There is very strong historical data that suggest the way societies grow is by making large, long-term investments.

I should not be judged by a standard that's not applied to everyone else.

The tallest building in the world is now in Dubai.

I am an American, not by accident of birth but by choice. I voted with my feet and became an American because I love this country and think it is exceptional.

The markets are much more interested in America's long-term trajectory than they are in feeling that there is an acute short-term crisis.

We all accuse Vladimir Putin of Cold War nostalgia, but Washington's elites - politicians and intellectuals - miss the old days as well. They wish for the world in which the United States was utterly dominant over its friends, its foes were to be shunned entirely, and the challenges were stark, moral, and vital. Today's world is messy and complicated. China is one of our biggest trading partners and our looming geopolitical rival. Russia is a surly spoiler, but it has a globalized middle class and has created ties in Europe.

Intelligence is called the world's second oldest profession for a reason. Everyone does it.