In the highest government office, you have to be ready to bow out at any time, otherwise you are not a free individual anymore.

When the going gets tough, you have to lie.

When it becomes serious, you have to lie.

I'm ready to be insulted as being insufficiently democratic, but I want to be serious ... I am for secret, dark debates.

I believe neither the French nor the Dutch really rejected the constitutional treaty.

I notice with a certain sense of regret that far too many Europeans are returning to a regional and national mindset.

Decisions can only be reached in Europe if France and Germany agree.

It is not acceptable that European Union countries are divided into those who give and those who take.

I am chilled by the realization of how similar circumstances in Europe in 2013 are to those of 100 years ago.

It is not more Europe or less Europe that we need. We need a better Europe.

I am for secret, dark debates.

Appreciate what you have, while you have it, or you’ll learn what it meant to you after you lose it.

What would we say if men changed the length of their trousers every year?

Feminine force is that inner strength, that power, that will to face down any negative circumstances in life and defeat them.

We shouldn't teach great books; we should teach a love of reading.

We are made of stellar ash. Our origin and evolution have been tied to distant cosmic events. The exploration of the cosmos is a voyage of self-discovery.

Most people don't know how to listen because the major part of their attention is taken up by thinking.

I don't know any musician who got to the top without hard work. Take whoever you want. They all work bloody hard, harder than you think.

it isn’t healthy, how wrapped up they are in each other. Relationships like that burn bright, but when they burn out, they leave everyone blistered.

Status is always ripe for satire, status is always good for comedy.

I fear other actors who are not prepared. And I fear directors who are afraid.