Quotes from Dan Rather

An intellectual snob is someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture and not think of The Lone Ranger.

Now, I know you expected me to say that, well, I just kick back in the rocking chair, fished a little bit, listened to Willie Nelson tapes and watched old baseball games on the Classic Sports network. And, tell you the truth, I have done that for maybe about five total minutes.

Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.

The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you.

Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.

I'm a believer in what your record is. I am what my record is - some of it good, some of it bad, some of it hard to tell.

This race is hotter than a Times Square Rolex.

One finds oneself saying: 'I know the right question, but ... this is not exactly the right time to ask it.'

I had just turned 10-years-old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and plunged America into World War II.

A college degree is the key to realizing the American dream, well worth the financial sacrifice because it is supposed to open the door to a world of opportunity.

I respect and empathize with reporters and editors who must compete in today's environment. And I know full well that when I've been covering campaigns, which I still do, I've made my mistakes and have been far from perfect.

As someone who's been covering presidential campaigns since the 1950s, I have no delusions about political reporting. Candidates bargaining access to get the kind of news coverage they want is nothing new.

If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all.

Always marry a woman from Texas. No matter how tough things get, she's seen tougher.

The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called 'truth'.

Despite what many Americans think, most Soviets do not yearn for capitalism or Western-style democracy.

Covering the civil-rights movement was a mind- and eye-opener for me. Houston was a segregated society, as was Texas as a whole - some of it by law, a lot of it by fear and tradition. But there was no violence where I lived, and if there was hate, it was either concealed from me or I just didn't recognize it.

Well, first of all, I don't want to debate the word conservative, but by my definition, a conservative is someone who wants to conserve the Constitution of the United States and the American tradition and law that no one is above the law.

I still love following and thinking about politics. I enjoy recommending important journalism I read or see from other sources.

As long as I have my health, I want to be reporting somewhere.

For years Don Imus was just - boy, he was merciless in his criticism of me. Maybe it was justified, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Never eat spinach just before going on the air.

Fear rules almost every newsroom in the country.

There is no doubt that the way journalism worked when I was growing up and getting started has changed forever.