I retire to make way for an abler man. In my four years as attorney general I have aged about ten years, but when I have get back to the practice of law, I hope to show those lawyers that I still have some vitality left.

Since I am a man, my heart is three or four times less sensitive, because I have three or four times as much power of reason and experience of the world -- a thing which you women call hard-heartedness. As a man, I can take refuge in having mistresses. The more of them I have, and the greater the scandal, the more I acquire reputation and brilliance in society.

Custom governs the world; it is the tyrant of our feelings and our manners and rules the world with the hand of a despot.

Every time I see a bluebird, I say, well, hey, all this hard work is all worth while.

Official intelligence on Iraqi weapons programs was flawed, but even with its flaws, it was not what led to the war.

I've got a book of poetry by the bed, one of these big collections that goes back to the Greeks and Romans.

The process could be likened to relaxing on a riverbank and watching a fish leap out of the water, sparkle for a moment in the sunlight, then dive back in a graceful arc. There is no need to engage in a mental dialogue about the merits and demerits of the fish, emotionally react to the fish, or jump into the water to try to catch the fish. Once the fish is out of sight, it should also be out of mind.