Dan Rather

“Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.”

“What separated Ed Murrow from the rest of the pack was courage.”

“Despite what many Americans think, most Soviets do not yearn for capitalism or Western-style democracy.”

“Performing doesn't turn me on. It's an egomaniac business, filled with prima donnas - including this one.”

“This much we know: Journalism is not a precise science. It's, on its best day, is a crude art. We make mistakes; I make mistakes. With more than 50 years as a journalist, I have at least had the opportunity to blow more stories, make more mistakes than maybe anybody in television.”

“I still love following and thinking about politics. I enjoy recommending important journalism I read or see from other sources.”

“I've always tried to be fair, even-handed, not an advocate for any group.”

“One of the most important roles of our journalists is to be watchdogs.”

“For years Don Imus was just - boy, he was merciless in his criticism of me. Maybe it was justified, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.”

“There is no doubt that the way journalism worked when I was growing up and getting started has changed forever.”

“Journalists should denounce government by public opinion polls.”

“And for whatever reason I've loved the news since I can remember. I loved it when I was in elementary school.”

“They may have turned this up, whether you had the Paula Jones case or not. But again maybe not, but again that's like if a frog had side pockets he'd probably wear a handgun.”

“Covering the civil-rights movement was a mind- and eye-opener for me. Houston was a segregated society, as was Texas as a whole - some of it by law, a lot of it by fear and tradition. But there was no violence where I lived, and if there was hate, it was either concealed from me or I just didn't recognize it.”

“I'm a believer in what your record is. I am what my record is - some of it good, some of it bad, some of it hard to tell.”

“A tough lesson in life that one has to learn is that not everybody wishes you well.”

“The dream begins, most of the time,with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you on to the next plateau sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth”

“I was really lucky to work at CBS news. I was blessed to be able to live my dream in many ways at CBS news.”

“I've never believed in measuring one's worth by the size of his or her bank account. I prefer to look at distance traveled.”

“I think it's important for the public to know, great reporting starts with a publisher who has guts and an editor who has guts.”