List of political catch phrases

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The following is a list of political catch phrases, that is, distinctive statements uttered by political figures that have gone on to become well known.

They are distinct from political slogans in that they are often not deliberately created sayings, and may become famous for other, unintentional reasons, and thus go on to gain "a life of their own" in popular culture and imagination.

Contents 1 Argentina 2 Australia 3 Austria 4 Belgium 5 Brazil 6 Canada 7 China 8 Colombia 9 Denmark 10 Dominican Republic 11 France 12 Germany 13 Indonesia 14 India 15 Iran 16 Ireland 17 Lithuania 18 Mexico 19 Netherlands 20 New Zealand 21 Pakistan 22 Poland 23 Portugal 24 Romania 25 Russia 26 Spain 27 Sweden 28 Switzerland 29 Tanzania 30 United Kingdom 31 United States 32 Venezuela 33 References

[edit] Argentina

• "Hay que pasar el invierno." ("We have to endure through winter.") ^[1] — Said in 1960 by Minister of Economy Álvaro Alsogaray, referring to the hardships required to get through the economic troubles in the country at a time of wanting of gas.
• "¡Un médico a la derecha, por favor!" ("A doctor to the right, please!") — Said by presidential candidate Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín in 1983 during a speech, when seeing a person fainting.^[2]
• "La casa está en orden. ¡Felices Pascuas!" – ("The house is in order. Happy Easter!") – said by then president Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín, after a limited military uprising just before Easter, when he was forced to negotiate a surrender from which the rebels walked free. Used sarcastically.^[3]
• "¡Síganme, no los voy a defraudar!" ("Follow me, I won't let you down!") – catchphrase by Carlos Saúl Menem during his first presidency campaign. Used now when one expects to be deceived by another.^[4]
• "Hermanito querido..." ("My dear little brother...") – familiar term used by then president Carlos Saúl Menem, usually before a sarcastic remark. Used now, with its particularly provincial sing-song, in a jokingly derogatory way, when explaining something seemingly obvious to someone else.^{[citation needed]}
• "Estamos mal, pero vamos bien." ("We're bad, but getting better.") – used by then president Carlos Saúl Menem in 1990 referring to the general state of affairs in the country.^[5]
• "Dicen que soy aburrido..." ("They say I am boring") – repeated campaign phrase from Fernando de la Rúa in 1999.^[5]
• "El país está... bien." ("The country is... fine.") – A phrase said by Fernando de la Rúa when the 2000 Argentine Crisis started.
• "Estamos condenados al éxito." ("We are doomed to success") – Phrase recurrently used by Eduardo Duhalde during his exercise of presidency after the 2001 crisis. ^[6]
• "Mi voto no es positivo." (My vote is not positive) – Phrase said by Vice President Julio Cobos in 2008 when he voted against the controversial project of his own President [8].

[edit] Australia

• "For the first time, we have a nation for a continent, and a continent for a nation." Said by Sir Edmund Barton, first Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, in the 1890s. ^[7]
• "The forgotten people." Said in a 1942 speech by Robert Menzies, referring to the middle class, defined as lying between "the rich and powerful: those who control great funds and enterprises, and are as a rule able to protect themselves" and "the mass of unskilled people, almost invariably well-organised, and with their wages and conditions safeguarded by popular law". ^[8]
• "The light on the hill." Said in a 1949 speech by Ben Chifley, referring to the objective of the Australian Labor Party: "not as putting an extra sixpence into somebody's pocket, or making somebody Prime Minister or Premier, but as a movement bringing something better to the people, better standards of living, greater happiness to the mass of the people. We have a great objective - the light on the hill". ^[9]
• "Well may we say 'God Save the Queen', because nothing will save the Governor-General." Said by dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on 11 November 1975 after he had been sacked by Governor-General Sir John Kerr. ^[10]
• "This is the recession that Australia had to have." Said by national Treasurer Paul Keating in 1990 regarding the late 1980s recession. ^[11][12]
• "Please explain." Said by Pauline Hanson, founder of the anti-immigration One Nation Party, on being asked in October 1996 on the television show 60 Minutes if she was xenophobic. ^[13]
• "Life wasn't meant to be easy." Attributed to Malcolm Fraser, Prime Minister of Australia from November 1975 until March 1983 (but is in fact a quotation from 'Back to Methuselah' by George Bernard Shaw).^[14]
• "if this government cannot get the adjustment...and a sensible economic policy then Australia is basically done for. We will just end up being a third rate economy...a banana republic." Said by Paul Keating in an interview to John Laws on 14 May 1986.^[15]
• "We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come." Said by John Howard in relation to border protection.^[16]
• "Ease the squeeze" Said by Mark Latham^[17]
• "Don't you worry about that" Said by Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen^[18]
• "I call it feeding the chooks" Said by Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen^[19]
• "Keep the bastards honest" – Don Chipp, leader of the Australian Democrats
• "Working families." Used extensively by Kevin Rudd during the 2007 election campaign.
• "Without throwing the fair go out the back door" also used extensively by Kevin Rudd during the 2007 election campaign.

[edit] Austria

• "Lernen Sie Geschichte, Herr Reporter!" ("Study History, Mr. Reporter") said by then Chancellor Bruno Kreisky to TV journalist Ulricht Brunner, who had questioned Kreisky's comparing the actions of political opponents to fascism in the 30s.^[20]
• "Ohne die Partei bin ich nichts" ("Without the Party I am nothing") said by Federal Chancellor Fred Sinowatz of the then Austrian Socialist Party^[21]
• "Ich weiß, das klingt alles sehr kompliziert...", usually rendered as "Es ist alles sehr kompliziert..." ("I know, this all sounds complicated...", "Everything is very complicated...") said by Federal Chancellor Fred Sinowatz; the phrase is used ironically to hide the fact that one is not able to elaborate on a subject or may even be clueless about it.^[22]
• "Es reicht!" ("It's over!") said by the then Vice Chancellor Wilhelm Molterer of the Austrian People's Party in 2008 pronouncing the end of the Grand coalition with the Social Democratic Party of Austria.

[edit] Belgium

In Dutch

• "De grondwet is geen vodje papier." – (The constitution is not some silly piece of paper.) – Leo Tindemans – 1978 ^[23]
• "Je moet de problemen alleen oplossen als ze zich stellen" – ("You only have to solve problems when they present themselves") – Jean-Luc Dehaene^[24]
• "Vijf minuten politieke moed" – ("Five minutes of political courage") – Yves Leterme ^[25]
• "Sire, geef mij honderd dagen" – (Sire, give me 100 days) – Jean-Luc Dehaene – 1988

In French

• "Il n' y a pas de Belges" – (There are no Belgians) – Jules Destrée – 1912

Bilingual

• "Trop is te veel en te veel is trop" – (Too much is too much) – Paul Vanden Boeynants – 1989

Latin

• "Quid ..." – (what about ...) – Jean-Luc Dehaene – 2007

[edit] Brazil

• "Só morto sairei do Catete"! ("Only dead I'll leave the Catete [Palace]!") - said by ex-president Getúlio Dornelles Vargas when he was being pressed by opposition parties to leave presidence.
• "E se o Pitta não for um bom prefeito, nunca mais vote em mim". ("If Pitta can't be a good mayor, you should never vote for me again".) – said by Paulo Maluf in the campaign for the 1996 São Paulo city elections, where he supported Celso Pitta. Pitta was later involved in corruption scandals and is currently in prison.^[26]
• "Estuprem, mas não matem" ("Rape, but don´t kill.") Said by Paulo Maluf during his political campaign for mayor in the 80's.
• "Relaxa e goza." ("Relax and enjoy.") – said by Marta Suplicy at the peak of the 2006–2007 Brazilian aviation crisis, taken from an older, longer non-political popular saying, "Se a curra é inevitável, relaxa e goza."("If the rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy".) The word "goza" comes from the verb "gozar" which, in formal Portuguese, means "to enjoy"; in colloquial Brazilian Portuguese, it may also mean "make fun of" or "to have an orgasm", the latter being somewhat impolite.^[27]
• "Bebo-o porque é líquido. Se fosse sólido, comê-lo-ia" ("I drink it because it's liquid. If it were solid, I would eat it.") – said by Jânio Quadros when asked by a reporter why he used to drink. Quadros' use of embedded, implicit nouns ("-o" and "-lo-") make the phrase overly formal for modern political speech.^[28]
• "Vagabundo! Vagabundo! Respeita doente!" ("[You] Bum! [You] Bum! Respect sick people!") – said by Gilberto Kassab while throwing a protester out of a public hospital.^[29]
• "Estou convencido de que nunca antes na história deste país..." ("I am convinced that never before in the history of this country...") – Said by Lula whenever he praises his own government.^[30]

[edit] Canada

• "We shall be Canadians first, foremost, and always, and our policies will be decided in Canada and not dictated by any other country." John G. Diefenbaker^[31]
• "Evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet", attributed to the campaign of Ernie Eves in reference to Dalton McGuinty.^[32]
• "Let us be English or let us be French . . . and above all let us be Canadians." John A. Macdonald^[33]
• ""Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly or even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt." Pierre Trudeau on the relationship between Canada and the United States ^[34]
• "Fuddle duddle", said by Pierre Trudeau when attempting to explain away his use of profanity in the Canadian House of Commons.^[35]
• "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation", Pierre Trudeau, as justice minister, 1967.^[36]
• "Just watch me", said by Pierre Trudeau in reference to the War Measures Act.^[37]
• "Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die", said by Pierre Trudeau.^[38]
• "Maîtres chez nous" (Masters of our own house), a phrase coined by Le Devoir editor André Laurendeau, associated with La Révolution Tranquille (Quiet Revolution).
• "Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain", said by Pierre Trudeau.^[39]
• "You had an option, sir", said by Brian Mulroney to John Turner.^[40]
• "Conscription if necessary, but not necessarily conscription." Said by William Lyon Mackenzie King, it reflected the federal government's ambiguous response to conscription in World War Two, which eventually led to the Conscription Crisis of 1944.^[41]
• "I don't know... A proof is a proof. What kind of a proof? It's a proof. A proof is a proof, and when you have a good proof, it's because it's proven." said by Jean Chrétien^[42]
• "For me, pepper, I put it on my plate", said by Jean Chrétien in response to a question by Nardwuar the Human Serviette regarding Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers pepper-spraying protesters at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.^[43]
• "Gentlemen, we must all realize that neither side has any monopoly on sons of bitches", said by C.D. Howe while in Washington, D.C. to resolve a shipping dispute.^[44]
• "Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong... Freedom includes the right to say what others may object to and resent... The essence of citizenship is to be tolerant of strong and provocative words", said by John Diefenbaker.^[45]
• "Billion dollar boondoggle!" – said by Preston Manning^[46]
• "I know I won't be Prime Minister. Three of you won't be Prime Minister. Some of you know it, but don't say it."Gilles Duceppe, during the 2008 English-language debate

[edit] China

In Chinese

• "我这里准备了一百口棺材，九十九口留给贪官，一口留给自己！" (I've prepared 100 coffins. 99 for corrupt officials and one for myself.), said by Zhu Rongji, Premier 1998–2003. ^[47]
• "你们啊！You are all too young, too simple, sometimes naive!" Said by Jiang Zemin, President 1993–2003, in response to a Hong Kong reporter. ^[48]
• "不管白猫黑猫，逮住老鼠就是好猫。" (No matter if it is a white cat or a black cat; as long as it can catch mice, it is a good cat.) Said by Deng Xiaoping, in reference to economic liberalization. ^[49]

[edit] Colombia

• "Tenemos que reducir la corrupción a sus justas proporciones" ("We must to reduce the corruption to its fair proportions") as said by former president Julio César Turbay Ayala.
• "América Latina debe seguir el modelo de educación de Estados Unidos, que permite que los niños desde muy temprana edad manejen el idioma inglés." ("Latin America must follow the America's education model, that allows to the children handle the English language from a very early age") as said by the former president Julio César Turbay Ayala.
• "Yo no estoy a favor ni en contra, sino todo lo contrario" ("I'm not in favor nor against, but quite the opposite") as said by former president Julio César Turbay Ayala.
• "Las encuestas son como las morcillas: muy sabrosas hasta que uno sabe cómo las hacen". ("Statistics are like blood sausage: they are delicious until you find out how they're made") as said by former presidential candidate Álvaro Gómez Hurtado.
• "Colombianos, bienvenidos al futuro" ("Colombians, welcome to the future") as said by former president César Gaviria Trujillo.
• "Aquí estoy y aquí me quedo" ("Here I am, and here I stay") as said former president Ernesto Samper Pizano.
• "Si entró dinero del narcotráfico en mi campaña presidencial, en todo caso fue a mis espaldas". ("If there was money from the drug traffic in my presidential campaign, it was behind my back") as said former president Ernesto Samper Pizano.
• "Mamola!" ("No way!") as said by Horacio Serpa.
• "Dejen jugar al moreno" ("Allow the colored to play") as said by Carlos Moreno de Caro for the counselor campaign of Bogota.
• "Trabajar, Trabajar Y Trabajar" ("To work, to work and to work") as said by Álvaro Uribe Vélez in his presidential speeches.
• "Y si lo veo, le voy a dar en la cara marica" ("And if I see you, I'll hit you on the face, you faggot") as president Álvaro Uribe Vélez said in an intercepted phone call.
• "No más sangre, no más depredaciones en nombre de ningún partido político: paz, justicia y libertad" ("Not moar blood, not more pillagings in the name of any political party: peace, justice and freedom") as said from former president Gustavo Rojas Pinilla in 1953.

[edit] Denmark

• "Der er ikke fejet noget ind under gulvtæppet" ("Nothing has been swept under the rug"), Poul Schlüter Danish Prime Minister in 1989.

• "Jeg kan slå Anders Fogh" ("I can beat Anders Fogh"), Helle Thorning-Schmidt, when elected leader of the Danish Social Democrats in 2004.

[edit] Dominican Republic

• "La Constitución es sólo un pedazo de papel." (The Constitution is just a piece of paper.) Joaquín Balaguer in 1994.
• "El problema del dengue se resuelve si cada dominicano mata diez mosquitos diarios." (Dengue issues can be solved if each Dominican kills ten mosquitoes per day.) José Rodríguez Soldevila, former Minister of Health.
• "Si me topan, la República cogerá fuego por las cuatro esquinas." (If they touch me, the Republic will burn by its four corners.) José Francisco Peña Gómez, during the 1994 elections, about an alleged assassination attempt.
• "Se hizo pupú fuera del cajón." (He pooped out of the box.) Joaquín Balaguer, accusing Peña Gómez of paranoia, during the 1994 elections.
• "No hay presos políticos, sino políticos presos." (There are no political prisoners, but jailed politicians.) Joaquín Balaguer in 1978.
• "Que la carne esta muy cara?""Nadie ha dicho que hay que comer carne todos los dias! Coman berenjena!" (That meat is expensive? And who said you have to eat meat every single day! Eat eggplant!) Hipolito Mejia

[edit] France

• "Vous n'avez pas, M. Mitterrand, le monopole du coeur." (You do not have, Mr Mitterrand, the monopoly of heart). Valéry Giscard d'Estaing to presidential candidate François Mitterrand, during the 1974 French Presidential debate.
• "Mais vous avez tout à fait raison, M. le premier ministre." (You are absolutely right, Mr Prime Minister.). François Mitterrand responding to presidential candidate Jacques Chirac, who said he would call him Mr Mitterrand, during the 1988 French Presidential debate.
• "Et alors?" (So?) said by François Mitterrand – 1994
• "Je vous ai compris". (I have understood you.) Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle to a crowd in Algeria, before its independence.

[edit] Germany

• "Auch Sie können nicht verhindern, dass ich von Tag zu Tag klüger werde!" (You can't impede my getting wiser day by day.) Konrad Adenauer^[50] This sentence is often mixed up with the following:
• "Was geht mich mein dummes Geschwätz von vorgestern an!" (What do I care about my yesterday's waffle.) Theodor Heuss^[50]
• "Wir wollen mehr Demokratie wagen." (We want to dare more democracy.) Willy Brandt on the plans of the social-liberal coalition^[51]
• "Maß halten" (Don't overdo it.) Ludwig Erhard's warning against an overheating economy in the 1960s^[52]
• "Mit Verlaub, Herr Präsident, Sie sind ein Arschloch." (With all due respect, Mr. President, you are an asshole.) Joschka Fischer^[53]
• "Wirtschaft ist für die Menschen da, und nicht umgekehrt, und Demokratie gehört bei die Wirtschaft mit bei." (The economy is for the people, and not vice versa, and democracy belongs to the economy.) Franz Müntefering^[54] The second part of the compound sentence contains a "folksy" grammatical error that is impossible to translate into English.
• "Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten." (No one intends to build a wall.) Walter Ulbricht a couple of months before the Berlin Wall was built^[55]
• "Ich bin schwul, und das ist auch gut so!" (I am gay, and it's good this way.) Klaus Wowereit, Berlin Mayor phrasing his coming out^[56]

[edit] Indonesia

• "Gitu aja kok repot?" (Why take so much trouble?) Former president Abdurrahman Wahid's popular repeating catchphrase.
• "Bersama kita bisa." (Together we can.) Slogan of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during 2004 presidential election.
• "Semua bisa diatur." (Everything can be handled.) Former vice-president Adam Malik's popular catchphrase.

[edit] India

• "We need to take India into the 21st Century" – by Rajiv Gandhi, ex prime minister of India in the 1980s^[57]
• "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" (Hail the soldier, hail the farmer) – Lal Bahadur Shastri, ex prime minister of India.^[58]
• "Garibi Hatao (Abolish poverty)" – Indira Gandhi, ex prime minister of India in the 1970s.^[59]
• "Quit India" – Mahatma Gandhi in the 1940s.^[60]
• "My heart beats for India" – The Congress (I) Party, late 1980s.^[61]
• "India Shining" – The BJP, 2004^[62]

[edit] Iran

• "می شود و می توانیم" – (It is possible & we can do it) – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's campaign slogan in Iranian presidential election, 2005.

[edit] Ireland

• "Let them, fuck it, we'll say no more." – Minister for Defence Michael Smith, while deputising for the Tánaiste one Thursday morning.^[63]
• "I am sick of answering questions about the fucking peace process." – Taoiseach John Bruton famously upsetting a local radio reporter in Cork for which he later apologised.^[63]
• "The sort of smug know-all commentator... I suppose if anything annoys me, that annoys me... I could instance a load of fuckers whose throat I'd cut, and push over the nearest cliff, but there's no percentage in that." – Former Taoiseach Charles Haughey speaking to Hot Press writer John Waters in 1984.^[63]
• "Crap, total crap." – Taoiseach Albert Reynolds to dismiss claims that he never spoke to his coalition partner from the PDs, Des O'Malley. Dismissed as a slip of the tongue by press secretary, Sean Duignan, when initially used in an interview with the Sunday Tribune, but later revived for RTÉ and elsewhere.^[63]
• "I am absolutely pissed off..." – Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, 1998
• "No problem" – Brian Lenihan
• "On mature recollection..." – Brian Lenihan during the 1990 Irish presidential election

[edit] Lithuania

• "Šikau ir tapšnojau" (approx. "I took a dump and patted it with my hand") – uttered by President Rolandas Paksas during private conversation on phone. It was intercepted and revealed to the public by the authorities during corruption investigation. The phrase should be understood as: "I couldn't care less"
• "Aš neatsistatydinsiu!" ("I will not resign!") - the standard phrase of President Rolandas Paksas, constantly repeated both before and after his impeachment

[edit] Mexico

• "Un político pobre, es un pobre político" (A politician that is poor is only a poor politician) – Carlos Hank González, old-guard politician and Forbes listed billionaire from Mexico's PRI (the then long-time ruling party) commenting on Mexico's crop of hugely enriched politicians (of which he was a prime example).^[64]
• "La política es como las fotos, el que se mueve, no sale" ("Politics is like photography; if you move, you won't show up") – Fidel Velázquez, old-guard politician and worker's union corrupt leader, commenting on how inaction is often a better recipe in politics (especially old-style Mexican politics).^[65]
• "Vivir Fuera del presupuesto, es vivir en el error"
• "Ciertamente..." (Certainly...) The most famous catchphrase of Vicente Fox, used in all his speeches several times.
• "Y yo por qué?" (Why me?) Response by Vicente Fox when confronted by CNI Canal 40 television workers to take action on their tv channel assault by TV Azteca.
• "... y a otra cosa mariposa" Popular rhyme literaly meaning (to another thing butterfly) used by Vicente Fox to change subjects when confronted by a delicate matter.
• "Lo que el presidente quiso decir..." (What the president meant...) Frase constantly used by President Fox's spokesman Rubén Aguilar, trying to fix the president's common unfortunate statements.
• "Comes y te vas" (You eat and then you leave) Very popular phrase by journalist Mario Marín referring to the incident in which President Vicente Fox called Fidel Castro asking him to quietly leave after lunch in the 2002 UNO summit at Monterrey. The telephone recording was later made public by Fidel Castro ridiculizing President Fox.

[edit] Netherlands

• "At your service" – Pim Fortuyn, populist politician a few months before his assassination.^[66]
• "Congressen kopen geen straaljagers" (Political conferences don't purchase fighter jets) – Henk Vredeling, Defense minister Labour Party PvdA.^[67]
• "Fatsoen moet je doen" (Decency is imperative) – Jan-Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister, Christian-Democratic party.^[68]
• "In geouwehoer kun je niet wonen."(You can't live in bullshit.) – Jan Schaefer, a socialist politician venting his opinion on Amsterdam's housing policies in the seventies.

[edit] New Zealand

• "And I'm going to give it to you if you hold your breath just for a moment … I can smell the uranium on it as you lean forward", New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange, in reply to negating debater Jerry Falwell arguing that "Nuclear Weapons Are Morally Indefensible" on 1 March 1985.^[69]

[edit] Pakistan

• "Butt ke rahe ga Hindustan, Le ke rahen ge Pakistan" (Hindustan/India will divide, We will take Pakistan) – Muslim League, before the partition of India^{[citation needed]}.
• "Roti, Kapra aur Makaan" (Bread, cloth & shelter) – Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto/Pakistan Peoples Party, former prime minister and president of Pakistan in the 70's.^[70]
• "Enlightened Moderation" – Pervaiz Musharraf, Military Dictator and President of Pakistan.^[71]
• "Sab se pehle Pakistan" (Pakistan First) – Pervaiz Musharraf, Military Dictator and President of Pakistan.^[72]
• "Parha Likha Punjab" (Educated/Literate Punjab) – Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, former Chief Minister of Punjab & co-president of Pakistan Muslim League (Q).^[73]
• "Qarz utaro, Mulk sanwaro" (Pay the debt, Develop the country) – Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan & President of Pakistan Muslim League (N).^[74]
• "Democracy is the best revenge" – Benazir Bhutto/Pakistan Peoples Party, former prime minister of Pakistan.^[75]
• "Mere Aziz Hum Watnoon" (My dear countrymen) – used by presidents/prime ministers/military dictators (in the beginning) while formally addressing the nation. However, it is generally associated with announcements of military takeovers.^[76]
• GDP – Shaukat Aziz, former Prime Minister, and Finance Minister.^[77]

[edit] Poland

• "Spieprzaj dziadu!" ("Piss off, old man!") Polish President Lech Kaczyński – said to a man on the street during the 2002 Warsaw mayoral campaign.^[78]
• "Żeby nie było niczego" (So that there wouldn't be anything) Polish candidate for mayor of Białystok Krzysztof Kononowicz.^[79]

[edit] Portugal

• "Obviamente, demito-o!" (Obviously, I'll sack him!) – answer of the presidential candidate Humberto Delgado, when asked what he would do with dictator Salazar if he was elected.^[80]
• "Porreiro Pá" (Cool dude) – José Sócrates, prime-minister, to the European Commission's president José Manuel Barroso at the end of the December, 2007 EU summit that led to the Treaty of Lisbon
• "É só fazer as contas!" (Just do the maths) – António Guterres, ex-prime-minister to the journalists, after being unable to calculate 6% of the Portuguese GDP
• "Jamais, jamais!" (Never, never) – Mário Lino, Portuguese Minister of Public Works, Transportation and Communication, referring to Lisbon's new international airport never being built south of the Tagus River.
• "Em tempos de crise, deveria haver um período de 6 meses de Ditadura para endireitar as coisas, depois voltava-se à Democracia..." (In times of crysis, we should have a period of 6 months of Dictatorship to straighten things up, then return to Democracy...) - Manuela Ferreira Leite, general secretary of PSD, about the current economical crysis.

[edit] Romania

• "Iarna nu-i ca vara" (Winter's not like summer.) Traian Băsescu's reply, as Minister of Transport, when asked about what measures he took after countless streets and villages were blocked by the heavy snow.^[81]
• "Iar pe cei care s-au apucat să-mi numere găinile, îi rog să-mi numere şi ouăle" (I invite those who started to count my hens, to count also my eggs/balls.) Adrian Năstase's reply, as Prime Minister, after press inquiries regarding his chicken farm, part of a larger set of corruption accusations. He implied the secondary meaning of balls, for ouă (eggs) in Romanian.^[82]
• "Să trăiţi bine" (May you live well.) the political catchphrase of president Traian Băsescu.^[83]
• "Succesuri" (Wrong plural form for success) spoken by Elena Basescu. It became an internet meme in Romania similar to the overextended use of the internets.

[edit] Russia

• "Есть такая партия!" (Yest' takaya partiya – There is such a party!) – Lenin's reply to the Menshevik leader Irakli Tsereteli, who said in June 1917 that there was no political party willing to demand that the Provisional Government resign and hand power over to it. ^[84]
• "…Мы будем преследовать террористов везде. В аэропорту — в аэропорту. Значит, Вы уж меня извините, в туалете поймаем, мы и в сортире их замочим, в конце концов." (We will pursue terrorists everywhere. At an airport – okay, at an airport. If we catch them in a lavatory, in an outhouse, we will do them there with their pants down.) Putin at a press conference in Astana 1999-09-24.
• "Хотели как лучше, а получилось как всегда" (We hoped for the best, but it turned out as usual.) Prime Minister of Russia (1992–1998) Viktor Chernomyrdin at a press conference 1993-08-06 on currency reform. ^[85]
• "Мы будем уничтожать наше ядерное оружие вместе с Америкой." В.С.Черномырдин (We will neutralize our nuclear weapons along with America)(с)Prime Minister of Russia (1992–1998) Viktor Chernomyrdin

[edit] Spain

• "Això no toca" (That's not the subject at hand) Jordi Pujol, former President of the Catalan Generalitat Government, when wanting to avoid replying to a difficult question.^[86]
• "Ja sóc aquí !" (At last, I'm here!) Josep Tarradellas, former President of the Catalan Government, from the balcony of the Generalitat building, upon returning from exile.^[87]
• "Voleu fer el favor de callar ?!" (Will you do me the favour of shutting up?!) Jordi Pujol, former President of the Catalan Generalitat Government, to hecklers at a conference.^[88]
• "Vostès tenen un problema, i aquest problema es diu tres percent" (You have a problem, and that problem is called three percent) Pasqual Maragall, former President of the Catalan Generalitat Government, accusing the opposition of having taken a 3% cut on government contracts to finance their party when in power.^[89]
• "Yo me llamo Josep-Lluís aquí y en la China Popular" (I'm called Josep-Lluís here, and in [the] People's [Republic of] China) Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira, Vice-President of the Catalan Generalitat Government, upon being addressed in a TV show (in Castilian) by a member of the public as Don José Luis (his given name translated into Spanish from Catalan, preceded by Don meaning a gentleman or nobleman).^[90][91]
• "Puedo prometer y prometo" (I can promise, And I promise...) The classic catchphrase of Adolfo Suarez, said in the first post-Franco general elections in Spain, in 1978.^[92]
• "Aznar y Anguita son la misma mierda" ("Aznar and Anguita are the same shit"), said by Prime Minister Felipe González about his political opponents in 1996.^[93]
• "Por consiguiente..." (Consequently...) The most famous catchphrase of Felipe González, used in all his speeches several times.^[94]
• "España va bien" (Spain's doing well) said by the former prime minister José María Aznar in 1996 three times in a speech talking about the economy. The catchphrase become popular because Spain was in a very difficult situation after Felipe Gonzalez's government corruption scandals and the situation of ETA terrorism.^[95]
• "Váyase, Sr. González" (Get out, Mr González) said by José María Aznar to Felipe González in 1996 general elections.^[96]
• "El poder no me va a cambiar" (Power won't change me) said by Prime Minister Zapatero in the 2004 general elections.^[97]
• "No nos falles" (Don't let us down) were the words used by the people on popular gatherings after Zapatero was elected in 2004 general elections.^[98]
• "La reina y yo" (Queen and I) are the first words of King Juan Carlos' traditional annual Christmas Speech.^[99]
• "¿Por qué no te callas?" (Why don't you shut up?) King Juan Carlos to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez who was heckling Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero at the 17^th Ibero-American Summit.^[100]

[edit] Sweden

• "Gärna medalj, men först en rejäl pension" (Please give us a medal, but give us a proper pension first), slogan for the Social Democrats in the 1958 election. (The "medal" referred to is the one given for long and faithful civil service.)

• "Nån jävla ordning får det vara i ett parti" (There must be some bloody order in a party), uttered by CH Hermansson, leader of the Left Party Communists (present-day Left Party) at a party congress.

• "Att vara liberal är att vara kluven" (Being a liberal is being torn), uttered by Gunnar Helén, leader of the Liberal Party.

• "Nja till EU" (Both yes and no to the EU), catch phrase for the Centre Party in the mid-90's.

• "Vård, skola och omsorg" (Healthcare, schools and care [for the elderly and the handicapped]) The focus areas for the Social Democrats during the 2002 election.

• "Att ställa krav är att bry sig" (Asking things of people is to care about them), catch phrase for the Liberal Party during the 2002 election.

• "Alla ska med" (Everybody has to come along) The Social Democrats' catchphrase during the 2006 election.

• "Det måste löna sig att arbeta" (It must be profitable to work) The summary of Alliance for Sweden's labour market policy during and after the 2006 election.

[edit] Switzerland

• "Freude herrscht!" (Joy is in the air!) The words Adolf Ogi chose to congratulate the first Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier on a phone call to the Space Shuttle during NASA mission STS-46.^[101]

[edit] Tanzania

• "Panya kwao darini hata kama kuna giza!" (No place like home!) The words Rodrick Mashayo chose to congratulate Edwin R. Mashayo for his decision to rebuild his homeland.^[102]

[edit] United Kingdom

• "You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning." Margaret Thatcher^[103]
• "It does not mean that the pound here in Britain, in your pocket or purse or in your bank, has been devalued." (often rendered as "The pound in your pocket") Harold Wilson^[104]
• "Crisis? What crisis?" incorrectly attributed to James Callaghan by The Sun newspaper^[105]
• "It's The Sun Wot Won It" and "If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights" referring to Neil Kinnock's loss at the 1992 General Election
• "most of our people have never had it so good" (popularly misquoted as "You've never had it so good!") Harold Macmillan^[106]
• "economical with the truth" and "economical with the actualité" Alan Clark
• "but in which direction was she sailing at the time" Tam Dalyell (re the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano) ^[107]

[edit] United States

• "Yes we can" used by Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.
• "Mission Accomplished" Said by George W. Bush on May 1, 2003 referring to the war in Iraq.
• "We must stay the course", phrase was used by George W. Bush in reference to the Iraq War.
• "Read my lips: no new taxes", said by George H. W. Bush during the 1988 U.S. presidential election.^[108]
• "I'm the decider", said by George W. Bush about the fate of United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in April 2006.^[109]
• "My friends". Used extensively and repeated by John McCain during his 2008 presidential campaign.
• "They misunderestimated me." Said by George W. Bush^[110] — Bentonville, Ark., November 6, 2000
• "I did not have sexual relations with that woman", said by Bill Clinton regarding Monica Lewinsky, a woman with whom he had a sexual relationship (just not the one that was defined by the lawyers in a recent deposition on the matter).^[111]
• "That depends on what your definition of 'is' is", said by Bill Clinton during testimony regarding his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.^[112]
• "I didn't inhale," said by Bill Clinton.^[113]
• "I took the initiative in creating the Internet." said by Al Gore during a 1999 CNN interview^[114]
• "We are all republicans - we are all federalists", Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural.^[115]
• "Ich bin ein Berliner", said by John F. Kennedy in West Berlin. According to an urban legend, Kennedy allegedly made an embarrassing grammatical error by saying "Ich bin ein Berliner," referring to himself not as a citizen of Berlin, but as a common pastry.^[116] In fact, Kennedy's statement is both grammatically correct and perfectly idiomatic, and would not be misunderstood in context.^[117]
• "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country"^[118], part of John F. Kennedy's inaugural address.
• "Four score and seven years ago...", Opening of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.^[119]
• "Where's the beef?", said by presidential hopeful and former Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale, when attacking Colorado Senator Gary Hart in a 1984 Democratic primary debate. Mondale meant that Hart was only doing lip service.
• "Show me the spot", Abraham Lincoln challenging the alleged incident of invasion by Mexico and loss of life that precipitated the Mexican American War.^[120]
• "I'm not a crook", said by Richard Nixon in reference to his never having profited through his government service. (Often misquoted as "I am not a crook.")^[121]
• "Only Nixon could go to China", saying that became popular in the wake of Richard Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China^[122]
• "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore", said by Richard Nixon in 1962 when he announced his retirement from politics after losing the 1962 California Governor's election.^[123]
• "I'm Ross, and you're the Boss", said by Ross Perot during the 1992 presidential election.^[124]
• "That Giant sucking sound", said by Ross Perot in 1992 with regards to American jobs going to Mexico if NAFTA was ratified.
• "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help", said by Ronald Reagan referring to the "most terrifying words in the English language".^[125]
• "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem", said by Ronald Reagan.^[126]
• "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall", said by Ronald Reagan.^[127]
• "Mistakes were made", said by Ronald Reagan and many others, including George W. Bush.^[128]
• "There you go again", said by Ronald Reagan about Jimmy Carter during their 1980 presidential debate and was (reluctantly) used by Reagan again about Walter Mondale in their 1984 Presidential debate. This quote was also borrowed by Sarah Palin during the 2008 Vice Presidential Debate against Joe Biden.^[129]
• "It's morning again in America" in reference to the recovering economy and the dominating performance by the U.S. athletes at the Los Angeles Olympics that summer, among other things. He became the first American president to open an Olympic Games held in the United States.^[who?][130]
• "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Franklin D. Roosevelt^[131]
• "I shall return." Gen. Douglas MacArthur after leaving the Philippines^[132]
• "It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes." said by Senator Ted Stevens regarding the Internet.^[133]
• "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." Senator Lloyd Bentsen to Senator Dan Quayle in the 1988 Vice Presidential debates.^[134]
• "I like Ike" Famous campaign slogan for President Dwight D. Eisenhower^[135]
• "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?" infamous question asked by the House Un-American Activities Committee during the height of the Cold War.^[136]
• "December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy." said by President Franklin D. Roosevelt after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.^[137]
• "Vast right-wing conspiracy", used by Hillary Clinton in 1998 in defense of husband President Bill Clinton in reference to the Lewinsky scandal.

[edit] Venezuela

• "PDVSA ahora es roja, rojita." (PDVSA has become red, very red) said by the President of PDVSA (Venezuelan National Petroleum Company)
• "¿Por qué no te callas?" (Why don't you shut up?) said by king of Spain Juan Carlos de Borbón to Hugo Chávez.
• "Compañeros lamentablemente por ahora los objetivos que nos planteamos no fueron logrados en la ciudad capital" ( "Folks unfortunately, for now, the objectives that we had were not fully accomplished in the capital city (Caracas)") said by Hugo Chávez February 4, 1992, after the failure of his coup attempt.
• "Por ahora" (For now) is a Venezuelan political catch phrase that alludes to the declarations made by Hugo Chávez after the failure of the coup attempt he led in 1992. The phrase has been used in various occasions after the coup attempt, most notably by Hugo Chávez after his proposal for constitutional reform was rejected by the Venezuelan people.
• "Sembrar el petróleo" ('sowing the oil'; phrase coined by Arturo Uslar Pietri when suggesting the use of oil revenue to develop the nation)
• "Calma y cordura" ('Calmness and composure'; frequently used by President Eleazar López Contreras during his turbulent reign)

[edit] References