Dan Rather

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

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

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'.

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.

This much we know: Journalism is not a precise science. It's, on its best day, is a crude art. We make mistakes I make mistakes. With more than 50 years as a journalist, I have at least had the opportunity to blow more stories, make more mistakes than maybe anybody in television.

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.

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

A tough lesson in life that one has to learn is that not everybody wishes you well.

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

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

Journalists should denounce government by public opinion polls.

A free and truly independent press - fiercely independent when necessary - is the red beating heart of freedom and democracy.

Fear rules almost every newsroom in the country.

Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow.

To err is human but to really foul up requires a computer.

Performing doesn't turn me on. It's an egomaniac business, filled with prima donnas - including this one.

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.