It was a privilege to be president and it is a privilege to be a former president and I believe that I have got a chance to be a part of something that is influential - but not for my sake, but for the sake of people dying in Africa or people worried about a free society in their countries or people who wonder whether there will be a free market.

I... you know, I... look, after 9/11, I vowed to protect this country.

We can't impose freedom, but we can eliminate roadblocks to freedom, and to allow free societies to develop.

I faced a lot of criticism as president. I didn't like hearing people claim that I lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction or cut taxes to benefit the rich. But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all-time low.

Before history is written down in books, it is written in courage.

The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States - and war is what they got.

The United States and rich countries cannot change Africa from within. It has to impose reform on Africa; it has to come from within.