Positive healthy loving relationships in your twenties... I don't know if anyone would disagree with it: I think they're the exception not the norm. People are either playing house really aggressively because they're scared of what an uncertain time it is or they're avoiding commitment altogether.

American influence in the world is certainly considerable but the United States does not control directly or indirectly the politics and economics of other societies as empires have always done save for a few special cases that turn out to be the exceptions that prove the rule.

Women by their nature are not exceptional chess players: they are not great fighters.

Everywhere in the world music enhances a hall with one exception: Carnegie Hall enhances the music.

Thousands of years and many civilizations have defined a marriage as the union between one man and one woman. With few exceptions those civilizations that did not follow that perished.

When the imagination and will power are in conflict are antagonistic it is always the imagination which wins without any exception.

I always thought the biggest failing of Americans was their lack of irony. They are very serious there! Naturally there are exceptions... the Jewish Italian and Irish humor of the East Coast.

I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president - with the possible exceptions of Johnson FDR and Lincoln - just in terms of what we've gotten done in modern history. But you know but when it comes to the economy we've got a lot more work to do. And we're gonna keep on at it.

Little islands of human happiness peace and prosperity are so exceptional at this point in history that I'm not even sure we can draw lessons from them.

Man is an exception whatever else he is. If he is not the image of God then he is a disease of the dust. If it is not true that a divine being fell then we can only say that one of the animals went entirely off its head.

We're at the crossroads. Down one road is a European centralized bureaucratic socialist welfare system in which politicians and bureaucrats define the future. Down the other road is a proud solid reaffirmation of American exceptionalism.

Everything seems fine until you're about 40. Then something is definitely beginning to go wrong. And you look in the mirror with your old habit of thinking 'While I accept that everyone grows old and dies it's a funny thing but I'm an exception to that rule.'

I don't need to go onto Facebook and pretend to have friends I've never even met. To my mind that kind of destroys the meaning of the word 'friend.' I take exception to that. Because I value and respect friendship.

My last public performance for money was in 1967. For free it was 1972 with the exception of two little one-shot one-song things. But that's just for friends out of friendship for the people involved and also because it was fun.

Of course Hollywood is still making some excellent pictures which reflect the great artistry that made Hollywood famous throughout the world but these films are exceptions judging from box office returns and press reviews.

As children we recognized that we belonged to an unusual even exceptional family but the effect was different on each of us.

Well one of the most important things for Americans to be reminded of is that a lot of the exceptional nature of our country is founded in Judeo-Christian values that promotes individualism personal responsibility a strong work ethic and a commitment to family charity.