Verbatim

“What is needed now is not more declarations or promises, but action—action to fulfill the promises already made.”
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. Secretary-General, proposing reforms of the international body’s anti-terrorism efforts, human rights monitoring and guidelines for international conflict

“I do not want to end up with an American style of politics with us all going out there beating our chest about our faith.”
TONY BLAIR, British Prime Minister, discussing the role of religion in his country’s politics

“We used to be under sanctions and the economic conditions were dire, but never was the city so ugly. Between the chopped trees and the burned houses, it’s a total mess.”
FADHILA DAWOUD, Iraqi school teacher, on the physical state of Baghdad

“I can’t even count how many gunshots I heard, there were over 20 … there were people screaming, and they made us get behind the desk.”
ASHLEY MORRISON, student at Minnesota’s Red Lake Senior High School, where 15-year-old Jeff Weise killed 10 people and wounded 12 in the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. since the 1999 Columbine killings

“The most important quality a chief executive candidate should have is a noble character.”
LI KA-SHING, billionaire business tycoon, endorsing Hong Kong interim leader Donald Tsang as the territory’s next chief executive

“Everyone knows there is no democracy there.”
NAZRI ABDUL AZIZ, Malaysia’s Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, urging the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (asean) to block Burma’s chairing of the group in 2006 unless it agrees to democratic reforms and releases opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi

“He is a latter-day Santa Claus.”
RONALD ROSS, Texas Tech University basketball player, praising his famously irascible coach, Bobby Knight. Texas Tech was later eliminated from the U.S. collegiate “Sweet 16” in a game in which Knight shouted in Ross’ face and swatted his behind after bad plays