* “Reforming is about curbing government power. It is a self-imposed revolution that will require real sacrifice, and it will be painful.”–New Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.
* “Those who adhere to the ideology of rejecting Israel’s right to exist might as well reject the Earth beneath them and the sky above, because Israel is not going anywhere.”–President Barack Obama.
* “If Secretary of State John Kerry is looking for a new agenda, he might want to focus on forging closer integration with Mexico rather than beating his head against the rocks of Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan or Syria. … We do $1.5 billion a day in trade with Mexico, and we spend $1 billion a day in Afghanistan. Not smart.”–Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times.
* “Did you hear the latest poll? They asked women between 20 and 30 years old if they want to make love to Berlusconi. Thirty-three percent said yes! Sixty-seven percent said, ‘Again?'”–Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
* “I feel plenty of shame in my own life, don’t get me wrong. But when I sit down to write, I’m shameless.”–Author Philip Roth.
* “We are a textbook example of sweeping marketplace change.”–Peter Kadzis, executive editor of The Boston Phoenix, a 50-year-old alternative weekly that announced its closing.
* “Catholicism needs someone like Pius V, the 16th-century pontiff at whose tomb Francis prayed on the day after his elevation–a disciplinarian whose housecleaning helped further the Counter-Reformation. The Vatican needs purgation at the top, to enable real renewal from below.”–Ross Douthat, New York Times.
* “This is an issue that divides Americans not just on partisan or religious but most conspicuously on generational lines. Young people, including many Republicans, heavily favor same-sex marriage. Elderly people, including many Democrats, heavily oppose it.”–Michael Barone, The Washington Examiner.
* “Every person who lives in the state of Florida should be a Republican. We’re the party of jobs, we’re the party of education, we’re the party of keep the cost of living low.”–Gov. Rick Scott.
* “We’ve been getting lots of calls from supporters urging Sen. Nelson to consider running for governor. Right now he’s just focused on doing his job in the Senate and not envisioning a circumstance under which he’d do so. Still, he remains very concerned about the state’s future.”–Nelson spokesman Dan McLaughlin.
* “The special interests have more pull in Tallahassee today than ever before.”–Rep. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey.
* “If you’ve been in the sport long enough, you know someone who’s died.”–David T.K. Hayes, manager of Skydive City in Zephyrhills.
* “It’s not what St. Pete Beach is like.”–St. Pete Beach City Manager Mike Bonfield, commenting on the movie Spring Breakers that was filmed in-part in St. Pete Beach.
* “He’s not a good guy. He’s a great guy.”–Rays’ manager Joe Maddon on fired Lightning coach Guy Boucher.
* “We can do anything together. TOGETHER. … I don’t care what God you worship or who you love. We’re going to succeed together or not at all.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.