* “I’m going to meet with the leaders of the peaceful protests. I want institutions that are more transparent, more resistant to wrongdoing.”–Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
* “Egyptians today desperately need a ‘peace process’–not with Israel, but with one another.”–Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times.
* “None of the other major powers of this era–China, Russia, Europe, Japan, India–are tempted to challenge the United States for primacy. America’s per capita gross domestic product is at least six times that of China, and the United States spends more on defense than the next 10 countries combined.”–Richard N. Haass, author and president of the Council on Foreign Relations.
* “The Hong Kong authorities used the murkiness of extradition law to make what was a political decision.”–Steve Vladeck, American University College of Law, on the Edward Snowden case.
* “We may not live in fear of nuclear annihilation, but as long as nuclear weapons exist, we are not truly safe.”–President Barack Obama, speaking at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
* “Eventually, I can see the Affordable Care Act being embraced like Medicare, because once people get used to this kind of coverage, it’s going to be a pretty abhorrent thing to try and take it away.”–Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler.
* “For people who are concerned about border security, once they see what’s in this bill, it’s almost overkill.”–Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who helped lead the senate compromise on a comprehensive immigration bill.
* “Today the dominant distinction defining socioeconomic class is between those with and without college degrees. Graduates earn 70 percent more than those with only high school diplomas. Soon the crucial distinction will be between those with meaningful and those with worthless college degrees.”–George F. Will, Washington Post.
* “I want to encourage you to reject the cynics who say technology is flattening your experience of the world. … Technology is just a tool. It’s a powerful tool, but it’s just a tool. Deep human connection is very different. It’s not a tool. It’s not a means to an end. It is the end.”–Melinda Gates, commencement speaker at Duke University.
* “Whoever the Democratic nominee is will beat Rick Scott. We will win the Governor’s Mansion next November. There’s not any question.”–U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
* “All these people who think it’s going to be easy to beat Rick Scott, they’re wrong. They are very wrong.”–Alex Sink.
* “I wish that the guy who’s in the Governor’s Mansion now didn’t used to talk about an Arizona-type law. That’s not welcoming and that’s not what a Floridian would do.”–Former Gov. Charlie Crist.
* “I don’t think that it is deserved, but I certainly understand it.”–Ava Parker, interim head of Florida Polytechnic University, on skepticism over the school’s viability.
* “If it’s not an impossible task, I’m sure you’ll make it succeed. However, it may be an impossible task.”–Florida Board of Governors chairman Dean Colson on Parker’s Florida Poly challenge.
* “We like your market. We’re buying there every week. … This is a long game, and we’re still in the early innings.”–Justin Chang, CEO of Colony American Homes, among the major investors buying Tampa Bay area homes to renovate and sell to a burgeoning renters’ market.
* “You still have a lot of kids not getting jobs; a lot of kids with college degrees working fast food.”–Scott Brown, chief economist with Raymond James Financial.
* “Someone told me you treat them like a stepchild.”–Florida Board of Governors vice chair Morteza Hosseini to USF President Judy Genshaft in reference to the status of USF’s regional campuses.
* “…Every aspect of our lives is touched in this community through the port. It is the economic foundation of this community.”–Port of Tampa CEO Paul Anderson.
* “It’s too big. You can’t get a decent return on investment and you can’t get a company to come in and take that kind of risk.”–Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill in expressing skepticism about possible plans to reconstruct the Friendship TrailBridge through a public-private partnership.
* “Wi-Fi will be a draw. I want people of all ages and backgrounds to come downtown and be able to work and play at the same time.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn on the city’s plans to work with a private-sector partner to bring free Wi-Fi to downtown Tampa’s parks.