DAN RATHER

And now the sequence of events in no particular order.

Only votes talk, everything else walks.

I'm proud to say I've never been anybody's lapdog.

Ratings don't last. Good journalism does.

Start-ups like UniversityNow, a network of low-cost, online colleges, allows students to work at their own pace and pay a few hundred dollars a month for a degree.

From the streets of Cairo and the Arab Spring, to Occupy Wall Street, from the busy political calendar to the aftermath of the tsunami in Japan, social media was not only sharing the news but driving it.

What separated Ed Murrow from the rest of the pack was courage.

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

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.

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

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

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

Never eat spinach just before going on the air.

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'.

If I didn't have a front-row seat on history, it was at least a seat on the aisle.

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.

Are the Democrats going to dance the mandate Macarena?

I think it's important for the public to know, great reporting starts with a publisher who has guts and an editor who has guts.

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

Once the herd starts moving in one direction, it's very hard to turn it, even slightly.

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.

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.

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

But we cannot rely on memorials and museums alone. We can tell ourselves we will never forget and we likely won't. But we need to make sure that we teach history to those who never had the opportunity to remember in the first place.

I've always tried to be fair, even-handed, not an advocate for any group.