The military isn't essentially a testing ground.

Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig, responding to a question about gays in the military after a speech at the U.S. Naval Academy. He said that society "hasn't reached a consensus" on gay rights and that "the military itself shouldn't be a driver of that, but a follower of the consensus of society."

This agreement had been worked out with the governor and his staff, and to dishonor the agreement brings forward real questions of honor and trust.

Minnesota House Speaker Steve Sviggum, after Governor Jesse Ventura vetoed a bill to create a 24-hour waiting period before a woman can have an abortion. Pro-life legislators say they had worked with top Ventura staffers on the bill, leading them to believe he would support it.

I don't think that Castro has been depicted as the monster that he really is and I think that people don't realize the extent of the oppression that's going on in Cuba under this dictator.

Cuban-American actor Nestor Carbonell, on CNN's Showbiz Today, commenting on press coverage of the controversy over Elián Gonzalez. Mr. Carbonell, whose parents are Cuban exiles, stars in the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan.

Maybe it didn't change their lives, but they got a new appreciation for the opera.

Kirk Peters, associate dean of student affairs at Eastern Connecticut State University, after the school "sentenced" 17 students who broke campus rules (such as underage drinking at dorms) to attend an opera.