Laura Bush
If I'm just at the White House, I have meetings in my office, I sign letters, I plan different things. Late in the afternoon, I'll quit working and wait for my husband to get home.Collection: Home
The power of a book lies in its power to turn a solitary act into a shared vision. As long as we have books, we are not alone.Collection: Alone
A love of books, of holding a book, turning its pages, looking at its pictures, and living its fascinating stories goes hand-in-hand with a love of learning.Collection: Learning
Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open.Collection: Learning
I would never do anything to undermine my husband's point of view.
No one likes to be criticized.
We can overcome evil with greater good.
When we look around the world today, when we see in Afghanistan that 10 million people have registered to vote in their upcoming elections, including 40 percent of those people are women, that's just unbelievable.
Well, we've faced very difficult decisions and challenges in our country, every one of us have, as we - since September 11th, as we fought the war on terror, all of those decisions that the President had to make to put young men and women in harm's way.
Maybe it is the media that has us divided.
Jenna's traveled with me; they've both traveled with their dad. This is the only time they've been old enough in all of their dad's campaigns to really be involved in.
I don't like that, because there are a lot of people whose works I admire as actors or actresses, or musicians. And you know, I've been a big fan of different musicians or actors.
I'm not the one who was elected. I would never do anything to undermine my husband's point of view.
You know, there are a lot of would-be governors of Texas sitting around today who never took the opportunity to get into a race when the time was right.
I also know that there are a lot of people around the United States who want my husband to win and who are for him and who support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. And I feel good about those people, too.
In fact, I have the privilege of traveling around our country and meeting people all over the country who are making a huge difference in the lives of their neighbors and themselves. That's what I'm really fortunate to be able to do.
I don't really feel like I have to have a debate with my husband over issues.
But we talk about issues, we talk about people, we talk about personalities. George is a very good reader of people, and he's very perceptive about people, and you know, that's fine.
I mean, it's fun for us to talk about issues. You know, there's no one issue we spend a lot of time on probably, because he gets to do that all day with somebody else who's a lot more expert at issues than I am.
They're great girls. They're very funny, they're very smart, they're fun to be with. They're very lively, as I think people can tell. And you know, they're very confident girls.
We always get up about 5:30, and George gets up and goes in and gets the coffee and brings it to me, and that's been our ritual since we got married. And we read the newspapers in bed and drink coffee for about an hour probably, read our briefing papers.
But you know, it's not easy when your husband runs for president. I mean, it's not easy for me. I'm sure it's not easy for her. There's a lot of scrutiny on families that isn't always wanted.
I like politics. I like traveling in the United States.
Politics is a people business. I like people.
I mean, the part you don't like, I mean, that's the only part. That's the part no one likes, and that is the criticisms, and the unfair criticisms, I might add, of my husband. But that's also just a fact of life in politics.
It's not easy to have the job of president. It's not easy to run for it. And it's not a job for the feint of heart.
I think there are a lot of reasons to be critical of the media in America.
Every child in American should have access to a well-stocked school library.
Though my plans at the moment are vague, I can assure you that I'll never run for the Senate in New York.
Any first lady can do whatever they want to do. In this country, people expect them to work on whatever they want or to have a career of their own.
I also want to encourage anybody who was affected by Hurricane Corina to make sure their children are in school.
Leadership is not about popularity, it is about doing what is right.Collection: Popularity
Children who are read to learn two things: First, that reading is worthwhile, and second, that they are worthwhile.Collection: Children
I have found the most valuable thing in my wallet is my library card.Collection: Book
Women have a better chance to secure freedom and protect themselves from violence, from abuse, from injustice, if they are well-educated and know their rights.Collection: Rights
Education is the key. With a really good education, you have a much broader view of the world. Well-educated people can seek help for themselves. They can help others.Collection: Helping Others
It's really important for people who are HIV positive to reach out to let other people know that they can be tested, they can find out they can still live a life -- a positive life, a happy life.Collection: Inspirational
When you reach out to others in need, when you reach out to the world, you really do have a satisfying life by helping others.Collection: Helping Others
The English language lacks the words 'to mourn an absence.' For the loss of a parent, grandparent, spouse, child or friend we have all manner of words and phrases, some helpful, some not. Still, we are conditioned to say something, even if it is only 'I am sorry for your loss.' But for an absence, for someone who was never there at all, we are wordless to capture that particular emptiness. For those who deeply want children and are denied them, those missing babies hover like silent, ephemeral shadows over their lives. Who can describe the feel of a tiny hand that is never held?Collection: Baby
In contrast to my husband, I can pronounce the word nuclear.Collection: Husband
I'm inspired by my faith of course, and all the different people around me.Collection: People
We see all around the world where women's rights are denied, where governments don't believe in educating their girls. There are 800 million people in the world who are illiterate and 75 percent of them are women and girls.Collection: Girl
When you read with your child, you show them that reading is important, but you also show them they're important - that they are so important to you that you will spend 20 minutes a day with your arm around them.Collection: Children
Time spent in nature decreases stress and anxiety and improves focus for adults as well as children.Collection: Nature
Children know that if they have a question about the world, the library is the place to find the answer. And someone will always be there to help them find the answer-our librarians. (A librarian's) job is an important one. Our nation runs on the fuel of information and imagination that libraries provide. And they are in charge of collecting and sharing this information in a helpful way. Librarians inform the public, and by doing so, they strengthen our great democracy.Collection: Running
Diseases don't respect borders. You know, just at the edge of the American border, that isn't the edge of diseases. We need to be sure that we're looking worldwide. And it is in our security interest, as well as our moral interest, to pay attention to the rest of the world.Collection: Borders
Libraries offer, for free, the wisdom of the ages--and sages--and, simply put, there's something for everyone inside.Collection: Age
My mother was my Girl Scout leader, and George's mother was his Cub Scout leader. In fact, that's when some say her hair turned white.Collection: Girl