Verbatim

"'Mr. President, you'd better prepare the American people for casualties.' 'Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties.'"

PAT ROBERTSON, televangelist, recounting a conversation he says he had with President George W. Bush before the invasion of Iraq; the White House denies that Bush made the comment

"I don't think the President would say that."

BOB WOODWARD, author of Plan of Attack, speaking to CNN host Larry King about the President's conversation with Robertson

"I had forgotten that Mrs. Bush had worked as a schoolteacher and a librarian, and there couldn't be a more important job."

TERESA HEINZ KERRY, wife of presidential candidate John Kerry, apologizing for saying in an interview that she didn't know whether First Lady Laura Bush had ever held a real job

"She apologized, but she didn't even really need to apologize. I know how tough it is, and actually I know those trick questions."

LAURA BUSH, accepting Teresa Heinz Kerry's apology

"Please excuse me for having fallen. Just so no one speculates, I may have a fracture in my knee and maybe one in my arm. But I remain in one piece."

FIDEL CASTRO, 78, President of Cuba, immediately after he tripped down a set of stairs at an arts-school graduation ceremony in Santa Clara, Cuba

"My dad has put his hand up, and will be 90 at the time. My kids definitely want to come, and if there is room for my mum, she will come."

RICHARD BRANSON, founder of the Virgin business empire, on who will join him on the first of his proposed commercial space flights. There is already a waiting list of 7,000 for the $210,000 trip

"The guy wants me to stand in line with everybody else. I'm not everybody else."

COURTNEY LOVE, rock star, during a court appearance in which she was forced to wait in line before she could plead guilty to disorderly conduct for hitting a fan with a microphone stand

Sources: New York Times; CNN; AP (2); Agence France-Presse; AP; New York Times