I hold Angela Merkel in high regard.

Germany must remain Germany.

Angela Merkel and the CDU are not our political adversaries. The CDU and the CSU are sister parties.

The past cannot be allowed to repeat itself.

German history is full of serious mistakes pertaining to premature personnel decisions.

Even if we remain flexible, we need ground rules.

In every governmental speech I give before state parliament, I say: Bavaria will remain Bavaria.

There are nice political formulations that can apply to everyone and to nobody. I wouldn't know how I could be more reserved in my formulations than I already am.

Every Saturday I read sentences in SPIEGEL that lack clarity.

Every married couple has disputes from time to time, and in every good marriage, an attempt is made to overcome the dispute.

Bavaria is a dynamic, cosmopolitan state. Those who don't adapt fall behind.

Dont ruin my balls!" She laughs as the words leave her mouth.Better yours than mine, chica." I toss the dough balls at her, one by one, until I've got none left.

In order to make our gifts perfect, you need to work on yourself but it hurts

Last, but not least -- in fact, this is most important -- you need a happy ending. However, if you can create tragic situations and jerk a few tears before the happy ending, it will work much better.

We hung out on the streets, played stickball, and did all of the things that other kids did.

There was a theft! But, of course, if it was up to me, every two years I would win an Oscar.

When violence against women is no longer societally accepted, no longer kept secret; when everyone understands that even one case is too many. That's when it will change.

Energy is a very subtle concept. It is very, very difficult to get right.

I actually feel very proud of my age.

Over the years, a number of very smart people have learned the hard way that a long string of impressive numbers multiplied by a single zero always equals zero.