One of the most important political and economic facts of this young century is that capital has been slipping the traces of the nation-state. Business is global; government is national.

Income inequality is one thing, but a permanent division into the haves and have-nots is an entirely different thing - and much less acceptable.

I know Russia well.

I lived in Moscow for four years and really, really enjoyed it, and I have a really deep love for the Russian language and Russian culture.

I am a very strong supporter of our government's view that it is important to engage with all countries around the world - very much including Russia.

Especially among journalists, politics is not a pursuit that's held in high esteem. We tend to be cynical about it - but I actually believe in democracy.

I cut my teeth as a journalist writing about societies that didn't have democracy.

TED is certainly a gathering of an incredibly eclectic, incredibly interesting community, but it's also an elite community - at least an important portion comes from that global 1%.

My respect for politicians has increased. It's hard work - even hard physical work.

I have always liked hanging out with people and talking to people.

We are very proud, wherever we are in the world, to tell you about Canadian values and what we think is the right thing for Canada to do. And when it comes to refugees, we very much believe in welcoming refugees to our country, and that includes Syrian refugees, and that includes Muslim refugees.

We recognize that NAFTA is a three-country agreement, and we need a three-country negotiation.

I see real opportunities for us to have stronger, closer collaboration between the three North American partners and seize on opportunities to achieve objectives of more jobs and growth.

Assad is not the greatest ally to have.

The chief job of foreign policy today is helping to figure out the rules for the global economy and defending each nation's interests within it.

The age of economic relations as the primary arena for interactions between states is already upon us.

I really believe in hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

There are no bad seats at the cabinet table.

It was surprising to me to hear a member question whether another member of the House was an adult. We're all adults in the House of Commons, and I think it diminishes us all to suggest otherwise.

Sprawling, earnest, and ambitious - its modest title is 'The Future' - Al Gore's new book embodies both the virtues and the flaws of its author. But those hardy souls who slog past the weaknesses will be rewarded by a book that is brave, original and often fun.

Shipping middle-class jobs to China, or hollowing them out with machines, is a win for smart managers and their shareholders. We call the result higher productivity. But, looked at through the lens of middle-class jobs, it is a loss.

Worrying about the poor is one thing. To contend that equality is necessary for growth is an altogether different and more radical idea.

In a globalized economy, jobs no longer need a passport, but workers do.

Creating jobs for your country's workers is about much more than ensuring that the balance sheets of your country's companies are strong, or stimulating domestic demand. It is about figuring out how your country's workers fit into the global economy.

The hollowing out of the middle class is a problem common to all Western industrialized economies. Maybe we should work together to solve it.

Our battle over the size of the state overlooks a problem that is just as important and that may be easier to muster the collective will to resolve: how effective government is, regardless of its scale.

All of us can agree that we want government to work as well as possible, and we should all applaud efforts to improve it. But there is no escaping the divisive and essential questions: What is the purpose of the state, and whom does it serve?

Reagan's legacy is so powerful because he identified the state as the central issue in American politics.

The economic reality is that, thanks to smart machines and global trade, the well-paying, middle-class jobs that were the backbone of Western democracies are vanishing.

Slavery is America's original sin and was the great global injustice of that age.

I see social mobility and equality of opportunity as really successful Canadian values.

The irony of the political rise of the plutocrats is that, like Venice's oligarchs, they threaten the system that created them.

A general charge of crony capitalism is easy to make. But dividing the 'bad' crony capitalists from the 'good' innovative entrepreneurs is much harder to do. And sorting them out without creating a new group of crony capitalists may be the hardest thing of all.

We are all living in a world shaped by Reagan and his ideology of small 'l' liberalism.

Living as we do in the age of Facebook, we shouldn't be surprised that some countries are starting to imagine themselves more as social networks than as a physical place.

Don't let the same dog bite you twice.

In a Toyota, the cops don't think about stopping you so much.

It's amazing how much you can learn if your intentions are truly earnest.

Charlie Christian played amplified guitar with Benny Goodman's quartet. He was the greatest guitar player that ever was. But he never looked up from the guitar. But I put a little dance to it. They appreciate seein' something along with hearin' something.

Rock's so good to me. Rock is my child and my grandfather.

I just feel I got my inspiration, education and all from others that came before me. And I added my... I don't even know if I added anything. I played what they played, and it sounded different, I guess.

I grew up thinking art was pictures until I got into music and found I was an artist and didn't paint.

Of the five most important things in life, health is first, education or knowledge is second, and wealth is third. I forget the other two.

I would sing the blues if I had the blues.

I'm thankful for each and every day. We never know when time is up.

I directed my music to the teen-agers. I was 30 years old when I did 'Maybellene.' My school days had long been over when I did 'School Day,' but I was thinking of them.

Praise doesn't mean anything to me. I don't judge myself.

If you want to release your aggression, get up and dance. That's what rock and roll is all about.

I love poetry. I love rhyming. Do you know, there are poets who don't rhyme? Shakespeare did not rhyme most of the time, and that's why I do not like him.

I should have been a son of Einstein.