"There are certain moments in the history of a nation when the choices made define the decades to come."

"People would say you look weak if you're not cursing the opposition and driving around in a big black car while always wearing a tie. Above all, to be 'strong' you're always supposed to be giving orders."

"Unfortunately, corruption is widespread in government agencies and public enterprises. Our political system promotes nepotism and wasting money. This has undermined our legal system and confidence in the functioning of the state. One of the consequences is that many citizens don't pay their taxes."

"Europe has a lot of strength. We need to pool that strength, and I am very much in favour of that - more of a deeper political union."

"Cliches about supporting the troops are designed to distract from failed policies, policies promoted by powerful special interests that benefit from war, anything to steer the discussion away from the real reasons the war in Iraq will not end anytime soon."

"If I am elected President of these United States, I will work with all my energy and soul to restore that America, to lift our eyes to a better future. That future is our destiny. That future is out there. It is waiting for us. Our children deserve it, our nation depends upon it, the peace and freedom of the world require it."

"Secretary of War Stanton used to get out of patience with Lincoln because he was all the time pardoning men who ought to be shot."

"What a country calls its vital... interests are not things that help its people live, but things that help it make war."