* “He thinks it’s his ticket to greatness. I think it’s his ticket to oblivion.”–CIA Director John Brennan, on the role of nuclear weapons to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
* “He could stand in the other guy’s shoes, and he was determined to let the future bury the past and not let the past bury the future.”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times, in reflecting on the death of Israeli leader Shimon Peres.
* “For those few people knocking me for tweeting at three o’clock in the morning, at least you know I will be there, awake, to answer the call!”–Donald Trump.
* “Climate change is real. Florida knows that. My opponent thinks it is a hoax created by the Chinese.”–Hillary Clinton.
* “I want this election to be about something, not just against somebody.”–Hillary Clinton.
* “Without the corrupt mainstream media, she wouldn’t have a chance.”–Donald Trump.
* “He actually bragged about gaming the system to get out of paying his fair share of taxes. … Who goes around criticizing every institution from health care to education, our vets. But he probably hasn’t paid a penny to support our troops, or our vets, or our schools, or our health care systems.”–Hillary Clinton.
* “You can call us wrong. You can call me a fool. You cannot call us weasels.”–FBI Director James Comey, in defending his position not to prosecute Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.
* “I would feel terrible if Trump gets elected, but I’ll also feel terrible if Hillary gets elected. This is a perfect storm for a voter revolt.”–Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
* “(Hillary Clinton’s) election alone is what stands between the American nation and the reign of the most unstable, proudly misinformed, psychologically unfit president ever to enter the White House.”–Dorothy Rabinowitz, Wall Street Journal.
* “I don’t get a sense that folks are as excited about the first woman president. We ought to be as excited to support that, but I don’t see it yet. They really need to ramp up the grass roots.”–Florida state Rep. Darryl Rouson.
* “I don’t want to help or hurt anybody by giving them an endorsement.”–Lloyd C. Blankfein, chairman and chief executive of Goldman Sachs.
* “Everybody was aware of who the potential beneficiaries were, but nobody really had focused on the downside in terms of our international relationships.”–Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, on the Congressional override of President Obama’s veto of a bill to allow families of the Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia.
* “It would be an absolute shame if this legislation, in anyway, influenced the Saudi willingness to continue to be among our best counterterrorism partners.”–CIA Director John Brennan.
* “Modern media realities make everything intellectually thinner, shallower. Everything moves fast. … The need to say something becomes the tendency to say anything.”–Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal.
* “We’ll be investing in basic science research with the goal of curing disease.”–Dr. Priscilla Chan, who along with her husband, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, is investing at least $3 billion over the next decade toward fighting diseases.
* “NAFTA politics are as complex south of the border as they are in the north. Its advocates see it as a cornerstone of Mexico’s opening to the world; its detractors, as a neo-liberal tool of imperialist gringos.”–Ioan Grillo, author of “Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields and the New Politics of Latin America.”
* “Our job is not stenography, but truth-telling. … Let’s remember that to expose charlatans is not partisanship, but simply good journalism.”–Nicholas Kristof, New York Times.
* “We’ve been targeting a project in downtown Tampa for many years. We just thought it would be a great opportunity to make a significant investment in downtown Tampa.”–Thomas Leonhard Jr., president and CEO of New Orleans-based HRI Properties, the winning bidder for a city-owned block next to City Hall. HRI plans call for a 21-story, $120 million, residential tower.
* “We are not only profoundly disappointed, we are troubled by the rationale provided in your letter.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, in response to Tampa being eliminated from those competing for federal grant money to use in the redevelopment of the West River area.
* “There is a difference between public service and public office. I feel I can better drive change through being a business leader.”–Brian Lamb, regional president for Fifth Third Bank and chairman of USF’s board of trustees.
* “We’re in a (financial) situation where we’re in dire straits.”–Chris Farkas, Hillsborough County School System’s chief operating officer.
* “You are part of the problem.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, referring to those who don’t lock up their guns, cars and homes.
* “He’s the same guy. And he’s made it fun for everybody, I know that.”–Former Ray Ben Zobrist on the impact of manager Joe Maddon on the Chicago Cubs.