I kind of fell backwards into acting. I was studying to be a high school teacher. I look now and I understand completely or actually barely how much work it is to be a teacher. It's an incredible amount of work.

The teacher must derive not only the capacity but the desire to observe natural phenomena. The teacher must understand and feel her position of observer: the activity must lie in the phenomenon.

There is no teacher living or past who can give us the actual understanding of Truth. A teacher can only put our feet upon the path and point the way. That is all. It is wholly dependent on the individual to make his way to Truth.

I have the greatest sympathy with the growth of the socialist party. I think they understand the evils that surround us and hammer them into people's minds better than we Liberals.

There's something very beautiful and compelling about someone who has ambition and someone who knows what they want but it can get a little frustrating at times so I understand that. I have sympathy for that.

I don't care about sympathy. I care about playing a character who's understandable and clear.

Interest does not tie nations together it sometimes separates them. But sympathy and understanding does unite them.

Every success in limiting armaments is a sign that the will to achieve mutual understanding exists and every such success thus supports the fight for international law and order.

The first condition of success for the League of Nations is therefore a firm understanding between the British Empire and the United States of America and France and Italy that there will be no competitive building up of fleets or armies between them.

Put paying your dues and all that puts so much into being a success. You have an understanding of what it's about being on your own for three or four years and living day to day on $3 or living in an apartment with no electricity.

It's very easy for me to say what success is. I think success is connecting with an audience who understands you and having a dialogue with them. I think success is continuing to push yourself forward creatively and not sort of becoming a caricature of yourself.

And I think we understand we cannot make social change for all workers until we have enough strength membership strength and at the same time having membership strength and only making change for a limited group of workers is not what our country really needs for people that work.

I understand why creative people like dark but American audiences don't like dark. They like story. They do not respond to nervous breakdowns and unhappy episodes that lead nowhere. They like their characters to be a part of the action. They like strength not weakness a chance to work out any dilemma.

I like writing for children. It seems to me that most people underestimate their understanding and the strength of their feelings and in my books for them I try to put this right.

I want kids to understand that strength doesn't come from what goes on around you. It comes from inside you and that comes from Jesus Christ.

Guys do not have a genetic blueprint that allows them to understand or love sports.

If I had a personal wish for the new ideas in this new book it would be that every parent every counselor every teacher every professor every sports coach that deals with young people would understand the three circle concept.

I like to feel that I understand little things about sports.

Read the news section of the newspaper and there is confusion and uncertainty a world buffeted by large forces people neither understand nor control. But turn to the sports section and it's all different.

Well you got to remember bin Laden killed 3 000 Americans and in some ways he and his ideology killed tens of thousands of his fellow Muslims including Pakistanis. I understand that that was provocative and complicated for Pakistan but only if you accept the idea that he was an acceptable member of Pakistani society.

I don't believe society understands what happens when everything is available knowable and recorded by everyone all the time.

I think it's great that we have organisations like Greenpeace. In a pluralistic society we want to have people who point out all the problems that the Earth could encounter. But we need to understand that they are not presenting a full and rounded view.

I understand why society especially American society is gravitating toward fairy tales given our economy. We've been exploring the world of witches and wizards for years. We've been exploring the world of vampires for years. Clearly the public - I mean I feel like all of this was ushered in by 'Harry Potter' - in my own fannish beliefs.

Even if one is interested only in one's own society which is one's prerogative one can understand that society much better by comparing it with others.