Oh and once when I was in the Marines I got a perfect score on my physical fitness test.

The way you deal with a scare is the way you deal with a laugh. The timing has to be perfect. When you're dealing with fear or laughter - emotions that happen spontaneously - you hope it's working. But in the moment you really have no idea.

I have been thinking about the notion of perfect love as being without fear and what that means for us in a world that's becoming increasingly xenophobic tortured by fundamentalism and nationalism.

Even as we enumerate their shortcomings the rigor of raising children ourselves makes clear to us our mothers' incredible strength. We fear both. If they are not strong who will protect us? If they are not imperfect how can we equal them?

Fear is not in the habit of speaking truth when perfect sincerity is expected perfect freedom must be allowed nor has anyone who is apt to be angry when he hears the truth any cause to wonder that he does not hear it.

Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.

Advance and never halt for advancing is perfection. Advance and do not fear the thorns in the path for they draw only corrupt blood.

March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on and fear not the thorns or the sharp stones on life's path.

And my marriage was perfect when I wasn't famous.

When I heard the royal family wanted to have me perform in celebration of Prince William's marriage I knew I had to give them a little something. 'Wet' is the perfect anthem for Prince William or any playa to get the club smokin'.

My idea of perfect happiness is a healthy family peace between nations and all the critics die.

Personally I think four is the perfect number of children for our particular family. Four is enough to create the frenzied cacophony that my husband and I find so joyful.

People had this image of the Jacksons as the perfect American family and I destroyed that image. But what people have to understand is writing that book was very healing for me.

In a big family the first child is kind of like the first pancake. If it's not perfect that's okay there are a lot more coming along.

Our notion of the perfect society embraces the family as its center and ornament and this paradise is not secure until children appear to animate and complete the picture.

No doubt the White House thinks the American people know Obama's story. But since the Inauguration we've seen only the president's present: his perfect family his Ivy League elegance his effortless mastery of complex issues. We never see him sweat. And we forget that he ever had to struggle.

And when I was young my family was perfectly nice. I write a lot about it as you noticed. But it was rather limited. I think I don't think anyone in my family would really feel I'd done them an injustice by saying that. We didn't see many people. There were many books. It was as if I wanted to get away from home.