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

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

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

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

Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow.

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.

If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all.

The great lesson my mother and father gave me was almost invisible. It was a strong sense of being rooted.

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.

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'.