This I conceive to be the chemical function of humor: to change the character of our thought.

When a thought takes one's breath away a grammar lesson seems an impertinence.

A pun is the lowest form of humor unless you thought of it yourself.

When I was a kid my father didn't really have much hope for me. He thought I was a dreamer he didn't think I would amount to anything. My mother also.

I hope telling stories though 'Making a Difference' - as in my academic work and nonprofit work - will help me to live my grandmother's adage of 'Life is not about what happens to you but about what you do with what happens to you.'

I told the President I told Rahm Emanuel and others in the administration that I thought the policy they took to try to bring about negotiations is counter-productive because when you give the Palestinians hope that the United States will do its negotiating for them they are not going to sit down and talk.

The moment that changed me for ever was the moment my first child was born. I was happy filled with hope and thought 'Now I understand the whole point of work of life of love.'

For myself if I am to stake all I have and hope to be upon anything I will venture it upon the abounding fullness of God - upon the assurance that as the heavens are higher than the earth so are His ways higher than our ways and His thoughts than our thoughts.

A man can stand a lot as long as he can stand himself. He can live without hope without friends without books even without music as long as he can listen to his own thoughts.

It has never been and never will be easy work! But the road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair even though they both lead to the same destination.

I kind of call myself an atheist I suppose - although quite a spiritual atheist I hope.

I try to give people hope. Even though life is bleak there's hope out there.

For me Barack Obama's election was a milestone of the most extraordinary kind. On the day he was elected I felt such hope in my heart. I thought we were seeing the beginning of a new era of equal opportunity across race and gender such as America had never known before.

I hope that what it comes down to at the end of the day is that people believe that I believe what I'm singing. It comes down to being believable. You don't have to be likeable generally though I think I am.

If it is nothingness that awaits us let us make an injustice of it let us fight against destiny even though without hope of victory.

I hope when I'm dead I'll be considered an icon though.

I had in mind a message although I hope it doesn't intrude too badly persuading Americans and especially Southerners of the critical importance of land and our vanishing natural environment and wildlife.