* “The longer I have spent thinking about this book, the more horror and disgust I feel for nationalism, which seems something akin to bubonic plague.”–Simon Winder, author of Danubia: A Personal History of Habsburg Europe.
* “(Syrian President Bashar) Assad has to decide that he is prepared to put the future of Syria ahead of himself. This is a man who has committed war crimes and still somehow wants to claim legitimacy to be able to govern the country.”–Secretary of State John Kerry.
* “The truth is something few people in the national security establishment are willing to confront: Confusing capability with utility, the United States knows how to start wars but has seemingly forgotten how to conclude them.”–Andrew J. Bacevich, professor of history and international relations at Boston University.
* “I’m still alive and don’t lose sleep for what I did because it was the right thing to do.”–Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
* “Uncivil, incompetent in fulfilling basic constitutional responsibilities (such as timely appropriations), micromanagerial, parochial, hypocritical, egotistical, thin-skinned, often putting self (and re-election) before country–this was my view of the majority of the United States Congress.”–Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in his book, Duty.
* “I want every young man in America to feel some strong peer pressure in terms of how they are supposed to behave and treat women.”–President Barack Obama.
* “If the Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them believe that they are hopeless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing them with their prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government, then so be it.”–Mike Huckabee, former Republican governor of Arkansas, a favorite of Christian conservatives and a Fox News personality.
* “Even as the Tea Party has lost popularity nationally after the government shutdown, the fear-of-primary factor has allowed them to influence their more moderate colleagues and thereby punch way above their weight in matters of policy. Even more than gerrymandering, this has magnified the power of the Tea Party types.”–David McCumber, Hearst Newspapers.
* “I told the team that there is no destination here, that this is a continuous improvement journey. Don’t confuse progress with winning.”–Mary T. Barra, CEO of General Motors.
* “An artist is somebody who produces things that people don’t need to have.”–Andy Warhol.
* “Now that Coloradans can buy recreational pot, the mood has shifted from self-consciously therapeutic, medicating ‘patients,’ to self-consciously scientific and capitalistic, serving consumers. ‘Education managers’ in white lab coats and marketing executives in suits are swarming in.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.
* “Why would our president close our Embassy to the Vatican? Hopefully, it is not retribution for Catholic organizations opposing Obamacare.”–Jeb Bush, on the Obama Administration’s decision to move America’s Vatican Embassy into a compound that includes the U.S. Embassy to Italy.
* “Legislating via constitutional amendments doesn’t work in California, and it won’t work here.”–Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel.
* “I’ve spent $4 million, hired the best legal minds in the state of Florida, rallied my army of angels and collected more than 1.1 million signatures in five or six months.”–Orlando lawyer John Morgan, on his role in gathering enough valid signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment on medical marijuana.
* “We want to put things back the way they were. Biggert-Waters is an unjust (flood insurance) law.”–Paresh Patel, CEO of Homeowners Choice Insurance.
* “As a city that is trying to encourage innovation and its creative class, I would suggest we eliminate this prohibition.”–St. Petersburg City Council member Karl Nurse, on reversing the city’s downtown skateboarding ban.
* “This was done to take a baseball team that has the opportunity to be special this year and give it a chance to do so.”–Tampa Bay Rays’ owner Stu Sternberg on the high-profile signing of All-Star closer Grant Balfour.
* “My wife would tell you that it takes one understanding spouse, a loyal dog and one hell of a good goaltender.”–Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper on what it takes for a successful hockey season.