As we have seen for more than a year, ... our upstream business -- exploration and production -- has been the major contributor to our higher profits.

Our upstream business -- exploration and production -- continues to be the major contributor to overall profits, ... However, the improvement in earnings from the year-ago quarter was largely driven by our U.S. downstream operations -- refining, marketing and transportation.

The big issue is what demand is going to be next year. High prices tend to attract higher production and higher supplies. The question then is, What will happen to the demand side? The fact is, we rarely know what is going to happen.

There's an element of exploration. You are always looking over the hill [to] what's next.

You want to have two guys making out in front of your 4-year-old? It's OK with them. A guy smoking a joint, blowing the smoke into your little kid's face? OK with them. And I'm not exaggerating here. This is exactly what the secular movement stands for.

My original business model - I actually wrote this down - was 'interesting work for interesting people.'