* “We understand this marker alone will not wipe away all the concerns the world has rightly expressed about Iran’s policies in the region. But we also know there isn’t a challenge in the entire region that wouldn’t become much more complicated, much worse, if Iran had a nuclear weapon.”–Secretary of State John Kerry, on the formal lifting of international sanctions on Iran.
* “The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period. It’s not even close.”–President Barack Obama.
* “We granted asylum to Mr. (Edward J.) Snowden, which was far more difficult than to do the same for (Syrian President Bashar) Assad.”–Russian President Vladimir Putin.
* “Will we respond to the changes of our time with fear, turning inward as a nation, and turning against each other as a people? Or will we face the future with confidence in who we are, what we stand for, and the incredible things we can do together?”–President Barack Obama.
* “We see it as a double standard. It’s a policy that allows one set of migrants to be treated in a privileged manner and another set of migrants in a discriminatory fashion.”–El Salvador Foreign Minister Hugo Martínez, on the flow of America-bound Cuban migrants through Central America.
* “Savage capitalism.”–Where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro placed blame for his country’s economic woes and the prompting of an economic-emergency declaration.
* “The United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world.”–President Barack Obama.
* “The issue isn’t just that immigrants are arriving (in Europe) in the hundreds of thousands rather than the tens of thousands. It’s that a huge proportion of them are teenage and twentysomething men.”–Ross Douthat, New York Times.
* “During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation.”–Nikki Haley, Republican governor of South Carolina.
* “Trump should deport Nikki Haley.”–Conservative talk show host Ann Coulter.
* “Drop Dead, Ted.”–New York Daily News front-page headline in response to Ted Cruz’s reference to “New York values.”
* “Whether (Donald Trump) is nominated by the Republican Party or simply disappears into the long line of discredited demagogues, he has already left his mark. Just listen to what some of his fellow Republican candidates are saying.”–Dan T. Carter, author and professor emeritus of history at the University of South Carolina.
* “He has the ability to imagine what the other party wants him to be and then be that person. He presents the Trump that will work in the moment.”–Michael D’Antonio, author of “Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success.”
* “I’ll start at the kitchen table. We’ll see how it goes from there.”–Hillary Clinton, on what role Bill Clinton might play in her administration.
* “He’s the wrong guy at the wrong time. If this had been four years ago, he’d be president.”–Republican pollster Frank Luntz, on the candidacy of Jeb Bush.
* “I don’t have a plan to influence the weather.”–Marco Rubio.
* “Nationally, climate change–with the exception of some regions in the country, like ours–is an abstract issue. Here in South Florida, where we have chronic flooding and where we live essentially at sea level, it’s not.”–U.S Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a Miami Republican.
* “You know it’s bad when there are more black people in the running for the Republican nomination for president than for the Academy Awards.”–Jimmy Kimmel.
* “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”–Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
* “Under current rules, the largest banks must have enough equity to absorb only a 5 percent net loss. That’s more than before, but hardly adequate to prevent the kind of distress that can damage the economy.”–Bloomberg View.
* “Certain segments of the petroleum industry have really made it a top priority to eliminate renewable energy policy and carbon policy.”–Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe.
* “I call the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, and tell him once a month we’ve beat him in job growth. He does remind me he’s no longer the governor.”–Gov. Rick Scott.
* “By allowing the team (Rays) to explore future stadium locations in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, we’re increasing the likelihood that the team will remain in our city or region.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.
* “For the entire region, it was the right decision.”–Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on the vote of St. Petersburg City Council to let the Rays look elsewhere for a new home.
* “We want to build the first of the next generation of baseball stadiums.”–Tampa Bay Rays President Brian Auld.
* “The goal is to make Channelside a cool and fun place to come back to, and to rebrand it after a few years of neglect from the previous owners. Since there are no finalized plans for redevelopment yet, we’re in a holding pattern.”–Adam Vosding, general manager of Channelside Bay Plaza.
* “It has to be all religious organizations. It has to be secular. And there cannot be proselytizing.”–Hillsborough County School Board Chairwoman April Griffin, on the issue of church involvement in public education.
* “The two most important people in an organization, besides the one who writes the checks, are the quarterback and the head coach. We’ve got the right union.”–Buccaneers’ General Manager Jason Licht.