Verbatim

'We're going to have no paper, no printing plants, no unions. It's going to be great.'

RUPERT MURDOCH, chairman of News Corp., hailing the prospect of electronic devices like the Amazon Kindle displacing newspapers, a process he estimates will take about 20 years

'The only thing that happens is a check mark in a box in a courthouse.'

MARY MCCURNIN, a Rancho Cordova, Calif., woman, on her decision to file for a divorce in order to reap financial benefits. By getting the divorce, McCurnin, who is happily married to husband Ron Bednar, becomes eligible to receive the Social Security payments owed to her deceased first husband

'I don't know why she would have felt threatened.'

SERENA WILLIAMS, tennis player, downplaying her profane tirade directed toward a lineswoman who called a foot fault against Williams during the deciding game of her U.S. Open women's semifinal match. Williams incurred a point penalty for the outburst, which resulted in her losing the match

'Ouch.'

TAYLOR SWIFT, singer, describing how she felt when rapper Kanye West interrupted her acceptance speech for Best Female Video during the MTV Video Music Awards to complain that another nominee, Beyoncé, had "one of the best videos of all time"

'Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.'

MICHAEL JORDAN, in a Sept. 11 speech marking his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame

'I got my chance, and I didn't miss it.'

MUNTAZER AL-ZAIDI, the Iraqi man who threw his shoes at former President George W. Bush during a press conference last year, after being released from prison on Sept. 15

'We're referring to it as the world's ultimate gated community.'

MATT GARRISON, the listing agent for a home located next door to President Obama's Chicago residence. The 6,000-sq.-ft. house, which is expected to sell for more than $1 million, benefits from extra police patrols and Obama's Secret Service detail

BACK & FORTH

Media

'Congratulations, Jaycee. You left the yard.'

MARK WHICKER, a columnist for the Orange County Register, in an article that highlighted the famous sports moments Jaycee Dugard missed while being held captive for 18 years by alleged kidnapper Phillip Garrido

'I certainly don't think I mocked that woman.'

WHICKER, defending the column against virulent criticism

Politics

'This seat was set aside for people who look like me.'

SIDNEY CHISM, an African-American aide to former Memphis, Tenn., mayor Willie Herenton, who plans to challenge incumbent Steve Cohen, a white Democrat, in the 2010 primary for Cohen's seat in the state's largely black Ninth Congressional District

'I vote like a black woman.'

COHEN, who is Jewish, arguing that as a member of a minority, he understands the pains of discrimination

LEXICON

Premature tweeting

n.--Posting messages on Twitter before the facts are properly checked

USAGE: "In the process of reporting on remarks by President Obama that were made during a CNBC interview, ABC News employees prematurely tweeted a portion of those remarks that turned out to be from an off-the-record portion of the interview."

--ABC News, apologizing on Sept. 14 for revealing that Obama had called Kanye West a "jackass" for his awards-show stunt