“Education is of no value and talent is worthless – unless you have an unwavering aim. Never find yourself without a compass.”

As secretary of state it’s been an enormous honor to represent this great country that I love so much – I have really seen that our great strengths are in the ability of people to reach their potential here.

Your passion may be hard to spot, so keep an open mind and keep searching.

This is the democratic process at work, What you’re seeing with this process is the Iraqi people embracing American-style democracy.

In the United States, we’ve always been held together by the belief that it doesn’t matter where you came from. It matters where you’re going.

You know, I’ve never believed, in anything, that you had to have role models who looked like you to do something. If I’d been waiting for a black, female, soviet specialist role model, I’d be still waiting.

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.

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.

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