Nicola Sturgeon

“I was fascinated, long before I joined the SNP, in the world around me; current affairs really interested me.”

“American companies based in Scotland employ large numbers of people - in fact, we are the best performing part of the U.K., outside London and the southeast of England when it comes to attracting foreign direct investment.”

“My political awakening, if I can be as grand as to call it that, was all about what was happening around me. It wasn't some romantic, patriotic vision of Scotland going back to what it had been 300 years previously.”

“It is clear that my predecessor as First Minister is frightening the life out of the Tories and the Labour Party. Long may it continue.”

“I worry about the direction of the U.K. and U.K. politics and governance in the event of a Brexit.”

“Equality and prosperity shouldn't be seen as enemies of each other, but as partners. One reinforces the other.”

“I'll be arguing for Scotland to vote to stay in the E.U.”

“It's not opinion polls that determine the outcome of elections, it's votes in ballot boxes.”

“I'm the leader of the SNP. I think you would expect me to say I would vote SNP in whatever constituency I lived in.”

“Is it not typical that we have a Tory Government that wants, just like its pals in the Labour Party, constantly to talk down Scotland's prospects?”

“I desperately want Scotland to be an independent country. I cannot, though, sit here and tell you definitively that it will happen, and that it will happen on this timescale, because I have to respect the opinion of the people of Scotland.”

“The fact is that co-operation between independent countries - to our mutual advantage - is the way of the modern world.”

“I was very proud, on just my second day in office, to appoint a gender-balanced cabinet - one of only three in the developed world.”

“Labour long ago realised it could no longer automatically assume that it would win elections in Glasgow and other places where it has taken people's votes for granted for decades - as we have seen across Scotland at local council and Holyrood elections.”

“The U.K.'s debt belongs legally to Westminster, so Scotland, by definition, can't default on it.”

“If your pal or neighbour is in the SNP, you're more likely to listen to them than if you just turn on the telly and see me or Alex. The growth of membership is building a politically engaged community base that hasn't been there in my lifetime.”

“Since I became First Minister, I have made clear my priority to alleviate poverty and tackle inequality in Scotland. Ensuring that everyone can do better in life will not only make Scotland fairer, but it will also make it a more prosperous place.”

“Vote SNP for a party that always stands up for Scotland, that is stronger for Scotland, and a government that will keep the country moving in the right direction.”

“Sporting success doesn't happen by accident. It takes hard work and determination on the part of the individual athletes. And it also takes investment in facilities and training support.”

“Tax credits are designed to help people who work hard but who, through no fault of their own, don't earn enough to keep their families out of poverty.”