Verbatim

'I was shouting, but no one could hear me.'

ROM HOUBEN, a Belgian man who was mistakenly presumed to be in a coma for 23 years after becoming paralyzed in a car crash. A recent journal article revealed that doctors, using new scanning techniques, discovered in 2006 that Houben, who could not speak, had normal brain function. He now communicates using a special keyboard

'Gender is between your ears, not between your legs.'

CHAZ BONO, born a female to singers Cher and Sonny Bono, during a recent appearance on Good Morning America, discussing the process of becoming a man

'I want to have an easy job. A job where nobody hits us or hurts us.'

SABAR MINA, an 8-year-old Pakistani girl who, instead of attending school, is forced to work for pennies smuggling food across the Afghanistan border

'Sequencing the corn genome was like driving down miles and miles of desolate highway with only sporadically placed signposts.'

SANDRA CLIFTON, one of the researchers who, in a four-year study, pinpointed the crop's genetic code, which promises to help farmers achieve higher yields

'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.'

KATE MOSS, model, when asked if she had a personal motto. The statement drew fire from eating-disorder experts

'I handled it--I admit it--but I'm not the referee.'

THIERRY HENRY, French soccer star, deflecting blame for a handball that led to the game-tying goal against Ireland and earned France a berth in next summer's World Cup finals. Irish pleas for a rematch were denied by FIFA, the sport's governing body

'What's so crazy about that?'

LOU DOBBS, who on Nov. 11 resigned from his position as a news anchor at CNN, responding to a question about whether rumors that he is mulling a 2012 presidential bid are "crazy talk"

TALKING HEADS

David Brooks

Lauding Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's efforts in the New York Times:

"The evidence of the past eight months suggests that Geithner was mostly right and his critics were mostly wrong. The financial sector is in much better shape than it was then. TARP money is being repaid, and the debate now is what to do with the billions that were never needed... Geithner's path was a middling one, but it helped the country muddle toward recovery."

--11/19/09

Glenn Beck

Announcing his 100-year plan for America on his website:

"To change America's course we need to change ourselves, our expectations and our willingness to accept the unacceptable. When we refuse to allow our children to receive a trophy for participation, we are on the road to restoring the meaning of merit in our Republic. When we insist that no one is too big to fail, we will be able to learn from our mistakes."

--11/23/09

Kate Harding

Discussing singer Adam Lambert's controversial Nov. 22 performance at the American Music Awards on Salon.com's Broadsheet blog: