Do you force your kids to pay attention to what's going on or do you let them live their lives outside of it? My hope is that my child is a strong activist. That would make me most proud.

I am very lucky that I get to tell stories for a living. I love being able to grab people's attention to keep them turning the pages to make them stay awake all night. I want to stir the pulse yes but also to stir the heart. I hope 'The Woods' does that.

At home in Victoria we have three dogs Tosh and Lucy they're half Blue Heelers and then there's Torrin a little Maltese terrier. She gets more attention in the house than anyone else! Yes I miss them a lot.

But you know there's something about the kids finishing their homework in a given day working one-on-one getting all this attention - they go home they're finished. They don't stall they don't do their homework in front of the TV.

All of a sudden to get all of this attention and to be away from home and working all the time was hard. I was on planes all the time. I didn't see my friends. I cried a lot. It was quite terrifying.

Working in an office with an array of electronic devices is like trying to get something done at home with half a dozen small children around. The calls for attention are constant.

I didn't really seek attention. I just wanted to play the game well and go home.

Of all the species of literary composition perhaps biography is the most delightful. The attention concentrated on one individual gives a unity to the materials of which it is composed which is wanting in general history.

When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way you will command the attention of the world.

We see tremendous excitement from small-business people about the administration and about the attention and commitment that the president has to do things that really make a difference. I think they recognize that health care is one of those. I think they recognize that what we've been doing in the Recovery Act with our loan programs has mattered.

In sharp contrast to the idea that this stage of life is enviable we hear high levels of anxiety about getting old anxieties about health mobility access to facilities simple routine care and attention.

It's wonderful that so many people want to contribute to fighting aids or malaria. But if somebody isn't paying attention to the overall health system in the country a whole lot of money can be wasted.

I think the number one thing Black women and all Black people should be paying attention to is our health.

With respect to the first of these obstacles it has often been made a matter of grave complaint against Political Economists that they confine their attention to Wealth and disregard all consideration of Happiness or Virtue.

Happiness is like a cat If you try to coax it or call it it will avoid you it will never come. But if you pay not attention to it and go about your business you'll find it rubbing against your legs and jumping into your lap.

Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention.

We learn the inner secret of happiness when we learn to direct our inner drives our interest and our attention to something besides ourselves.