* “By launching rockets and treating scientists like stars, Kim Jong-un gives his people a sense of progress. It’s not just a military project but also a political stratagem.”–Lee Yun-keol, a defector who runs the North Korea Strategic Information Service Center in Seoul.
* “In 30 or 50 years, the Czech Republic will be surrounded by countries with populations where 20 percent of the people will be Muslims. That is as if the Czech Republic became a Gaza Strip. We need to prevent mass migration even if we should build a wall.”–Holland’s Geert Wilders, a member of the European Parliament, at a recent meeting of the nationalist Europe of Nations and Freedom coalition in Prague.
* “Brexodus.”–Term for labor shortage in Great Britain since last year’s “Brexit” referendum.
* “I just want to wish everybody a very, very merry Christmas, we say Merry Christmas again, very, very proudly. Very, very Merry Christmas.”–Donald Trump.
* “We are witnessing the most significant departure of diplomatic talent in generations.”–Joint statement by former U.S. diplomats R. Nicholas Burns and Ryan C. Crocker.
* “We don’t have enough people to do all the work that needs to be done as a general matter.”–Former I.R.S. Commissioner John A. Koskinen, in underscoring that the agency is understaffed and faces serious challenges in implementing the new tax code.
* “The easy part is the revolution. The hard part is democracy. … The trend is obviously in the wrong direction.”–Sen. John McCain.
* “The fight over (the tax bill) is just beginning. Democrats will campaign against it and hope to repeal much of it. And no matter which party is in charge, Congress and the White House will have to revisit tax policy in coming years, because this bill is full of gimmicky expiration dates.”–David Leonardt, New York Times.
* “This is a terrible, cynical way to make tax policy.”–Justin Fox, Bloomberg Politics.
* “This tax cut is more unpopular than tax hikes were during the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.”–Jonathan Bernstein, former University of Texas at San Antonio political scientist.
* “This may be the last opportunity for business leaders to do what hasn’t been done in a generation, and that is to defend the reputation of capitalism.”–Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal.
* “The Tax Cut/Reform Bill, including massive Alaska drilling and the repeal of the highly unpopular Individual Mandate, brought it all together as to what an incredible year we had. Don’t let the fake news convince you otherwise.”–Donald Trump.
* “Other than the tax bill, this first session of Congress has been a bit of a bust. And that probably means that this Congress is a bust, because first sessions tend to be a little bit more productive than second sessions.”–Washington University political scientist Steven S. Smith.
* “Hope springs eternal, but there would have to be a real reversal from the way they’ve operated now.”–Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, on prospects for bipartisanship in the coming year.
* “Misogyny is such a core aspect of Trump. It makes it quite natural for female politicians on the left to be his foil because standing up to him on those issues is so core to taking him on in general. Male politicians are trying to keep up.”–Brian Fallon, former top aide to Hillary Clinton.
* “I don’t rule anything out.”–Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake’s response to speculation that he might challenge Donald Trump in the next presidential election.
* “When I leave the Senate in a few weeks, I’ll continue trying to be an educated citizen, and an advocate and an activist.”–Sen. Al Franken.
* “It’s easy to get re-elected in Alabama. What those people want from government is to be left alone. And if you leave them alone and don’t raise their taxes, they’ll continue to re-elect you.”–Alabama State Sen. Dick Brewbaker.
* “When people claim to observe truly unusual phenomena, sometimes it’s worth investigating seriously. What people sometimes don’t get about science is that we often have phenomena that remain unexplained.”–M.I.T. astrophysicist Sara Seager.
* “When my colleagues refer to the special counsel’s investigation as a ‘coup d’état,’ it really undermines the rule of law in this country.”–Florida Congressman Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton.
* “There are a handful of Florida cities that have chosen to crack down on short-term rentals and penalize taxpaying homeowners. I fear this will have a chilling effect on tourism.”–Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward.
* “If I drop out of the governor’s race, the donors who gave to the campaign will get a prorated portion of the money back.”–State Sen. Jack Latvala.
* “If you catch someone soliciting prostitution one time, the consequences are not as serious. But if you make the case for multiple incidents, it rises to the level of racketeering.”–TPD spokesman Steve Hegarty, on the crack down on Kennedy Boulevard massage parlors.
* “We have been talking about this for years, and we’d tell people it would be amazing. Now seeing it, even we are surprised at how amazing it looks.”–Tampa Theatre spokeswoman Jill Witecki, on the recent reopening of Tampa Theatre after $6 million in renovations.
* “Definitely sad to see him go. He was pretty instrumental in everything that’s great about our city.”–The Lightning’s Steven Stamkos on the departure of the Rays Evan Longoria.