Then I realized that there is an indigenous presence in the Solar System. It's us. So then I got to wondering what would happen if a more technologically advanced society moved next door to us the way we moved next door to the American Indians.

I used to be a discipline problem which caused me embarrassment until I realized that being a discipline problem in a racist society is sometimes an honor.

I was always good at math and science and I never realized that that was unusual or somehow undesirable.

When I seemed to be irritable or sad my father would quote the learned Dr. Knight and then say 'Just go to sleep.' Like all smart aleck kids I thought the advice was silly. But as I've grown older I've realized just how smart Knight was.

I grew up with the religion of 'Star Wars ' frankly. That's when I realized there is something bigger out there... and it's called The Force.

Every relationship that we have in our lives - our contact with each person place and event - serves a very special if yet to be realized purpose: They are mirrors that can serve to show us things about ourselves that can be realized in no other way.

There was no relationship between a wedding dress and fashion. There was no good taste either. I realized that I could make an impression in terms of changing and readdressing the whole industry of bridal.

I've only recently realized that I have a radically different relationship with my parents than a lot of people.

I can't cultivate a relationship with my child if it's between takes. I tried that on a movie and realized 'This is not going to work.' It will work some of the year but not 12 months a year.

Almost all first ladies have had tremendous power on personnel issues whether the public realized it or not whether it was Barbara Bush or Nancy Reagan or whoever.

If you realized how powerful your thoughts are you would never think a negative thought.

I've realized the extraordinary power of sports to heal unite and inspire. I believe the Olympics will serve as the ultimate platform to provide positive changes and I hope to inspire all of Japan through my strong showing there.

As I've gotten older I've gotten more liberal and my father is increasingly conservative. It's so shocking to me because I always thought we had the same politics. The day I realized we voted for different presidents I practically fell out of my chair.

I realized poetry's the thing that I can do 'cause I can stick at it and work with tremendous intensity.

I've written poetry since I was in the first grade and it wasn't until I was a little bit older that I realized poetry could be put to music and become a song.

I never thought I'd be doing poetry books. I never really studied poetry. But the first one I did was after my mother died and I realized that people sort of think and talk about her style and fashion but in fact what made her the person she was was really her love of reading and ideas.

Then I realized that secrecy is actually to the detriment of my own peace of mind and self and that I could still sustain my belief in privacy and be authentic and transparent at the same time. It was a pretty revelatory moment and there's been a liberating force that's come from it.

I think I first realized I wanted to be in country music and be an artist when I was 10. And I started dragging my parents to festivals and fairs and karaoke contests and I did that for about a year before I came to Nashville for the first time. I was 11 and I had this demo CD of me singing Dixie Chicks and Leanne Rimes songs.

I was a total athlete. I loved sports but when I realized I wasn't going to be a professional athlete I realized I wanted to be in movies.

De Niro was a hero of mine. And Sean Penn. But I've realized I can't operate at that level of intensity. That's okay for movies. On TV when you live with horror day in and day out you have to protect yourself.

When I started to watch some of the films I'd done I realized I was doing movies that I might not actually want to see.

I have realized that I hate going to the premieres of the movies that I'm in. Because I feel this tension after the movie is over that everyone feels obligated to say something nice to you. It's so unnatural and uncomfortable.

I realized this is what God has dealt me and I should be thankful considering all that's happened to me in my life but MS caused the movies to stop - stop dead - and I miss it.

I woke up on the plane this morning and was turning on my phone and I had to put my pin number in. That's when I realized that since the age of 10 I've been using 2012 as my pin number. But now that I've won gold in the 2012 Olympics I've achieved that goal and for the first time in 14 years I'll have to change my pin.