“There is nothing better than being in a classroom with really, really brilliant students, and opening up new worlds to them. That’s what I love doing.”

Prejudice and bigotry are brought down…by the sheer force of determination of individuals to succeed and the refusal of a human being to let prejudice define the parameters of the possible.

I find it odd that suddenly people believe the United States is this Islamophobic country. I think this is the most tolerant country in the world.

America’s still a very, very powerful symbol and a very important place of leadership for the world.

We’re in a new world. We’re in a world in which the possibility of terrorism, married up with technology, could make us very, very sorry that we didn’t act.

Every good leader is part manager and every good manager is part leader.

My parents elected me president of the family when I was 4. We actually had an election every year and I always won. I’m an only child, and I could count on my mother’s vote.

If you are overdressed, it is a comment on them. If you are under dressed, it is a comment on you.

My mom was a teacher – I have the greatest respect for the profession – we need great teachers – not poor or mediocre ones.

We need to move beyond the idea that girls can be leaders and create the expectation that they should be leaders.

I think that the United States has always been most effective when it is leading both from power and principle.

Truly remarkable leadership is not just about motivating others to follow, it’s about inspiring them to become leaders themselves and setting the stage for even greater opportunities for future generations.

I’ve never really been a workaholic. I work very hard, but I also enjoy playing. I think it’s important to have a balanced and well-rounded life.

I laugh almost everyday. I have a good sense of humor, so I’m always finding something funny.

Today’s headlines and history’s judgement are not the same.

Race is a constant factor in American life. Yet reacting to every incident,real or imagined, is crippling, tiring, and ultimately counterproductive.

If I can look at your zip code and I can tell whether you’re going to get a good education, we’ve got a real problem.

Every actor has a strength, and sometimes you just respond to things that you see yourself better at. I’m aware of what I can and can’t do.

It would be nice to feel that we are a better world, a world of more compassion and a world of more humanity, and to believe in the basic goodness of man.

I am a great admirer of other actors, but I never compete with other actors. I always compete with what I did last, and I’m my own most vicious critic. So I’m always trying to do it better.

A parent knows better than any book or “expert” what their kid really needs.

There is nothing better than strolling down the beach the way God made you.

I’m just looking to be in the best movies possible and do the best work possible and try to become a better actor and make better movies.

Why go to a church to worship God? A church is man made. God never said, “And let there be aluminum siding.” Climbing a tree to talk to God sounds like a better idea since only God can make a tree. And if that tree’s on a golf course, all the better.

In love, unlike most other passions, the recollection of what you have had and lost is always better than what you can hope for in the future.