It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.
Madeleine Albright
We will not be intimidated or pushed off the world stage by people who do not like what we stand for, and that is, freedom, democracy and the fight against disease, poverty and terrorism.
A lot of people think international relations is like a game of chess. But it's not a game of chess, where people sit quietly, thinking out their strategy, taking their time between moves. It's more like a game of billiards, with a bunch of balls clustered together.
If we have to use force, it is because we are America. We are the indispensable nation. We stand tall. We see further into the future.
The magic of America is that we're a free and open society with a mixed population. Part of our security is our freedom.
I have said this many times, that there seems to be enough room in the world for mediocre men, but not for mediocre women, and we really have to work very, very hard.
While democracy in the long run is the most stable form of government, in the short run, it is among the most fragile.
No matter what message you are about to deliver somewhere, whether it is holding out a hand of friendship, or making clear that you disapprove of something, is the fact that the person sitting across the table is a human being, so the goal is to always establish common ground.
As a leader, you have to have the ability to assimilate new information and understand that there might be a different view.
To understand Europe, you have to be a genius - or French.
I do believe that in order to be a successful negotiator that as a diplomat, you have to be able to put yourself into the other person's shoes. Unless you can understand what is motivating them, you are never going to be able to figure out how to solve a particular problem.
I think that there is never an indispensable leader, you know? I think that there is a time with dignity that one needs to leave.
Jewelry and pins have been worn throughout history as symbols of power, sending messages. Interestingly enough, it was mostly men who wore the jewelry in various times, and obviously crowns were part of signals that were being sent throughout history by people of rank.
I think women want to take care of themselves, and I think having a voice in how that is done is very important.
Life is grim, and we don't have to be grim all the time.
I have to tell you, my seven-year-old granddaughter said to my daughter, her mother, 'So what's the big deal about Grandma Maddy having been Secretary of State? Only girls are Secretaries of State.' Most of her lifetime, it's true. But at the time it really was a big deal.
We live in an image society. Speeches are not what anybody cares about; what they care about is the picture.
This is pure speculation, but for a period of time, a lot of getting into a party was through fundraising and volunteer work, and Republican women had more time to do that than democratic women, who were out there getting jobs.
Iraq is a long way from the U.S., but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face.
So people are talking about revolution. What a revolution it would be to have a woman president.
Even before I went to the UN, I often would want to say something in a meeting - only woman at the table - and I'd think, 'OK well, I don't think I'll say that. It may sound stupid.' And then some man says it, and everybody thinks it's completely brilliant, and you are so mad at yourself for not saying something.
I saw what happened when a dictator was allowed to take over a piece of a country and the country went down the tubes. And I saw the opposite during the war when America joined the fight.
But I do not believe that the world would be entirely different if there were more women leaders. Maybe if everybody in leadership was a woman, you might not get into the conflicts in the first place. But if you watch the women who have made it to the top, they haven't exactly been non-aggressive - including me.
I am often asked if, when I was secretary, I had problems with foreign men. That is not who I had problems with, because I arrived in a very large plane that said United States of America. I had more problems with the men in our own government.
Because of my parents' love of democracy, we came to America after being driven twice from our home in Czechoslovakia - first by Hitler and then by Stalin.
Women can't do everything at the same time, we need to understand milestones in our lives comes in segments.
I think women are really good at making friends and not good at networking. Men are good at networking and not necessarily making friends. That's a gross generalization, but I think it holds in many ways.
No matter how hard we might wish, we will not be able to transform China's behavior overnight.
Most of the time I spend when I get up in the morning is trying to figure out what is going to happen.
And so I think that the idea of America working with other countries to solve problems is good for us, and it is part of digging us out of the 'my way or the highway' approach that was evident in the previous eight years.
It's one thing to be religious, but it's another thing to make religion your policy.
The only thing I have to go by is what my mother and father told me, how I was brought up.
Hate, emotionalism, and frustration are not policies.
The greatest thrill in my life was to represent the United States of America.
Hussein has chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies.
I think I've revived the costume-jewelry industry.
Hillary Clinton will always be there for you. And just remember - there's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other.
For me, being raised in a free America made all the difference.
Women have to be active listeners and interrupters - but when you interrupt, you have to know what you are talking about.
The best book, like the best speech, will do it all - make us laugh, think, cry and cheer - preferably in that order.
Take it from someone who fled the Iron Curtain: I know what happens when you give the Russians a green light.
I am such a political person.
One of the issues I kept saying to my students is you have to learn to interrupt. When you raise your hand at a meeting, by the time they get to you, the point is not germane. So the bottom line is active listening. If you are going to interrupt, you look for opportunities. You have to know what you're talking about.
I think that we all know what evil is. We have a sense of what's evil, and certainly killing innocent people is evil. We're less sure about what is good. There's sort of good, good enough, could be better - but absolute good is a little harder to define.
Well, the thing that I learned as a diplomat is that human relations ultimately make a huge difference.
I enjoy wearing pins, and nobody tells me to do it.
Maybe if everybody in leadership was a woman, you might not get into the conflicts in the first place. But if you watch the women who have made it to the top, they haven't exactly been non-aggressive - including me.
I have always seen the United States as a force of good. And I have learned that there is the idealistic part about what we can do at the U.N. and there is a doable part. And I have learned what is more doable.
The day-to-day making of policy is arguing all the time. You're trying to get the right approach and the right answer, and there are moments that aren't very pleasant. But in the end, you look at the overall product.
And frankly, I don't understand - I mean, I'm obviously a card-carrying Democrat - but I can't understand why any woman would want to vote for Mitt Romney, except maybe Mrs. Romney.
