I find it hard to take rock groups very seriously or treat them with respect. There is something absurd about these gloomy young men getting together and banging away.

I have very little respect for Nancy Reagan. There is something about her that is very petty.

I was not afraid of the press or the militants. It was uncomfortable but I was not afraid. With respect to the press I knew I knew more than they knew about city matters. With respect to the militants I understood it. I mean everybody believed in those days that they were being screwed you know that somebody was getting ahead of them.

One thing that I feel very very strongly is that we talk about Islamic countries Islamic people Islamic leaders as either moderates or extremists. It's almost like there are only two categories of Muslims. And actually that doesn't show respect. It shows lack of understanding of the diversity of Muslim thought.

I actually have more respect for people who are in the closet. You end up exposing so much of yourself because you have to talk about your sexual life. You shouldn't have to talk about it.

All the actors I respect especially old-Hollywood actors the reason I think so many of them have had long careers is that there is a sort of mystery about them. You don't know what they do on Friday nights when they go home from work. You have no clue. You have this sort of fantasy about them.

I've been a critic of the antiglobalization movement and they've been a critic of me but the one thing I respect about the movement is their authentic energy. These are not people who don't care about the world.

I remember I read this harsh review about my show and one of my friends told me that this was the exact same stuff people said about Madonna. And it's like she didn't care. Madonna just came out and was herself. I respect that a lot.

Hip-hop is more about attaining wealth. People respect success. They respect big. They don't even have to like your music. If you're big enough people are drawn to you.

There are so many things to think about when you make an album. Like who am I trying to impress? Am I going to get respect critical acclaim? Or am I going to sell lots of records?

I respect country music because I feel like it's more about the talent and the songwriting and I put on a big show and we have a lot of stuff but I feel confident in myself enough as an artist and a singer that I can have all of those fun toys and know that we don't need all the bells and whistles either.

I think the new generation is much more demanding about respect for the environment than we have ever imagined.

Steve Irwin did wonderful conservation work but I was uncomfortable about some of his stunts. Even if animals aren't aware that you are not treating them with respect the viewers are.

There is a lovable quality about the actual tools. One feels so kindly to the thing that enables the hand to obey the brain. Moreover one feels a good deal of respect for it without it the brain and the hand would be helpless.

I don't believe war is a way to solve problems. I think it's wrong. I don't have respect for the people that made the decisions to go on with war. I don't have that much respect for Bush. He's about war I'm not about war - a lot of people aren't about war.

I'm an atheist but I'm very relaxed about it. I don't preach my atheism but I have a huge amount of respect for people like Richard Dawkins who do.

There is no need to worry about mere size. We do not necessarily respect a fat man more than a thin man. Sir Isaac Newton was very much smaller than a hippopotamus but we do not on that account value him less.

We learned about gratitude and humility - that so many people had a hand in our success from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean... and we were taught to value everyone's contribution and treat everyone with respect.

The person who comes up to you and makes the most noise and is the most intrusive is invariably the person in the room who has no respect for you at all and it's really all about them.

I've been a little bit obsessed with religion without being a religious person for about a decade.

I'm not embarrassed about the novels I wrote when I was younger but I couldn't write them today because of my religion.

It's very difficult to talk about religion in Iran because religion has gotten so mixed up with politics.

There is no religion without love and people may talk as much as they like about their religion but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast it is all a sham.

People don't talk about religion a lot in Hollywood because it's not an incredibly safe place to do it.