"The first rule in life is: cherish your friends and your family as if your life depended on it...because it does. Isn't that right, Jane?

Number two: Love people more than things. You know those T-shirts that say, "He who has the most toys when he dies wins." I'm going to promise you that over the years I've spent my life collecting a great number of things I thought I was going to die if I didn't have. And I wouldn't give you a nickel for most of it today.

Number three: Indulge the fool in you. Encourage the clown and the laughter that is inside of you. You know? Go ahead and do it. Make time now for play, for the impractical, for the absurd, and make it a rule to do it. Not just every now and then. Let your heart overrule your head once in a while. Never turn down a new experience unless it's law or it's going to get you in real serious trouble.

Number four: Don't spend a lot of time worrying about your failures. I've learned a whole lot more from my mistakes from all of my successes.

And number five: Have some sense about work. No one ever died muttering, "I wish I had spent more time at the office."

"Outspoken, accomplished and wickedly funny, The Hon. Ann Richards has been opening eyes about the possibilities for women in American public life throughout her distinguished career. She began as a junior high school teacher - which Richards still says is the hardest work she's ever done - later served on the local planning and zoning commission, helped elect the first female representative, the first African American and the first Hispanic from her home county, and then defeated a three-term incumbent to win a seat on the County Commissioners Court where she was the first woman to serve as Commissioner in the county's 136 year history. Subsequently, she was elected Texas State Treasurer, becoming the first woman to win statewide office in Texas in half a century."

”Take Cindy from “Survivor” -- stay with me, now, I know you’re tired of reality TV, but this is important. Last week, Cindy won the reward challenge, which meant she won a brand new Pontiac Torrent, which is a bubbly-looking midsize SUV. But wait, there’s a twist! Soon after winning, host Jeff Probst gave her another option: Give up the brand-new car, and the other four contestants will each get a brand-new car of his or her own!
...You give up the car, and millions of people are watching. Here’s what happens next: 1) Everyone at camp loves you, and feels a personal sense of obligation to make sure you make it into the final three at the very least, 2) everyone at home goes “Awww, that was so nice of her!” which means that 3) you’ll be sitting down with Katie Couric and Matt Lauer and God knows who else to discuss your huge, generous heart, which means that 4) you’ll demand a good sum as a public speaker for a few years and 5) you might just earn a hefty sum for appearing in a few print ads and, hey, even if you don’t want any of that stuff 6) you can spend the rest of your life with your head held high, knowing that you did the right thing.

Now let’s look at what happens when you keep the car: 1) Everyone at camp instantly dislikes you, and for a very good reason, 2) everyone at home goes “Ewww” and tries to pry your mean little face out of their minds forever, 3) you get voted off at the next tribal council, 4) not even the host of “The Early Show” on CBS really wants to speak to you, 5) your 15 minutes of fame are reduced to five minutes and 6) you spend the rest of your life known as the Selfish, Morally Bankrupt Idiot Who Sold Her Soul for a Pontiac.