* “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”–Edmund Burke.
* “Trump’s effort to impose his undeveloped and unexamined personal will on the world is causing foreign officials to lose confidence in the United States as an informed, engaged and credible ally.”–John Nichols, The Progressive.
* “Mr. Trump has genuine affection for strongmen like Mr. Putin (see also: Egypt, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia). His corresponding dislike for democratic and female leaders like Angela Merkel, who happen to be constrained by the rule of law, also seems sincere.”–Stephen Kotkin, Hoover Institution fellow and author of “Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941.”
* “The message the president is sending through his tweets is that he believes the rule of law doesn’t apply to him and that anyone who thinks otherwise will be fired.”–California Sen. Diane Feinstein, top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
* “It’s not enough just to call this administration out. … We need more Democrats in the Senate. … This next election is a make-or-break opportunity to stop Trump’s agenda and improve people’s lives.”–Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.
* “This daily Trump melodrama is worth it ONLY if he’s really going to build the wall, cut off Muslim refugees and deport illegals.”–Conservative commentator Ann Coulter.
* “I have people knocking down my door to talk to the presidential personnel office. There is a huge demand to join this administration.”–White House press secretary Sean Spicer.
* “When I was at the absolute lowest point of my professional life, he’s who I called.”–New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, in noting that when the “Bridgegate” scandal broke, he called Christopher Wray to serve as his counsel. Wray is Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director.
* “(Patriotism) means having the courage to re-examine your beliefs when data and science contradict them. It means having the courage to stand up to members of your own party when you believe they are wrong–or when their actions put our great American experiment at risk.”–Michael Bloomberg, former Republican mayor of New York City.
* “Rage and sanctimony always spread like a virus–and become stronger with each iteration.”–Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal.
* “(Today’s partisans) have made anger into an industry–using it to run up the number of listeners, viewers and hits. … If words can inspire, then they can also incite or debase.”–Michael Gerson, Washington Post.
* “We can’t keep ignoring the fringe. We have to expose it.”–Charles J. Sykes, author of “How the Right Lost its Mind.”
* “An explanation of climate change from a Nobel Prize-winning physicist looks exactly the same on your Facebook page as the denial of climate change by somebody on the Koch brothers’ payroll.”–Former President Barack Obama.
* “I’m honored to be here with you today because, let’s face it, you accomplished something I never could.”–Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in his Harvard commencement address. The former Harvard student never graduated.
* “Songs are unlike literature. They’re meant to be sung, not read.”–Bob Dylan.
* “It’s a bad bill with some good stuff sprinkled in.”–Tim Harris, president of the Florida School Boards Association, on the massive education bill (HB 7069) signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott.
* “As a citizen I’m embarrassed about the performance of our Legislature over the last three or four years.”–State Rep. Dan Raulerson, R-Plant City.
* “I care more about the people of this state than I care about the governments of this state.”–Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran.
* “The biggest challenge we have facing the United States is without question Donald Trump. And quite honestly, he’s the biggest challenge facing the world as well.”–Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former congresswoman Gwen Graham.
* “Over the year, the Tampa area added more than 41,000 new jobs and led the state in job growth for several industries, which is great news.”–Gov. Rick Scott.
* “You can’t build your way out of congestion. You need to get cars off the road. We are going to cause a stranglehold here on transportation if we don’t start investing in ourselves.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Pat Kemp.
* “I still can’t wrap my head around why we need these express toll lanes.”–Tampa City Council member Guido Maniscalco, on Tampa Bay Next interstate expansion.
* “If you’re talking about spending tens of millions on mass transit, I think you’re better off taking a big swing at this technology. It’s going to be a hit.”–Tampa Bay Rays owner Stu Sternberg, making the case for the Bay Area becoming an incubator for the driverless car industry.
* “I just want the youth to put the guns down.”–Antwan Jenrette, whose teen-aged son was shot and killed last weekend.
* “Markets like St. Pete and Tampa are running out of room. Let’s be honest, you’ve got to find creative ways to repurpose existing real estate.”–Mark Eilers, managing director of land services for Colliers International in Tampa.