The French, unfortunately, actually believe what they say, and that has been very destructive.

[T]he next time you hear serious-sounding people explaining the need for fiscal austerity, try to parse their argument. Almost surely, you'll discover that what sounds like hardheaded realism actually rests on a foundation of fantasy, on the belief that invisible vigilantes will punish us if we're bad and the confidence fairy will reward us if we're good. And real-world policy - policy that will blight the lives of millions of working families - is being built on that foundation.

I don't think I've had any great success in predicting politics or social change, nor have I really tried.

Democracy or breakdown in Syria would change the whole Middle East overnight.

It’s not about the budget; it’s about the power...So will the attack on unions succeed? I don’t know. But anyone who cares about retaining government of the people by the people should hope that it doesn’t.

I think so long as fossil fuels are cheap, people will use them and it will postpone a movement towards new technologies.

Default is not in our stars, but in ourselves.