* “After 14 years of the ‘war on terror,’ we are no closer to achieving peace. The fault does not lie with any one administration but with the assumption that war can defeat terrorism. The lesson of the Islamic State is that war creates terrorism. After all, the organization was born in the chaos and carnage that followed the 2003 invasion of Iraq.”–Arun Kundnani, author of “The Muslims are Coming! Islamophobia, Extremism and the Domestic War on Terror.”
* “A terror cell made up of two brothers cannot be infiltrated. It’s the most secure network possible.”–French security analyst Claude Moniquet.
* “Tunisia is a start-up democracy. It may be small, but its leverage for the future of the region is enormous.”–Former Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa.
* “Creo en el pueblo cubano (I believe in the Cuban people).”–President Barack Obama.
* “Cuba has emphasized the role and rights of the state; the United States is founded upon the rights of the individual.”–President Barack Obama.
* “We know that years back it was hard to hear our music in Cuba, but here we are playing. I also think the times are changing.”–Mick Jagger–in Spanish–last Friday to a massive crowd at a free, outdoor Rolling Stones’ concert in Havana.
* “Our courts should be above politics, not an extension of politics. Because this is bigger than a few news cycles, or even a single election. It’s about the integrity of our system of justice.”–President Barack Obama, on his nomination of Federal Judge Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court.
* “It’s a great way of communicating, as far as I’m concerned. Between Twitter and Instagram, I have about 16 million followers. But I’m not going to be doing it very much as president.”–Donald Trump.
* “Leave Heidi the hell alone.”–Ted Cruz to Donald Trump, on his wife not being a proper political target.
* “To win, Republicans need to make this election about proposing solutions to the many challenges we face, and I believe that we should vote for Ted (Cruz) as he will do just that.”–Jeb Bush.
* “Some of the new Cruz devotees … expect Cruz to lose the presidency. But then they also expect Trump to lose it–and to lose it in an uglier, more decisive fashion that drags down Republicans running for the House and Senate too. This lose-with-Cruz faction figures that a reset of the party after a Cruz defeat would be possible, whereas Trump might not leave them with much of a party to reset.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.
* “Despite the outstanding coverage of Trump, on the whole, we in the media empowered a demagogue and failed the country. We were lapdogs, not watchdogs.”–Nicholas Kristof, New York Times.
* “He stepped on to the presidential campaign stage precisely at a moment when the media is struggling against deep insecurities about its financial future. The truth is, the media has needed Trump like a crack addict needs a hit.”–Former “Today” show anchor Ann Curry.
* “Never believe anyone who says, ‘Believe me.'”–Kathleen Parker, Washington Post.
* “In some rare cases, political victors do not deserve our respect. George Wallace won elections, but to endorse those outcomes would be a moral failure. And so it is with Trump.”–David Brooks, New York Times.
* “We knew from Day 1 that politically we were going to have a hard time in the Deep South. But we knew things were going to improve when we headed west.”–Bernie Sanders after wins in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii.
* “I have as of now, gotten more votes than anybody else, including Donald Trump.”–Hillary Clinton.
* “Most of the advanced economies of the world have long moved into a new, postindustrial phase of development. … In the United States, manufacturing industries’ share of total employment has steadily fallen since the 1950s, coming down from around a quarter of the workforce to less than a tenth today.”–Prof. Dani Rodrick of the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
* “Real economic growth was stronger than we thought late last year, and this makes us more hopeful that the first quarter will be better than expected.”–Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG Union Bank of New York, on news that national GDP grew 1.4 percent on the October-December period.
* “I do know the only thing separating the public from the government of, by and for the special interests is us, the elected officials. It is possible to be a principled leader and an effective legislator. It really is.”–Tom Lee, R-Brandon, chairman of the state Senate appropriations committee.
* “What it reminds me of is what a diverse city we are and how important it is we celebrate that diversity and make sure that everybody’s value is treated the same.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn during the Tampa Pride Parade in Ybor City.
* “We are 20-30 years behind our competition. We are trying to compete in a Model T when they are driving Teslas. Time is not our friend at this point.”–Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill, on the need for more transit options.
* “I sat there for eight years and I never thought it was my job to be a mini mayor. … They have nothing to do with the day-to-day running of the city or the effectiveness of the departments.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on City Council plans to push for authority to order audits of city departments.
* “The Tampa Bay region has a robust enough business community that we should be able to generate significantly greater corporate support than we have, and we’re going to make that a major focus of the next few months.”–Tampa Bay Rays President Brian Auld.