I would like to have seen my sons growing up.

I don't believe in professional dissidents. I think it's just a phase, like adolescence.

If you want to bring an end to long-standing conflict, you have to be prepared to compromise.

All military regimes use security as the reason why they should remain in power. It's nothing original.

The US constitution's First Amendment rights only cover Americans, but I believe that in a democracy the competition of ideas and free speech should combat beliefs that it does not agree with - more speech and debate, not censorship.

No party has a monopoly on wisdom. No democracy works without compromise. But when Governor Romney and his allies in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficit by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy - well, you do the math. I refuse to go along with that. And as long as I'm President, I never will.

One of the main reasons I came back to Mexico is because I've found freedom and democracy here, something I never found in the United States.

I have noticed, with much distress, the excessive wartime activity of the investigating bureaus of Congress and the administration, with their impertinent and indecent searching out of the private lives and the past political beliefs of individuals.