My dad wanted to name me after Rainier Maria Rilke the poet.

I met Gemma my wife when she was 12. She had a schoolgirl crush on me and her dad had arranged for her to meet me. Later she started coming to my concerts but I only got to know her well after her mother died. I rang to see how she was and that's how it started.

I have one brother John an airline pilot who is seven years younger. He's adopted though we're still blood related - he's my cousin. My parents couldn't have any more children after me so when Dad's brother died they adopted John then just a baby.

My mom and dad met at Anaheim High School. After they got married all they wanted to do was have four children and they did.

My dad was in the army. World War II. He got his college education from the army. After World War II he became an insurance salesman. Really I didn't know my dad very well. He and my mother split up after the war. I was raised by my maternal grandmother and grandfather and by my mother.

My dad always used to tell me that if they challenge you to an after-school fight tell them you won't wait-you can kick their ass right now.

One afternoon when I was 9 my dad told me I'd be skipping school the next day. Then we drove 12 hours from Melbourne to Sydney for the Centenary Test a once-in-a-lifetime commemorative cricket match. It was great fun - especially for a kid who was a massive sports fan.

You know my dad served in the President's Cabinet after his time as a governor. He told me he enjoyed being governor a lot more. Now I understand why. If I do my job well I can make a difference in people's lives and I can help our children realize their dreams.

When I was 18 I thought my father was pretty dumb. After a while when I got to be 21 I was amazed to find out how much he'd learned in three years.

My father was not a failure. After all he was the father of a president of the United States.

But after this natural burst of indignation no man of sense courage or prudence will waste his time or his strength in retrospective reproaches or repinings.

The British were indeed very far superior to the Americans in every respect necessary to military operations except the revivified courage and resolution the result of sudden success after despair.

I admired Eugene McCarthy's courage and although I left his Senate staff after four years to accept a job as the researcher on the editorial page of the 'Washington Post ' I remained an admirer.

No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut.

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.

Some of the greatest survivors have been women. Look at the courage so many women have shown after surviving earthquakes in the rubble for days on end.

Women's courage is rather different from men's. The fact that women have to bring up children and look after husbands makes them braver at facing long-term issues such as illness. Men are more immediately courageous. Lots of people are brave in battle.

A statesman wants courage and a statesman wants vision but believe me after six months' experience he wants first second third and all the time - patience.

He that fails in his endeavors after wealth or power will not long retain either honesty or courage.

I think it can be fun to be single and date-like when you don't want a relationship. Or when you've just gotten out of a relationship and after get over the initial shock your thinking Hey it's kind of cool being single.

I always loved Kate Winslet but after you meet her you really love her because she's a cool chick.

They have decided to tour under the name of Ten Years After which I don't think is very cool. To be honest they have had to do that as it's the only way they can get any work.

That's the best way to feed the human mind. That's how Bob Marley did it. He never put it in your face. After you got the groove you were just singing the hooks because you thought it was cool.

And I remember as a second or third grader having some autonomy to go to the store if I felt like it walk home take my time kick the can. We were on our own schedule after school so that was cool.