This career essentially chased me down while I was on the spoken-word scene in New York. I kept hearing that my delivery of my poetry - which was very personal and cathartic at the time- was very moving to folks. People thought that I was an actress because of my delivery when I was just dropping into the work and really pouring out my soul.
The United States is the most innovative country in the world. But our leadership could slip away if we fail to properly fund primary secondary and higher education.
World War II had been such a tremendous success story for this country that the political and military leadership began to assume that they would prevail simply because of who they were. We were like the British at the turn of the 19th century.
President Bush offers the American people an optimistic vision and a clear choice in November. The President has provided steady leadership in remarkably changing times. He knows exactly where he wants to lead this country and he has complete confidence in the American people.
I am leaving because I have to fight simultaneously a potential recurrence of cancer the Democratic leadership a health care bill that's going to destroy this country my opposition to it and a belief that my party has become what it became - what it campaigned against.
Germany must be a country which generates political ideas and leadership which is capable of compromise which is sovereign and yet knows that it needs its partners on both sides of the Atlantic.
Roosevelt was the one who had the vision to change our policy from isolationism to world leadership. That was a terrific revolution. Our country's never been the same since.
Our country also hungers for leadership to ensure the long-term survival of our Social Security system. With 70 million baby boomers in this country on the verge of retirement we need to take action to shore up the system.
The war and terrorism in the Middle East the crisis of leadership in many of the oil-supply countries in the developing world the crisis of global warming - all these are very clearly tied to energy.
We have a country to turn around. This week you will nominate the most experienced executive to seek the presidency in 60 years in Mitt Romney. He has no illusions about what makes America great and he doesn't confuse the presidency with celebrity or loftiness with leadership.
From a parent's right to know what their children are doing to protecting citizens across the country from the growing threat of gang violence the House Democrat leadership is simply out to lunch.
I think our leadership team is a highly accountable leadership team.
But 85 percent of the mosques have extremist leadership in this country. Most Muslims the overwhelming majority of Muslims are loyal Americans.
Such manifestations I account as representing the creative leadership of the new forces of thought and appreciation which attend changes in technological pattern and therefore of the pattern of human relationships in society.
There was great leadership in this country at the time of World War II. There was also unrelenting resolve at home in America's factories and on the farms in the cities and the country.
So I think democracy in the long-term in our countries will survive if it comes to be associated with leadership will not survive if democracy plus media brings to us more and more followship rather than leadership.
The biggest novelty of 2013 will be new leadership in China. Very little is known about the views of the new leaders - who will rule the country for ten years. But we do know they're the first generation of Chinese leaders who have spent the majority of their lives in a China 'opening up' to the rest of the world.
By providing outstanding economic leadership this country can wage its attack successfully - and can thereby build the foundations of a peaceful world.
It's really necessary for the United States to continue to give strong leadership to the Middle East peace process supported by European countries at the same time.
I am endlessly fascinated that playing football is considered a training ground for leadership but raising children isn't. Hey it made me a better leader: you have to take a lot of people's needs into account you have to look down the road. Trying to negotiate getting a couple of kids to watch the same TV show requires serious diplomacy.
The one thing that the President can do is to establish a real energy independence plan. We have all the recources we need right here in this country to establish energy independence if we had the leadership.
There's a void of leadership in a lot of Washington. I think one of the reasons why there's so much angst across the country.
Leadership to me means duty honor country. It means character and it means listening from time to time.
We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK. That's not leadership. That's not going to happen.
In a country with an overabundance of food no one should go hungry because of a lack of funds or technical and professional knowledge. We have the food and we have the networks we now need to support the providers.