Each country has a soul, and France's soul is equality.

Today, Paris is the capital of the world.

I'm not a lukewarm European. I know that the German-French friendship is indispensable, no matter who the countries' leaders are.

France is the bridge between northern Europe and southern Europe. I refuse any division. If Europe has been reunified, it's not for it to then fall into egotism or 'each for one's own'. Our duty is to set common rules around the principles of responsibility and solidarity.

I want to initiate a change in society in the long term.

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

Nothing was given to me, nothing was entrusted to me, nothing was assigned to me. Everything I have, I took by right.