Verbatim

"We have nothing to fear from the truth--or the past--if we learn from it." BISHOP WILTON GREGORY, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, on a newly released church study cataloging the extent of sexual abuse by priests since 1950

"The N.E.A. is a terrorist organization." ROD PAIGE, Education Secretary, to Governors at a private White House meeting in response to a question about the National Education Association's opposition to Bush's No Child Left Behind law. After criticism, he apologized for the "poor choice of words"

"I think an Edwards-Kerry ticket would be powerful." JOHN EDWARDS, Democratic candidate for President, in response to a question during a debate on CNN

"I want to thank him for the consideration...When I win the nomination, if I do, then I'll sit down and think about who I ought to run with." JOHN KERRY, responding to Edwards' statement

"I lied and I lied, and then I lied some more." JAYSON BLAIR, former New York Times reporter, fired last year by the paper for fabricating quotes and facts in his news stories, in a new book

"What next? Will we deny priests and nuns their prescription-drug benefits on the ground that taxpayers' freedom of conscience forbids medicating the clergy at public expense?" ANTONIN SCALIA, Supreme Court Justice, dissenting from a 7-to-2 ruling that states awarding college scholarships may withhold them from students preparing for the ministry

"There is no such thing as a smart, safe or dumb mine. Would you send your children out to play in a soccer field full of American smart mines?" JERRY WHITE, director of Landmine Survivors Network, on the Bush Administration's plans to phase out traditional land mines by 2010 but leave the door open for the use of "smart" mines, which can be programmed to SELF-DESTRUCT

Sources: TIME; AP; CNN (2); New York Times (2); Landmine Survivors Network