership and ingenuity to solve our own energy problems.

President Bush offers the American people an optimistic vision and a clear choice in November. The President has provided steady leadership in remarkably changing times. He knows exactly where he wants to lead this country and he has complete confidence in the American people.

At the very outset I want to say how the people of America appreciate the steadfast support of the people of Morocco the leadership of Morocco in our war against terrorism.

On the other hand the waging of peace as a science as an art is in its infancy. But we can trace its growth its steady progress and the time will come when there will be particular individuals designated to assume responsibility for and leadership of this movement.

Instead of starting a new nuclear arms race now is the time to reclaim our Nation's position of leadership on nuclear nonproliferation efforts.

The leadership lost its nerve. Instead of taking the lead in the reform movement... they pulled the plug on it. They tried and are still trying to return the church to the dry ice of the previous century and a half.

These past years as we have been recovering and given our city a rebirth we have been encouraged by our faith knowledge and steadfast belief that we will pull through. There will be challenges and setbacks as there have already been but we will continue and we the citizens of New Orleans will prevail in bringing our city back.

Just about this time when in imagination I was so great a warrior I had good use in real life for more strength as I was no longer taken to school by the nurse but instead had myself to protect my brother two years my junior.

My parents thought it was nice to develop my imagination but they never seriously thought that anything would ever come of it. They said that I couldn't be an actress because I would be taller than all my leading men so I thought I would be a writer instead.

The use of travelling is to regulate imagination by reality and instead of thinking how things may be to see them as they are.

Right now a lot of people are still choosing to go to Toronto instead of shooting in New York City something I haven't done and something I hope I'll never have to do.

I ask myself: Would I have been any worse off if I had stayed home or lived on a farm instead of shock treatments and medication?

The tragedy of modern war is that the young men die fighting each other - instead of their real enemies back home in the capitals.

Anything in history or nature that can be described as changing steadily can be seen as heading toward catastrophe.

The past always seems somehow more golden more serious than the present. We tend to forget the partisanship of yesteryear preferring to re-imagine our history as a sure and steady march toward greatness.

It's very attractive to people to be a victim. Instead of having to think out the whole situation about history and your group and what you are doing... if you begin from the point of view of being a victim you've got it half-made. I mean intellectually.

Well what did we buy? Instead of a leaner smarter government we bought a bureaucracy that now tells us which light bulbs to buy and which will put 16 500 IRS agents in charge of policing President Obama's health care bill.

I retire with a smile on my face in good health and ready to spend autumns at my kids' games instead of my own. I'm excited to start the next chapter of my life.