Benigno Aquino III

“With proper governance, life will improve for all.”

“There is a theory that China will tend to push, and if you bend, they will push some more.”

“When the Walkman was the craze in my generation, I was one of the first to have it.”

“My mother's style has always been consensus-generating.”

“The people want to go back to the time when democracy was in full bloom.”

“I was put into office by the people who believed in my idea that corruption is the root of poverty; that an end to corruption would mean an end to poverty.”

“Perhaps the strongest signal of reengagement with Southeast Asia was the U.S.'s accession to the Southeast Asian Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.”

“When my father returned home on the twenty-first of August 1983, he had a speech prepared. Filipinos never got to hear it, because he was murdered right on the tarmac.”

“I've been called 'hardheaded,' 'obstinate,' 'unreasonable,' etc.”

“When I was a congressman, I had occasion to talk to this group of students who were taking their seat. There were about 80 of them and I asked them, 'How many of you will be serving in the country once you graduate?' And, out of the 80, there were two that raised their hands. The rest were thinking of leaving.”

“China itself has said repeatedly that they will and have been conforming to international law.”

“I have never stolen. I am not a thief.”

“Typhoon Haiyan showed the entire world how vulnerable the Philippines as well as other developing countries are to natural disasters.”

“My administration's compact with the Filipino people will demand no less than the attainment of lasting peace and equitable prosperity. We will employ all the tools at our disposal to achieve this.”

“I started out in public service in 1998 after the Asian financial crisis of '97.”

“The Philippines is for the Philippines. We can defend ourselves.”

“If we say yes to something we believe is wrong now, what guarantee is there that the wrong will not be further exacerbated down the line?”

“Both President Obama and I shared the conviction that territorial and maritime disputes in the Asia Pacific region should be settled peacefully based on international law. We affirm that arbitration is an open, friendly and peaceful approach to seeking a just and durable solution.”

“Although I was born to famous parents, I know and feel the problems of ordinary citizens.”

“We don't get typhoons in December. They normally end by September. A typhoon happening in October is considered a late event.”