I know where I'm going and I have told the French. I am sure if hope is there, we will be able to put France back on its feet to live better in five years than we do today.

I don't like indecent, unearned wealth. But it is legitimate for an entrepreneur who has created something to make a good living.

The British have been particularly shy about the issues of financial regulation, and attentive only to the interests of the City - hence their reluctance to see the introduction of a tax on financial transactions and tax harmonisation in Europe.

I gave myself an objective, to be the second president from Correze and finally to be the successor to Francois Mitterrand.

Today, Paris is the capital of the world.

In front of you I commit myself to serve my country with devotion.

Mitterrand had a sense for symbols, and he was the first Socialist president since 1958. He wanted to show that there is historical continuity, a connection with the great figures of French history.