Mom and Dad would stay in bed on Sunday morning but the kids would have to go to church.

Both my mum and dad were great readers and we would go every Saturday morning to the library and my sister and I had a library card when we could pass off something as a signature and all of us would come with an armful of books.

My memories are of my dad taking me to football on Saturday mornings and my mum taking me swimming. Those are the things I remember from my childhood not sitting around the table debating capitalism and the profit squeeze.

Barack Obama knows that to create an economy built to last we need to focus on middle-class families. Families who stay up on Sunday nights pacing the floor like my dad did while their children tucked in bed dream big dreams. Families who aren't sure what Monday morning will bring but who believe our nation's best days are still ahead.

My father-in-law gets up at 5 o'clock in the morning and watches the Discovery Channel. I don't know why there's this big rush to do this.

How many women have the courage to start properly with a cold cold bath early in the morning? I jump in throw the water cold as ice and after the first plunge I am happy.

Then there is a still higher type of courage - the courage to brave pain to live with it to never let others know of it and to still find joy in life to wake up in the morning with an enthusiasm for the day ahead.

The cool thing about writing is that there is really never a typical day. Sometimes I get a rhythm going and head off to work every morning and come home at night. Sometimes I'll write for two days straight and then be utterly blank for the next two.

I know a lot of people dread going to work every morning but my work is playing pretend and doing stunts and screaming. It's a lot of fun and I get to play dress up. Every day is exciting and different and new and cool. I couldn't be more grateful.

You show up in Paris and on the drive from the airport to the hotel you're like 'This is so cool! I want to see something! I want to go to the Eiffel Tower!' And then you leave the next morning. You think Oh I didn't get to do anything. I tell people: I've been just about everywhere but I've seen nothing.

I don't want to clip on the armour every morning. I've seen some politicians do this and they get a bit mangled and bitter. I just refuse to do that. I refuse to be angry or bitter or complain and I remain open. I may sometimes be a bit too open but I'm not going to change that one bit.

We the people. Manifest Destiny. Conceived in liberty. Fear itself. Ask not. Morning in America. United we stand. Yes we can. In times of great change and tumult presidents seek to inspire beleaguered Americans by reminding them of their national identity.

For the past 33 years I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row I know I need to change something.

I can't find my car keys in the morning. Trying to get out of my house is a nightmare. 'Where's my wallet? Where are my keys? I have to go find a missing person.'

I don't want to be in my car all day. I love getting up in the morning in Venice and walking my dogs down to the cafe to get my tea and then perhaps going to a bookstore and sitting and reading then walking to the beach.

A lot of people think Formula One isn't a sport because everyone drives a car when they go to work in the morning. But we're pulling up to six G on a corner or during breaking which is almost like being a fighter pilot. So we have to do a lot of work on our neck muscles.

To drive an F1 car you have to be a little mad. On the morning of a race there's a mix of excitement and fear. If it's a wet track then it's worse as you're not in control most of the time which is the thing all drivers fear the most.

A muscle is like a car. If you want it to run well early in the morning you have to warm it up.

One morning about four o'clock I was driving my car just about as fast as I could. I thought Why am I out this time of night? I was miserable and it came to me: I'm falling in love with somebody I have no right to fall in love with.

I'm a car fanatic and each morning I wake up with a smile on my face whether I'm commentating on the Formula One or at Silver Hatch racetrack in Roary the Racing Car.

I miss Saturday morning rolling out of bed not shaving getting into my car with my girls driving to the supermarket squeezing the fruit getting my car washed taking walks.

It's wonderful to have the most important thing in the world there first thing in the morning. And especially in this business where the opportunity to think everything is about you is there every day now I really know that it isn't all about me.

There are pros and cons of experience. A con is that you can't look at the business with a fresh pair of eyes and as objectively as if you were a new CEO. Fire yourself on a Friday night and come in on Monday morning as if a search firm put you there as a turn-around leader. Can you be objective and make the bold change?

Mom was 50 when my Dad died. She got on a bus every weekday for years and rode 40 miles each morning to Madison. She earned a new degree and learned new skills to start her small business. It wasn't just a new livelihood. It was a new life.