I would say issues around human rights - either you're going to take a hard stance, or you're not. You can't borrow money from China the way the U.S. has done and then turn around and say, 'But you've got a human-rights problem.' You can't be half pregnant.

I was initially very interested in public policy, but then after my masters at Harvard, I felt that it was important to get a better handle on the economics of it as well. I did my Ph.D. in macroeconomics, and my thesis - 'Why Is It That Some Countries Save And Others Not?' - was on savings.

The western mindset erroneously equates a political system of multi-party democracy with high-quality institutions... the two are not synonymous.

I'm an economist, not a political scientist.

Student loan debt is certainly not a fitting topic for a commencement speech, but it's an issue we must confront - not only for thousands of college graduates who deserve a fair shot, but also for our economy.

A tragic irony of life is that we so often achieve success or financial independence after the chief reason for which we sought it has passed away.

Richard Kerry not only was a pilot in World War II, but was a civil servant. He did not come from money.

People who have money have an obligation. I wouldn't say I'm entitled to tell them what to do with it but to use it wisely.