George Papandreou

“We Greeks want change. We know there are problems in our system. We have great potential but we need to manage our country well. Now that hasn't been done over the last decades. And that is, of course, what we are paying for.”

“Every leader wants to put his or her imprint on the work that they do, and grow up in specific eras.”

“If you put all the European countries together, we are the biggest economy in the world.”

“Greece has given Europe the opportunity to fix a defect in the euro zone, that is the fact that we did not have a fiscal union. Now steps have been taken to begin that process. And there is more solidarity from nation to nation, and that is a good thing. That has been Greece's gift to Europe.”

“Greece's history in the drachma was an up-and-down history, a roller coaster.”

“There is this concept of politics as a dirty game. It's a difficult game, but it doesn't have to be dirty. I think this is what we need to bring to politics. I think politics around the world has very often been captured by big interests - 'lobbies' they call them in the States.”

“How can a parliamentarian or a leader in a country say, on the one hand, that we're going to support Greece but at the same time say that Greeks are lazy?”

“But sovereign debt is a wider question not only in Europe but across the globe. While every country is a unique case, I think it's not an issue of countries acting on their own. We need a more coordinated strategy not only in Europe but around the world.”

“We are on a difficult course, on a new Odyssey for Greece, but we know the road to Ithaca and have charted the waters.”

“I am proud of being a Greek of the diaspora.”

“This idea that you're a successful tough guy if you evade taxes and deceive the state has got to change.”

“As long as I feel I am doing what I think is right and just for my country, for the Greek people, that is enough for me. Saving Greece from this crisis was the first thing on the agenda. We are now on a much more normalised road.”

“There is this concept of politics as a dirty game.”

“People would say you look weak if you're not cursing the opposition and driving around in a big black car while always wearing a tie. Above all, to be 'strong' you're always supposed to be giving orders.”

“Today I want to send a message of optismism to all Greeks. Our road, our path, will be more stabilised. Our country will be in a better situation. We will be stronger.”

“At times of distress, we all like to recall the advice of fathers and mothers. The best advice my father gave me was to keep faith and deep confidence in the potential of the Greek people; nurture the belief that they can do things.”

“I have a deep sense of responsibility to my country and Greek people.”

“The real problem in Greece is not cutting taxes, it's making sure that we don't have tax evasion.”

“Markets are saying pretty much what I'm saying too: that Greece is doing what it can, but that Greece is not going to be able to carry the weight of all of Europe and the other problems that Europe has.”

“My hope is that we will turn Greece into maybe the most transparent country in the world with everything on the web.”