I don't panic. The same thing applies to me as to everybody else, so I'm given to euphoria and despair. And I would say that I basically have survived by recognizing my mistakes.

Democracy, by its very nature, can't be imposed on people. Democracy has to be the people deciding for themselves.

When I had made more money than I needed for myself and my family, I set up a foundation to promote the values and principles of a free and open society.

I'm only rich because I know when I'm wrong...I basically have survived by recognizing my mistakes.

Well, you know, I was a human being before I became a businessman.

The more comprehensive and convincing a debt reduction program is, the less likely it is to fail. And remember, just as Germany is grateful to America for the Marshall Plan, Italy would be grateful to Germany for helping it lower its refinancing costs.

We can speak of the triumph of capitalism in the world, but we cannot yet speak about the triumph of democracy. There is a serious mismatch between the political and the economic conditions that prevail in the world today.