While democracy in the long run is the most stable form of government, in the short run, it is among the most fragile.

Obviously Iran is a very large problem. It's hard to decide what the number one issue [is], but that is a very threatening problem.

There's Madeleine, and then there's 'Madeleine Albright'. And I sometimes kind of think, who is this person? Once you become 'Madeleine Albright' it doesn't go away.

Women have to be active listeners and interrupters - but when you interrupt, you have to know what you are talking about.

What's the point of having this superb military you're always talking about if we can't use it?

I got married three days after graduation, and the first thing I did what I was expected to do which was to work on a small newspaper. So we were in Chicago where my husband worked for the Chicago Sun-Times and we were having dinner with his editor and he said 'So what are you 'gonna do honey?' and I said 'I'm going to work on a newspaper', and he said 'I don't think so", because Newspaper Guild regulations said that I couldn't work on the same newspaper as my husband.

The best book, like the best speech, will do it all - make us laugh, think, cry and cheer - preferably in that order.