I am willing to bet that there are some Puerto Ricans who don’t know about [their status].

I have never had to face anything that could overwhelm the native optimism and stubborn perseverance I was blessed with.

No matter how liberal I am, I'm still outraged by crimes of violence. Regardless of whether I can sympathize with the causes that lead these individuals to do these crimes, the effects are outrageous.

You know, failure hurts. Any kind of failure stings. If you live in the sting, you will - undoubtedly - fail. My way of getting past the sting is to say no, I'm just not going to let this get me down.

The best I could say about third grade was that it was a more or less continuous state of dread.

I hope in my book [My Beloved World], that the sense that I really feel connected comes through.

The President [Barack Obama] had suggested that I not watch the news during the confirmation process. I assiduously followed his advice.