Judaism had absolutely nothing to do with my past marriage to Mike [Todd] or my upcoming marriage to Eddie Fisher, both of whom were Jewish. It was something I had wanted to do for a long time.

Now is the time for guts and guile.

I'm loud and I'm vulgar, and I wear the pants in the house because somebody's got to, but I am not a monster. I'm not.

The things that are important to me - being a mother, a businesswoman, an activist - are all things that were borne out of great passion.

I don't pretend to be an ordinary housewife.

I'm a survivor - a living example of what people can go through and survive.

I have never felt more alive than when I watched my children delight in something, never more alive than when I have watched a great artist perform, and never richer than when I have scored a big check to fight AIDS.