Because Great Britain has self-confidence, it doesn't need a monumental Olympics.

Expressing oneself is like a drug. I'm so addicted to it.

I am very much interested in the so-called useless object. I mean, it takes perfect craftsmanship, beautiful material carefully measured and crafted, but at the same time it’s really useless.

The freedom of speech is an important yardstick for a society's level of civilization.

I don't believe in the so-called Olympic spirit. I speak from personal experience. When China hosted the Games, it failed to include the people. The event was constructed without regard for their joy.

I believe [the architecture firm] Herzog and de Meuron and our collaboration made the product the best it could be.

I think I'm just a traveler. When you walk across a river and there's no bridge, you build one. I'm used to having to deal with Chinese Communist ideology - it's not really an ideology, but a method of control. But China's problems are not just China's problems - they're human problems. Humanity has always worked better when you see it as one.