My father was prime minister, and to take care of his home, to be his hostess, automatically meant to have my hands in politics - to meet people, to know their games, their secrets.

Without peace there can be no prosperity for any people, rich or poor. And yet, there can be no peace without erasing the harshness of the growing contrast between the rich and the poor.

Without courage, you cannot practice any other virtue. You have to have courage - courage of different kinds: first, intellectual courage, to sort out different values and make up your mind about which is the one which is right for you to follow. You have to have moral courage to stick up to that - no matter what comes in your way, no matter what the obstacle and the opposition is.

Opportunities are not offered. They must be wrested and worked for. And this calls for perseverance... and courage.

I don't see the world as something divided between right and left.

I can't take it seriously when people get excited and scream that religion is in danger, and similar stupidities.

As a nation, I believe we've acquired faith in ourselves.