It is important to remember that some of the most serious thinkers once thought that democracy was not compatible with the cultures of Germany, Italy, Japan, Latin America and Russia.

This scepticism is the same scepticism I heard a generation ago in the USSR when few thought that a democratic transformation behind the iron curtain was possible.

The central premise behind Oslo was that if Arafat were given enough legitimacy, territory, weapons and money, he would use his power to fight terror and make peace with Israel.

It is not surprising, then, that in the decade since Oslo began, Arafat used all the resources placed at his disposal to fan the flames of hatred against Israel.

In dictatorships you need courage to fight evil; in the free world you need courage to see evil.

Japan is not a Western democracy. The Japanese have kept their traditions, culture and heritage, but they have joined the community of free nations.

Free societies are societies in which the right of dissent is protected.

As soon as people become a little less fearful, they will also begin demanding more freedom.

Non-democratic regimes always need to mobilize their people against external enemies in order to maintain internal stability.

Will dissent be permitted? The answer to that question will determine whether the society is a free society or a fear society.

The message of the free world to any potential Palestinian leadership should be a simple one: Embrace democratic reform and we will embrace you.

Life can be real tough ... you can either learn from your problems or keep repeating them over and over.

Time stays long enough for anyone who will use it.

Patriotism demands the ability to feel shame as much as to feel pride.

I can't do that. I'm already the single guy living in his parents' house. I can't be seen digging a grave in the middle of the night.

I'm an actor. Whether I'm on stage, in front of a camera or a microphone, what I do is the same - although with videogames it requires a lot of imagination.

Only do the thing we are best at doing and enjoy most.

I'm curious how you'll know it works. I assume it's mostly a cosmetic change.

I think I'm a very kindhearted person, I don't like to hurt people's feelings. If I do, it's not intentionally and I feel a lot of people nowadays have lost that.

The housing and financial crisis could not have occurred in the absence of government housing and monetary policies.

There's something in life that's cool, it's relatively cheap, and fun, and populist. Even when it's elitist.