Body politic: direct from the Sacramento statehouse's newest official chamber—a cigar tent—the Golden State's Iron-willed governor gives M & F an exclusive interview

Muscle & Fitness, August, 2005 by Jeff O'Connell

M & F: You're probably the most famous person in the world. When you think about your life, do you sometimes have to pinch yourself?

ARNOLD: I'm not a religious fanatic, but I've thought many times that only God could pave the way for the life I've had. Otherwise it couldn't be--it couldn't be that I was given the gifts and the opportunities I have. Like everything I learned in bodybuilding and the movies was perfect for doing this job here and now. You don't need to be a Harvard professor here. It's all about character; it's all about having the will to make the changes that are required. You can be the smartest person in the world, but if you're not willing to represent the people's wishes, or if you are willing to sell out to special interests, then you will not make it.

For me, everything seemed to happen at the right time. Like having the recall election, which has never happened in the history of the state, come up at the time it did. If it had been just a few months earlier, my commitments to making and promoting T3 would have made it impossible for me to enter. So the signal was clear: It [the recall] was meant for me; it was not meant for anyone else. It was like a higher being said this guy would probably have a problem going through a Republican primary because of him being a moderate on social issues. When you look back at my life and how it has progressed step by step, it's difficult not to think that it was not all laid out and planned by a higher being.

RELATED ARTICLE: ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER POLITICAL TIMELINE

1947

*****

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger born in the small town of Thal, Austria, on July 30.

1955

*****

Maria Owings Shriver, Arnold's future wife and niece of JFK and Robert Kennedy, born in Chicago on Nov. 6.

1965

*****

Joins the Austrian Army as a tank driver.

1966

*****

Is released from military service.

1968

*****

Arrives in America. Declares himself a Republican after hearing presidential candidate Richard Nixon voice his views on government.

1977

*****

Meets Maria at a celebrity tennis tournament in New York, having been invited by Ethel Kennedy. Arnold and Maria begin a nine-year courtship.

1979

*****

Graduates from the University of Wisconsin, Superior, with a degree in business and international economics.

1983

*****

Becomes a U.S. citizen.

1985

*****

Proposes to Maria in Austria.

1986

*****

Marries Maria on April 26.

1990

*****

Becomes chairman of Inner City Games.

1990-1993

*****

Serves as chairman of President's Council on Physical Fitness under President George H.W. Bush.

1992

*****

Completes tour of 50 states for President's Council on Physical Fitness in Ohio.

1993

*****

Becomes chairman of California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness under Gov. Pete Wilson.

1994

*****

Travels to Utah to campaign for the reelection of Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).

1999

*****

Admits an interest in running for public office in an interview with Talk magazine.

2000

*****

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) proposes a constitutional amendment that would allow foreign-born citizens to run for president.