Everybody has problems. Everyone has issues.
Ann Romney
The greatest advantage of being First Lady is the opportunity it presents to truly make a difference on issues of great importance.
I do recognize the most valuable work being done across the country is that work being done inside the four walls in our homes. And let us not forget how important the work of the mother and father are to raising responsible citizens.
When I was so fatigued that I couldn't move, the excitement of going to the barn and getting my foot in the stirrup would make me crawl out of bed.
Everywhere I go people come up to me, they mob me - anyone who has MS or has a relative with MS - they come up and hug and cry.
I read somewhere that Mitt and I have a 'storybook marriage.' Well, in the storybooks I read, there were never long, long, rainy winter afternoons in a house with five boys screaming at once. And those storybooks never seemed to have chapters called MS or breast cancer.
Riding exhilarated me; it gave me a joy and a purpose.
My career choice was to be a mother.
Multiple Sclerosis is obviously close to my heart and I'm determined to make a difference in the lives of people who suffer from the disease by raising the profile of MS, as well as raising funds for advocacy and research.
And I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that because the days are long, the road is hard, the trials are there and I never know when, I have this little gray cloud that's over my head, when it's gonna start raining on me again. And I do need everyone's prayers. But I also believe that we're here for a purpose, and Mitt is prepared.
You know, you should really look at where Mitt has led his life, and where he's been financially. He's a very generous person. We give 10 percent of our income to our church every year. Do you think that is the kind of person that is trying to hide things, or do things? No.
I am the granddaughter of a Welsh coal miner who was determined that his kids get out of the mines. My dad got his first job when he was six years old, in a little village in Wales called Nantyffyllon, cleaning bottles at the Colliers Arms.
It's the moms of this nation - single, married, widowed - who really hold this country together. We're the mothers, we're the wives, we're the grandmothers, we're the big sisters, we're the little sisters, we're the daughters. You know it's true, don't you? You're the ones who always have to do a little more.
Having been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998, and I am continually amazed by the level of support I receive from individuals across the country.
I said tonight I wanted to talk to you about love. Look into your hearts. This is our country. This is our future. These are our children and grandchildren. You can trust Mitt.
In marriage, it's always that give and take and rebalancing that we have to do in how we can help each other. But, I have been known at times by my sons, that is the name that they call me-the Mitt stabilizer.
Sometimes when I hear criticism of my husband, I want to come out of my seat and clock somebody. But you learn to take a deep breath.
There have been so many people that have come up and embraced me as an example of what it's like to face something tough and just get up the next day and keep pushing.
I can tell you and promise you that I've had struggles in my life. And I would love to have people understand that Mitt and I have compassion for people that are struggling.
I'm not sure if men really understand this, but I don't think there's a woman in America who really expects her life to be easy. In our own ways, we all know better!
We are all children of the same God, and we have to come together to solve our problems and not be fighting so much.
When you're used to being healthy and strong and vibrant and everything and then - bang - overnight you're desperately ill, it's frightening.
There are certain things that don't mix well with MS. One is staying up late at night. Another is big, noisy crowds. Well, campaigns are staying up late at night and big noisy crowds.
My kids don't drink and don't smoke. For me, that's a great blessing.
I think we recognize as Americans there are certain things that are just primary to the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy here and religious freedom is one of the most important things we as Americans cherish.
We need to respect choices that women make.
If I were a 40-year-old woman, 40-to-50, I'd want to be getting my mammograms. They catch cancers, and cancer is very curable if you catch it early.
We all have burdens and we need to learn to carry each other's burdens, lighten each other's load.
Motherhood was my career. I'm totally satisfied with that.
How I measure riches is by the friends I have and the loved ones I have and the people that I care about in my life, and that's where my values are and that's where my riches are.
Everyone in life has their challenges, mine have not been financial.
As his partner on this amazing journey, I can tell you Mitt Romney was not handed success. He built it.
My faith experience, well, as you can imagine, you need a lot of faith to raise five boys.
I eat as healthy as I can. It is tough.
You just deal with the cards that are dealt you and you just go on and push forward.
And we've given all you people need to know and understand about our financial situation and about how we live our life. And so, the election, again, will not be decided on that. It will be decided on who is gonna turn the economy around and how are jobs gonna come back to America.
I know for certain people I'm championing a struggle that they're going through.
You know how exasperated you can be when you're the mother of five young boys.
It may look perfect, but that's one thing I have learned about life is that it isn't always what it looks.
I'd sit on a horse and forget I was even sick.
It's been quite an experience, being conservative and living in the North East.
I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work.
The thing that's nice about pregnancy is that in the end, you have a baby.
There is huge merit in both Eastern and Western medicine, and I've taken a little bit from both.
I know what it's like to finish the laundry and to look in the basket five minutes later and it's full again. I know what it's like to pull all the groceries in, and see the teenagers run through, and all of a sudden, all of the groceries you just bought a few hours ago are gone.
I love the fact that there are also women out there that don't have a choice and they must go to work and they still have to raise the kids. Thank goodness that we value those people too.
We can be poor in spirit, and I don't even consider myself wealthy, which is an interesting thing, it can be here today and gone tomorrow.
I know what it's like to struggle and to have those concerns that all mothers have.
That's why I like to get out there, and get people to see the other side of Mitt, and know us in a different reflection when you see the family and how funny he is with the boys and with the grandkids. And you know, just what a super guy he is. That's part of what I am doing, is letting people see the other side of Mitt.
Well you know, I think a lot of us in marriage know that you play different roles at different times. And Mitt can get very intense, and I can have the ability to kind of talk him off the rails sometimes and say, 'Hey let's look at what is really important and let's do that now.'
