Two-thirds of the Iranian people would like to be reconciled with the West. They don't like the fanaticism of the governing religious council. It's the only place in the world where the last six elections have been won by the more progressive candidate, two for president, two for the mayors, two for the parliament. So most people there are sympathetic to the world we Americans want to build, whether we're Republicans or Democrats. On the other hand, almost everybody there wants them to have nuclear power. They see it as a status symbol, and a sense of their own security.

The arts have long been an integral and vibrant part of our nation's cultural heritage. In its many forms, art enables us to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and of our society. Providing us with a unique way to learn about people of other cultures, it allows us to discover all that we have in common. At its best, art can beautify our cities, encourage economic development and social change, and profoundly affect the ways we live our lives.

When I took office, only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called the Worldwide Web... Now even my cat has its own page.

Nearly everyone will lie to you, given the right circumstances.

Well, I don't have much job security.

When you're president, you have more power to help more people, but you also are the prisoner of circumstances as well, and countervailing political forces more.

By lifting the weakest, poorest among us, we lift the rest of us as well.