I often speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. When I speak with the Turkish president, I defend European positions. That is how we European partners must do things.

I thoroughly believe that reading and literature can help a society to better understand itself.

That might sound shocking to some - and don't worry, I don't see myself as a king.

Ambition is never modest. If modesty means to have middling success, then I can only say: I'm not interested.

We will succeed, because we are fully committed, because, wherever we live, whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility: Make our planet great again.

I had decided that I wanted a dog from an animal shelter. Normally, presidents have purebred dogs, but my is a Labrador-griffon mix. Absolutely adorable.

For me, Europe consists of three things: sovereignty, unity and democracy.

I refuse to give into the sad reflex of French envy because this envy paralyzes our country.

My predecessor taxed wealthy, successful people at a higher rate than ever before. And what happened? They left. And what came of it? Did unemployment drop? No.

I have great respect for Angela Merkel, even if we have a lot of differences.

Post-modernism was the worst thing that could have happened to our democracy. The idea that you have to deconstruct and destroy all grand narratives is not a good one.

Love is the unity of two souls but one spirit.

That’s what games are, in the end. Teachers. Fun is just another word for learning.

I'm not in the business of satisfying everybody. I'm in the business of trying to satisfy the people who elected me governor.

Men's natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them.

My mum's parents were from Ireland, my dad's mum was American-Irish.

Do not suppose, first of all, that Mao Tse-tung could be the "saviour" of China. Nonsense. There will never be one "saviour" of China. Yet undeniably you feel a certain force of destiny in him.

We kiss again. This next kiss is the kind that breaks open the sky. It steals my breath and gives it back. It shows me that every other kiss I've had in my life has been wrong.

It is simply service that measures success.

Law is not law, if it violates the principles of eternal justice.

Treat them all the same by treating them differently.