List of political catch phrases

The following is a list of political catchphrases, 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.

Argentina

• "¡Seamos libres, que lo demas no importa nada!" ("Let us be free, for the rest doesn't matter!") - Said in a pre-battle speech in 1817 by General José de San Martín to his troops just before the Battle of Chacabuco during the Crossing of the Andes.
• "Tomar a todo el país como Dios y el hombre lo han hecho." ("Take the whole country as God and man have made it.") - Spoken by Bartolomé Mitre after the Battle of Pavon in 1961, about the need for national unification and federalization of all Argentine provinces.
• "Ahora comienza una época de paz y administración." ("Now we begin a period of peace and administration.") - Spoken by then President Julio Argentino Roca during his inauguration speech in 1880, promising that peace and national organization would be achieved in his presidency after nearly thirty years of civil war and internal conflict.
• "Que se rompa, pero que no se doble." ("Let it break, but never bend.") - The last words of Leandro Alem, leader of the Unión Cívica Radical, in his suicide letter, which was written in 1896. The phrase refers to his party's intransigent doctrine. Now commonly used as a slogan for the UCR.
• "El estado, como encarnación permanente de la colectividad nacional, tiene el derecho a obtener el beneficio directo sobre el descubrimiento de riquezas naturales en su territorio." ("The state, as the permanent incarnation of national collectivity, has the right to benefit directly from the discovery of natural wealth in its territory.") - Spoken in 1921 by then president Hipólito Yrigoyen during a speech in Congress to promote the nationalization of oil and fossil fuels and the creation of the YPF.
• "La única verdad es la realidad." ("The only truth is reality.") - A phrase typically used by President Juan Domingo Perón when telling both his allies and enemies to be rational and disregard rumors.
• "Cuando uno de los nuestros caiga, caerán cinco de los de ellos." ("For each one of ours that falls, five of theirs will fall.") - Spoken by President Juan D. Perón on August 31, 1955, addressing his supporters to take revenge for the bombing of Buenos Aires by the military on June 16 the same year, which had caused around 300 casualties.
• "Ni vencedores ni vencidos." ("There are no winners or losers.") - General Eduardo Lonardi in September 1955, after overthrowing the government of Juan Perón, and before being displaced by the hard-line antiperonists within the new government.
• "Hay que pasar el invierno." ("We have to endure the winter.") – Said in 1960 by Álvaro Alsogaray, Minister of Economy in the Frondizi government, referring to the hardships required to get through the economic troubles in the country, which was in dire need of oil.
• "No renunciaré, no me suicidaré, no me iré del país" ("I will not resign, I will not commit suicide, I will not leave the country.") – Said in 1962 by President Arturo Frondizi under the threat of a military coup d'état. He initially resisted his ousting but was eventually forced at gunpoint into arrest in the Isla Martín García Prison.
• "El comandante en jefe de las fuerzas armadas soy yo." ("The commander in chief of the armed forces is me.") – Said in 1966 by then President Arturo Illia to General Julio Alsogaray when the latter told the president that the armed forces were starting a coup d'état.
• "Este viejo adversario despide a un amigo." ("This old adversary bids farewell to a friend.") – Said in 1974 by former head of the UCR, Ricardo Balbín at Juan Domingo Perón's funeral. Balbín had been Perón's biggest enemy during his political career, but the phrase symbolizes how, despite their enmity, Balbín was respectful enough to solemnly attend his funeral.
• "Es una incógnita, es un desaparecido. No tiene entidad, no está. Ni muerto ni vivo, está desaparecido." ("It's an unknown, it's a disappeared. It has no entity, it is not there. Neither dead or alive, it is disappeared.") – Spoken in 1979 by de facto President Jorge Videla regarding the people who were sent into forced disappearances during the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional.
• "El que apuesta al dólar pierde." ("Whomever gambles with the dollar loses") – Said in 1981 by then Minister of Economy Lorenzo Sigaut, paradoxically, two days before a large devaluation. Two days after this statement the dollar increased in value by 30% making everyone who had "gambled" with the dollar rich.
• "Si quieren venir, que vengan. ¡Les presentaremos batalla!" ("If they want to come, let them come. We will give them a battle!") – Said by de facto President Leopoldo Galtieri regarding the British during the events that led to the Falklands War.
• "¡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.
• "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.
• "¡A vos no te va tan mal, gordito!" – ("You're not doing so bad, fatty!") – said by president Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín in response to a complaint about the country's inflation problems and the lack of food by a purportedly overweight man in the audience during a political rally.
• "¡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.
• "Estamos mal, pero vamos bien." ("We're doing badly, but getting better.") – used by then president Carlos Saúl Menem in 1990 referring to the general state of affairs in the country.
• "Dicen que soy aburrido..." ("They say I am boring") – repeated campaign phrase from Fernando de la Rúa in 1999.
• "El país está...bien." ("The country is...fine.") – A phrase said by Fernando de la Rúa when the 2000 Argentine Crisis started.
• "Argentina es un país condenado al éxito." ("Argentina is a country doomed to success") – Phrase recurrently used by Eduardo Duhalde during his exercise of presidency after the 2001 crisis.
• "Mi voto es no positivo, mi voto es en contra." ("My vote is not positive, my vote is against.") - Phrase pronounced by Vice President Julio Cobos in 2008 in the Senate, when he voted against a farm tax project from his own political force.

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.
• "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".
• "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".
• "It's Time." Used in the 1972 election campaign which saw Gough Whitlam defeat William McMahon after 23 years of Liberal government.
• "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.
• "This is the recession that Australia had to have." Said by national Treasurer Paul Keating in 1990 regarding the late 1980s recession.
• "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.
• "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).
• "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.
• "We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come." Said by John Howard in relation to border protection.
• "Ease the squeeze" Said by Mark Latham
• "Don't you worry about that" Said by Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen
• "I call it feeding the chooks" Said by Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen
• "Keep the bastards honest" – Don Chipp, leader of the Australian Democrats
• "Working families." Used by Kevin Rudd during the 2007 election campaign.
• "Without throwing the fair go out the back door" also used by Kevin Rudd during the 2007 election campaign.
• "Fair shake of the sauce bottle" - Kevin Rudd
• "Moving forward." – Julia Gillard, Prime Minister
• "Yes we will" Julia Gillard at the Labor party election launch for the 2010 Federal election

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.
• "Ohne die Partei bin ich nichts" ("Without the Party I am nothing") said by Federal Chancellor Fred Sinowatz of the then Austrian Socialist Party
• "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.
• "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.

Bangladesh

• "Rashtro Bhasha Bangla Bhasha" (State Language is Bangla Language)- Bengali Language Movement, 1952
• "Digital Bangladesh" – Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh and President of Awami League
• "Joodho Oparadhider Bichar Chai" (Try the war criminals)- War Crimes Trial Movement
• "Desh Bachao! Manush Bachao!" (Save the country! Save the people!)- Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party
• "Shadinota Birodhi Shokti" (Anti-liberation forces)- Used to describe the political parties/Pakistan Army and intelligence services/Islamic extremist and militant groups which opposed the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.
• "Jago Bangladesh" (Wake Up Bangladesh)- Moeen U Ahmed, former Chief of Army Staff, Bangladesh Army in 2007
• Priyo Bhai O Boner Ra (Dear brothers and sisters)- Widely used by politicians and activists whilst addressing audiences
• "Nagorik Shakti" (Citizen Power)- Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate and Managing Director of Grameen Bank in 2007

Belgium

In Dutch

• "De grondwet is geen vodje papier." – (The constitution is not some scrap of paper.) – Leo Tindemans – 1978
• "Je moet de problemen alleen oplossen als ze zich stellen" – (You only have to solve problems when they occur) – Jean-Luc Dehaene
• "Vijf minuten politieke moed" – (Five minutes of political courage) – Yves Leterme
• "Sire, geef mij honderd dagen" – (Sire, give me 100 days) – Jean-Luc Dehaene – 1988
• "Wie gelooft die mensen nog?" – (Who still believes those people?) – Yves Leterme

In English

• "I've seen the future: it's scary and Belgian". Stephen Pollard

In French

• "Il n' y a pas de Belges" – (There are no Belgians) – Jules Destrée – 1912
• "La Belgique de papa" – (Daddy's Belgium) – Gaston Eyskens – 1970
• "Il y a un parfum de crise" – (It's starting to smell like a crisis) – Francis Delpérée – 2007

Dutch – French

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

Latin

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

Brazil

• "Eu não sabia de nada" ("I didn't know about anything") – said by Lula when asked about the Mensalão scandal, that had José Dirceu, Lula's intimate friend and then-Chief of Staff, as the head of the scheme.
• "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 served time in prison.
• "Estupra, mas não mata" ("Rape, but don't kill.") Said by Paulo Maluf during his classes in one of São Paulo's University.
• "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 Brazilian Portuguese, means "to enjoy" (in literal sense) or "to make fun of/to zombate at" (in another sense); in the case of the aforementioned sentence, it comes from the colloquial Brazilian Portuguese, "to have an orgasm" (equalling to sexual verb "to cum"), the latter being somewhat impolite.
• "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.
• "Vagabundo! Vagabundo! Respeite o doente!" ("[You] Bum! [You] Bum! Respect sick [people]!") – said by Gilberto Kassab while throwing a protester out of a public hospital.
• "Meus amigos e minhas amigas! Estou absolutamente convencido de que nunca antes na história deste país..." ("My [male] friends and my [female] friends! I am absolutely convinced that never before in the history of this country...") – said by Lula whenever he praises his own government.

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
• "Evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet!" attributed to the campaign of Ernie Eves in reference to Dalton McGuinty.
• "Let us be English or let us be French . . . and above all let us be Canadians." John A. Macdonald
• "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
• "Fuddle duddle", said by Pierre Trudeau when attempting to explain away his use of profanity in the Canadian House of Commons.
• "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation", Pierre Trudeau, as justice minister, 1967.
• "Just watch me", said by Pierre Trudeau in reference to the War Measures Act.
• "I've been called worse things by better people" Pierre Trudeau, responding to remarks made about him by U.S. President Richard Nixon
• "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.
• "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.
• "You had an option, sir", said by Brian Mulroney to John Turner, in response to Turner rubber-stamping last minute patronage appointments made by his predecessor, Pierre Trudeau -- this comment during the English-language debate between Mulroney, Turner and Ed Broadbent became the turning point of the 1984 Canadian federal election.
• "Not necessarily conscription but conscription if necessary." Said by William Lyon Mackenzie King in the House of Commons on 10 June 1942, it reflected the federal government's ambiguous response to conscription in World War II, which eventually led to the Conscription Crisis of 1944.
• "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, demanding that then United States President George W. Bush provide irrefutable proof that Iraq under then leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction in its military arsenal (weapons which later proved not to exist after all), as a condition for Canada joining the Iraq War (a war which Canada ultimately opted out of).
• "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.
• "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.
• "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.
• "Billion dollar boondoggle!" – said by Preston Manning
• "You know, most Canadians, if they don’t show up for work, they don’t get a promotion!" - said by Jack Layton to Michael Ignatieff during the English leaders' debate in the 2011 federal election.
• "Vive le Québec libre !" - said by the president of the French Republic Charles de Gaulle on an official visit in Canada in 1967.

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.
• "你们啊！You are all too young, too simple, sometimes naive! 係唔係啊？" (A mixture of Mandarin, English and Cantonese, in that order, meaning "You... You are all too young, too simple, sometimes naive! Isn't that right?") Said by Jiang Zemin, President 1993–2003, in response to a Hong Kong reporter.
• "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.

Colombia

• "Tenemos que reducir la corrupción a sus justas proporciones" ("We must reduce 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 children to 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 Bogotá.
• "Trabajar, trabajar y trabajar" ("To work, to work and to work") as said by Álvaro Uribe Vélez in his presidential speeches.
• "No más sangre, no más depredaciones en nombre de ningún partido político: paz, justicia y libertad" ("Not more 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.

Cuba

• "Patria o muerte, venceremos" ("Homeland or death, we will triumph") said by Che Guevara on December, 11th, 1964 at the United Nations General Assembly.

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.
• "Der er ikke noget at komme efter" ("There is nothing to this [story/accusation]")*, Anders Fogh Rasmussen Danish Prime Minister 2001–2008.
• "Ytringsfrihed er ytringsfrihed er ytringsfrihed. Der er intet men." ("Freedom of speech is freedom of speech is freedom of speech. There is no 'but'.") Per Nyholm about the cartoons in the Jyllands-Posten.

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, only imprisoned politicians.) Joaquín Balaguer in 1978.
• "¿Que la carne está 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 some eggplant!) Hipólito Mejía.
• "E' pa'lante que vamos!" (Could be translated to, we are going forward, we are going to progress) Leonel Fernández.

Estonia

• "Eesti mees, eesti naine!"(Estonian man, Estonian woman!) was the starting phrase of the speeches and articles by the leaders of the Vaps movement.
• "Meie olukord on sitt, aga see on meie tuleviku väetis" (The situation is shitty, but this is the fertilizer of our future) by President of Estonia Lennart Meri in 1997.

Finland

• "Kyllä kansa tietää" (The people knows) by Veikko Vennamo
• "Tuli iso jytky!" (Could be translated to 'That was a huge hit!') and "Tänään on tilipäivä!" (Today is a payday!) by Timo Soini after the historical parliamental election victory of True Finns in April 2011
• "EU on rikkaiden oma Neuvostoliitto" (European Union is the very own Soviet Union of the rich people), Timo Soini.
• "Saatanan tunarit" (Fucking morons) by president Urho Kekkonen, first said in a critical letter to the former governor of the Kymi district. Has since lived on among the Finnish people.

"Aivan aluksi haluaisin kiittää..." (Firstly I would like to thank...) by Jutta Urpilainen of Social Democratic Party of Finland. She started many of her interviews with those words after 2008 parliamentary elections. She used the phrase also after 2011 elections as a joke.

France

• "Vous n'avez pas, M. Mitterrand, le monopole du cœur." (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." (But 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 instead of "Mr President" since they were nothing but two citizens, not two officials.
• "Et alors?" (So what?) said by François Mitterrand – 1994
• "Je vous ai compris". (I have understood you.) President Charles de Gaulle to a crowd in Algeria, before its independence.
• "Le Brésil n´est pas un Pays serieux!" Charles de Gaulle about Brazilian informality...
• "Soyez gentil de nous laisser parler, et de cesser d'intervenir incessamment, un peu comme le roquet." (Be nice to let us talk, and stop interfering incessantly, like the pug) said by Jacques Chirac to Laurent Fabius in 1986.
• "Casse toi pov'con" (Get lost, then, poor dumb ass) said by Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008 at the Paris international agricultural show, to a recalcitrant visitor who refuses to shake his hand.

Germany

• Period between the Reichs 1806–1871
  • "Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch!" (Workers of the world unite!) From the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
• Imperial Germany 1871–1918
  • "Ich kenne keine Partei mehr, ich kenne nur Deutsche!" (I no longer know of [political] party, I only know Germans) Wilhelm II 1914 in a speech at the parliament, referencing the endorsement of the war by the formerly shunned Social Democrats
• West-Germany 1949–1990
  • "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 – 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.) Konrad Adenauer
  • "Maß halten" (Don't overdo it.) Ludwig Erhard's warning against an overheating economy in the 1960s
  • "Wir wollen mehr Demokratie wagen." (We want to dare more democracy.) Willy Brandt on the plans of the social-liberal coalition
  • "Wer Visionen hat, sollte zum Arzt gehen." (Those who have visions should consult a doctor) Helmut Schmidt
  • "Und es gilt auch der Satz. Zum mitschreiben: Die Rente ist sicher." (And this sentence stands. To co-write: The pension is safe.) Norbert Blüm Firstly used in the campaign 1986. The sentence is often used to show that the government is lying to the people.
  • "Mit Verlaub, Herr Präsident, Sie sind ein Arschloch." (With all due respect, Mr. President, you are an asshole.) Joschka Fischer. He thus addressed the parliament's president after the latter excluded an MP from the debate over an allegation.
• East-Germany 1949–1990
  • "Die Sicherung der Grenze ist das souveräne Recht eines jeden Staates, und so auch unserer Deutschen Demokratischen Republik." (Securing the border is the sovereign right of every state, and that applies to our German Democratic Republic as well.) Erich Honecker
  • "Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten." (No one intends to build a wall.) Walter Ulbricht, 15 June 1961, less than two months before the Berlin Wall was built
• Berlin Republic 1990–present
  • "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 economy is a part of democracy.) Franz Müntefering The second part of the compound sentence contains a "folksy" grammatical error that is impossible to translate into English.
  • "Ich bin schwul, und das ist auch gut so!" (I am gay, and it's fine this way.) Klaus Wowereit, phrasing his coming out

Greece

"Λεφτα υπαρχουν" (there are enough money) said by George Papandreou, Prime Minister of the country from Oct2009 - Nov2011, in a speech a year before the elections that brought him to power and some months after the Sep2008 financial incidents.

Hong Kong

• Try our breast – lawmaker-elect Gary Chan's comment upon declared elected in the early morning of 8 September 2008. The phrase he intended to say was 'try our best'. The phrase has since been used as a derogatory way to describe people's problem with proper pronunciations.

Hungary

• "Monnyonle!" (Resign! – with deliberately incorrect spelling and pronunciation) József Torgyán, a former political figure used this phrase very often. The catchphrase became a chanting slogan in demonstrations.
• "Elkúrtuk, nem kicsit, nagyon." (We screwed it, not a little but a lot.) Ferenc Gyurcsány, former prime minister and Socialist leader, addressing his party members and MPs in a secret speech which was leaked and it caused a very serious political scandal and riots in the streets.
• "Nem hazudtam, de nem bontottam ki az igazság minden részletét." (I didn't lie. I only didn't elaborate on every detail of the truth.) Ferenc Gyurcsány, former prime minister and Socialist leader in an interview.
• "A békát sem kérdezik meg, amikor lecsapolják a mocsarat. ("Frogs are not asked for opinion when you want to drain a marshland.") János Kóka, the former leader of Alliance of Free Democrats relating to substantial changes he wanted to introduce in policies for higher education and research.
• "Sokan voltunk, de mégsem voltunk elegen." (There were many of us but not enough of us.) Viktor Orbán, former center-of-right prime minister, Fidesz party leader about a lost election.

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.
• "Lanjutkan!" (Continue!) Bambang Yudhoyono's reelection slogan during his campaign in 2009.
• "Lebih Cepat Lebih Baik" (The Faster The Better) Then-vice president Jusuf Kalla's slogan during his unsuccessful 2009 presidential run, poking fun at Yudhoyono's criticised indecisiveness.
• "Semua bisa diatur." (Everything can be handled.) Former vice-president Adam Malik's popular catchphrase.
• "Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka" (Freedom, Freedom, Freedom) Megawati Sukarnoputri, paraphrasing her famous father, Sukarno.
• "Ganyang Malaysia": Destroy Malaysia [literally: gobble it down raw as per a freshly killed animal] popular anti-neo-colonial slogan of Sukarno, still remaining very popular policy with the Indonesian people to absorb the British created state of Malaysia, esepcially in times of Malaysian-Indonesian conflicts.
• "Marhaeni" and "Marhaenisme"- the Indonesian everyman and enrichment via traditional economics as advocated by Sukarno
• "Sang Merah Putih sampai Medan ke Merauke" The sacred Red & White [flag] flies from Medan (Sumatra) to Merauke (Papua)- Sukarno.
• "Indonesia ialah bangsa yang asal di Madagaskar sampai Filipina"- "Indonesian is a nation that stretches from Madagascar to the Philippines"- Sukarno.
• "I henceforth procalim Tri Kora" (Three commands, namely: tri-command: 1. Defeat the formation of the puppet state of Papua of Dutch colonial make., 2. Unfurl the Honoured Red and White Flag in West Irian, Indonesian native land., 3. Be ready for general mobilisation to defend the independence and unity of Country and Nation.) Sukarno in his United Nations address and a commonly paraphrased slogan when addressing nationalist issues.
• "Yes, I am a Muslim. But first I am an Indonesian Nationalist "- Sukarno, commonly paraphrased to reinforce Indonesian nationalist-secularist and patriotism.

India

• "We need to take India into the 21st Century" – by Rajiv Gandhi, ex prime minister of India in the 1980s
• "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" (Hail the soldier, hail the farmer) – Lal Bahadur Shastri, ex prime minister of India.
• "Garibi Hatao (Abolish poverty)" – Indira Gandhi, ex prime minister of India in the 1970s.
• "Quit India" – Mahatma Gandhi in the 1940s.
• "My heart beats for India" – The Congress (I) Party, late 1980s.
• "India Shining" – The BJP, 2004
• "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vignaan" (Hail the soldier, hail the farmer, hail the science (scientist)) – Atal Behari Vajpayee, ex prime minister of India.
• "inquilab zindabad" (long live revolution) – Bhagath Singh, freedom fighter of India.

Iran

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

Ireland

• An Irish solution to an Irish problem – Charles Haughey
• A Protestant Parliament for a Protestant People – James Craig
• "Let them, fuck it, we'll say no more." – Minister for Defence Michael Smith, while deputising for the Tánaiste one Thursday morning.
• "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.
• "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.
• "Crap, total crap." – Taoiseach Albert Reynolds to dismiss claims that he never spoke to his coalition partner from the PDs, Des O'Malley. Described 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.
• "I am absolutely pissed off..." – Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, 1998
• "No problem" – Brian Lenihan
• "On mature recollection..." – Brian Lenihan during the 1990 Irish presidential election
• "With all due sincerity and in the most unparliamentary language, fuck you Deputy Stagg, fuck you." – Green Party TD Paul Gogarty's outburst directed at Labour Party TD Emmet Stagg during an Irish Budget debate.
• "We have turned a corner." – Fianna Fáil TD and Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan, Jnr's comment on the Irish econoy during the Irish Budget debate.
• "There was a confluence of events" – Taoiseach Brian Cowen defending his poor performance during a radio interview on the morning of a Fianna Fáil pre-parliamentary event on 14 September 2010.
• "There was a hoarseness in my voice" – Taoiseach Brian Cowen defending his performance on the same occasion.
• "Fiction" – Fianna Fáil TD Dermot Ahern denying rumours of an European Union/International Monetary Fund bailout of Ireland in late 2010. The bailout occurred shortly after Ahern made his denial.

Israel

• "הגידו כן לזקן" ("Say Yes to the old'man") used during an election campaign in the fifties. The old man is David Ben Gurion. In Hebrew the phrase (phonetically "hagidu ken lazaken) rhymes.
• "יש גרמניה אחרת" ("There is a new Germany") – said by Prime Minister David Ben Gurion after his historical meeting with Konrad Adenauer, the German Chancellor.
• "הם לא נחמדים" ("They are not so nice") – said by Prime Minister Golda Meir regarding the Israeli Black Panthers protest movement.
• "יתנו, יקבלו. לא יתנו, לא יקבלו" ("If they (the palestinians) will give, they will get. If they won't give, they won't get") – used during the 1996 election campaign by Benjamin Netanyahu, at the peak of the Peace Process started after the Oslo accords.
• "הם מ-פ-ח-ד-י-ם" ("They are s-c-a-r-e-d") – Used several times by Benjamin Netanyahu to ridiculize his labour opponents.
• "?אני לוזר" ("Am I a loser?") – question asked by Shimon Peres in a speech in a Labour Party meeting in 1997, after he lost his 6th election in a row. The crowd shouted "Yes!".
• "מייד'לע, ראית פעם גבר סורג גרביים? אז אישה לא יכולה להיות טייסת קרב" ("Meidele (Yiddish for "honey"), have you ever seen a man darning socks? So therefore a woman cannot be a combat pilot") – said by former President and former Air Force commandant Ezer Weizman in a phone conversation with Alice Miller, a soldier who successfully petitioned the High Court to force the Israeli Air Force to open its pilots' course to women in 1994.
• "אני ראש ממשלה לא פופולרי" ("I'm not a very popular Prime Minister") – said by Prime minister Ehud Olmert following reports that his approval rate is plummeting.
• "אברשה שוב הביתה" ("Abrasha, come home") – Said by prime minister Itzhak Shamir to MK Avraham (Abrasha) Sharir, as the last had planned to leave the Likud party and join the opposing Labour party during whats known as the "smelly trick" in 1990

Italy

• "Mi consenta" ("Allow me") – said by Silvio Berlusconi
• "CAPRA IGNORANTE !!" ("You ignorant goat!") – said by Vittorio Sgarbi
• "Il potere logora chi non ce l'ha" ("Power tires only those who do not have it")- said by Giulio Andreotti
• "Riconosco i miei limiti ma non vivo in un mondo di giganti" ("I recognize my limits but when I look around I realise I am not living exactly in a world of giants.")- said by Giulio Andreotti

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
• "Moteriškėms daina kaip birka eina iš lūpų į lūpas" (approx. "Songs for women are like cocks passing from mouth to mouth") – verbal radio presentation by Lithuanian MP Arūnas Valinskas on National Radio.

Mexico

• "Un político pobre, es un pobre político" (A politician that is poor is 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).
• "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).
• "Vivir fuera del presupuesto, es vivir en el error" (To live away from the budget is to live in 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" – A popular rhyme literally meaning "to another thing, butterfly", roughly equivalent to "moving right along"; used by Vicente Fox to change subjects when confronted by a delicate matter.
• "Lo que el presidente quiso decir..." (What the president meant...) – Phrase constantly used by President Fox's spokesman Rubén Aguilar, trying to amend the president's common unfortunate statements.
• "Comes y te vas" (You eat and then you leave) – Very popular phrase by journalist Carlos 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 ridiculing President Fox, much to the delight of many Mexican people.
• "Haiga sido como haiga sido" - a barbarism said by Felipe Calderón, the right phrase in good Spanish world be "Haya sido como haya sido" (No matter how it would have been)
• "If we publicly declare that Cuba is a threat to our security, 40 million Mexicans will die laughing." -Mexican ambassador to the United States, in response to the Kennedy administration's 1961 call to collective action against Cuba.

Netherlands

• "At your service" – Pim Fortuyn, populist politician a few months before his assassination.
• "Congressen kopen geen straaljagers" (Party conferences don't purchase fighter jets) – Henk Vredeling, Defense minister Labour Party PvdA.
• "Fatsoen moet je doen" (Do Decency) – Jan-Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister, Christian-Democratic party.
• "In geouwehoer kun je niet wonen."(You can't live in hot air.) – Jan Schaefer, a socialist politician venting his opinion on Amsterdam's housing policies in the seventies.
• "Fascisme is een sfeer die hangt in een zaal vol linkse mensen." (Fascism is the atmosphere in a room full of left wing people ) Godfried Bomans
• "Het zijn wel ónze kut-Marokkanen." (But they are our fucking Moroccans) Job Cohen, mayor of Amsterdam, rephrasing Rob Oudkerk, an alderman in that city
• "Laten wij blij zijn! (...) Die VOC-mentaliteit om over grenzen heen te kijken is weer terug! Dynamiek! Toch?" (Let us rejoice! (...) The spirit to look beyond borders the East India Company embodied is back! Dynamics! Isn't it?) – Jan Peter Balkenende, prime minister of the Netherlands, during the 2007 budget debate in Parliament.
• "Gaat u maar rustig slapen." (Just go to sleep peacefully) – According to popular belief, prime minister Hendrikus Colijn said these words in a radio speech on the eve on the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940. In reality, Colijn was not prime minister anymore by then. The phrase refers to a radio speech by Colijn in March 1936 in which he reacted on the remilitarization of the Rhineland. In this speech Colijn said: Ik verzoek den luisteraars dan ook om, wanneer zij straks hunne legersteden opzoeken, even rustig te gaan slapen als zij ook andere nachten doen. Er is voorshands geen enkele reden om ongerust te zijn. (That is why I would like to ask the listeners to sleep as tranquilly as they do on other nights, when they turn into their beds shortly. For the moment there is no reason whatsoever to be alarmed)
• "Willen we naar de Dam? Dan gáán we naar de Dam!" (If we want to [march to] Dam Square? Then we will!) – trade union leader Herman Bode during a trade union manifestation on 4 March 1980.
• "Mevrouwtje, ga lekker naar huis, koken, veel beter" ("Little lady, just go home, do the cooking. Much better.") – Pim Fortuyn, telling well-known reporter Wouke van Scherrenburg to stop asking him about being a "bad loser for refusing to answer" the night before his father's funeral.

New Zealand

• "[I am forced reluctantly to say that I had to listen to] an orchestrated litany of lies.", Justice Peter Mahon, accusing Air New Zealand of a cover-up after the crash of Air New Zealand Flight 901
• "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 arguing that "Nuclear Weapons Are Morally Indefensible", in reply to a negating debater on 1 March 1985.
• "Gone by lunchtime", attributed to opposition leader Don Brash referring to New Zealand's anti-nuclear policy if he gained government.
• "I think most New Zealanders...", often used by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key in interview situations.
• "Wombat." Former New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange when asked by a journalist "Prime Minister, I wonder if we might have a brief word about Australia"

Norway

• "Eg er djupt såra og vonbroten" (I am deeply hurt and disappointed) – Kjell Bondevik during a televised speech in 1971 explaining the failure of negotiating a coalition government. This catch phrase is often quoted, even by people not usually writing in nynorsk, to express deep disappointment.
• "Aldri mer 9. april" (Never again 9 April), referring to the German invasion in 1940. Often invoked by supporters of increased defense spending during the post-war years.
• "sauer er ålreite dyr" (sheep are all right animals) – Communist party candidate Liv Finstad in 1983 explaining why her party wanted increase in sheep farming. Now quoted as example of ridiculous explanations of policy outside your field of expertise, or a funny answer to interview questions on topics the candidate doesn't have an informed answer.
• "Det norske hus" (The Norwegian house), a cliché coined by Torbjørn Jagland, now often referring to slogans regarded as vacuous rhetoric.
• "Me får finne oss i at synda er komen til jorda, men me vil ikkje ha ho i fargar" (We can accept that sin has arrived on Earth, but we don't want it in color), Einar Førde during the debate on introducing color television. Now quoted to ridicule puritanism.

Pakistan

• "Khuda ki Zamin pr Khuda k Nizam"(God system in God land).– Molana Fazlurehman, J.U.I(F) Qauid.
• "Roti, Kapra aur Makaan" (Bread, cloth & shelter) – Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto/Pakistan Peoples Party, former prime minister and president of Pakistan in the 70's.
• "Enlightened Moderation" – Pervez Musharraf, former Army Chief and President of Pakistan.
• "Sab se pehle Pakistan" (Pakistan First) – Pervez Musharraf, former Army Chief and President of Pakistan.
• "Parha Likha Punjab" (Educated/Literate Punjab) – Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, former Chief Minister of Punjab & co-president of Pakistan Muslim League (Q).
• "Qarz utaro, Mulk sanwaro" (Pay the debt, Develop the country) "Dekho Dekho Kon aya, Sher aya Sher aya" (The lion is here) – Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan & President of Pakistan Muslim League (N).
• "Democracy is the best revenge" – Benazir Bhutto/Pakistan Peoples Party, former prime minister of Pakistan.
• "We'll eat grass, but we'll make a nuclear bomb". -Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, in reference to Pakistan's nuclear programme
• "Hakumat hatao, mulk bachao" (Remove the government, save the country). – Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman.

Philippines

• "The Filipino is worth dying for." – Benigno Aquino, Jr., former Philippine senator and opposition leader against dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
• "Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan." (For the progress of the nation, what is needed is discipline.) – Ferdinand Marcos, former Philippine president.
• "I... am... sorry." – Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Philippine president, apologizes after a wiretapping controversy wherein she was allegedly found to have cheated in the 2004 presidential elections.
• "Binabalaan ko sila: walang kaibigan, walang kumpare, walang kamag-anak o anak na maaaring magsamantala sa ngayon. At ngayon pa lamang sinasabi ko sa inyo, nag-aaksaya lamang kayo ng panahon. Huwag ninyo akong subukan." (I am warning them: no friends, no best friends, no family members or children may take advantage now. And now, I am telling you, you are just wasting your time. Don't dare me.) – Joseph Ejercito-Estrada, former Philippine president in his 1998 inaugural address.
• "She has stolen the presidency, not once, but twice!" – Susan Roces, widow of defeated 2004 presidential candidate Fernando Poe, Jr.. Roces claimed that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had stolen the presidency twice: during the ousting of Joseph Estrada in 2001, and during the 2004 elections, where Arroyo had allegedly cheated Poe of the presidency.
• "I will jump headfirst from a helicopter in Luneta if Estrada gets removed from power." – Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Philippine senator, on the impending ouster against Joseph Estrada in 2001.
• "I lied!" – Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Philippine senator, after Joseph Estrada was kicked from the presidency in 2001. Santiago recanted her promise of jumping headfirst from a helicopter in the event that Estrada is removed from power.
• "Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap" (If there are no corruption, there are no poverty) – used by Benigno Aquino III during the 2010 presidential campaign.
• "Kayo ang boss ko, kaya't hindi maaaring hindi ako makinig sa mga utos ninyo!" (You are my boss, so I can never ignore your orders!) – Benigno Aquino III, incumbent President of the Philippines and son of democracy icons Benigno Aquino, Jr. and former President Corazon Aquino, to the half-a-million people who witnessed his inauguration at the Quirino Grandstand, Manila on 30 June 2010.

Poland

• "Spieprzaj dziadu!" ("Piss off, old man!") Polish President Lech Kaczyński – said to a man on the street during the 2002 Warsaw mayoral campaign.
• "Żeby nie było niczego" ("So that there wouldn't be anything") Polish candidate for mayor of Białystok Krzysztof Kononowicz.
• "Nie pierwszy raz staje mi... przychodzi mi stawać przed Izbą" (this mistake came from the wrong usage of the passive voice, creating a colloquial sentence. The only possible translation of that phrase is: "It's not the first time when I get a hard-on... I get to speak in the Parliament.") by Polish member of parliament Józef Zych. He was awarded Silver Mouth 2005 prize as a result of this gaffe.

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.
• "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 experts telling him that Lisbon's new international airport shouldn't be built south of the Tagus River. Later that location was actually chosen to build the airport.
• "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 crisis, 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 economic crisis.
• "Eu nunca me engano e raramente tenho dúvidas." (I'm never wrong and rarely I have doubts.) – Aníbal Cavaco Silva, current President of Portugal, but said when he was Prime Minister.
• "Olhe que não, doutor, olhe que não!" (We do not, we do not!) – answer from Álvaro Cunhal, secretary-general of the Communist Party, to Mário Soares, secretary-general of the Portuguese Socialist Party, in 1975, after the latter accused him in a television debate of wanting a dictatorship for Portugal.

Roman Empire

• Alea iacta est ("The die is cast"), attributed by Suetonius to Julius Caesar on 10 January 49 BC as he led his army across the River Rubicon in northern Italy
• "Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam" ("Furthermore, I think Carthage must be destroyed"), Cato the Elder about one of Rome's rivals

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.
• "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.
• "Să trăiţi bine" (May you live well.) the political catchphrase of president Traian Băsescu.
• "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.

Russia

• "Мы вам покажем кузькину мать!" (We shall show you Kuzka's mother!) – Nikita Khrushchev used this expression in public when addressing Richard Nixon in 1959 during a discussion about communism vs. capitalism.
• "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.
• "…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. But, pardon me, if we catch them in a bathroom, then we'll just have to dip them in the crapper [literally; colloquial meaning is "kill them in the toilet"].) Vladimir Putin at a press conference in Astana 24 September 1999.
• "Хотели как лучше, а получилось как всегда" (Wanted to do good, result: the usual.) Prime Minister of Russia (1992–1998) Viktor Chernomyrdin at a press conference 6 August 1993 on currency reform.
• "Одна смерть – трагедия, миллион смертей – статистика." (One death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic.) Popular quotation from Joseph Stalin.
• "Мы будем уничтожать наше ядерное оружие вместе с Америкой." В.С.Черномырдин (We will be destroying our nuclear weapons and America too), Viktor Chernomyrdin, Prime Minister of Russia (1992–1998). He intended to mean "jointly with the Americans", not the potential 'killing two birds with one stone' misinterpretation.

Spain

Monarchy

• "La reina y yo..." ("The Queen and I...") are the first words of King Juan Carlos' traditional annual Christmas Speech.
• "¿Por qué no te callas?" ("Why don't you shut up?"), said by King Juan Carlos to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez at the 17th Ibero-American Summit.

Prime Ministers

• "Puedo prometer y prometo" ("I can promise, and I promise...") The classic catchphrase of Adolfo Suárez, said in the first post-Franco general elections in Spain, in 1978.
• "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.
• "Por consiguiente..." ("Consequently...") The most famous catchphrase of Felipe González, used in all his speeches several times.
• "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.
• "Váyase, Sr. González" (Get out, Mr. González) said by José María Aznar to Felipe González in 1996 general elections.
• "El poder no me va a cambiar" ("Power won't change me") said by Prime Minister Zapatero in the 2004 general elections.

MPs

• ¡Manda Huevos! – Federico Trillo, former Minister of Defense and President of the Congress of Deputies

Others

• "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.
• "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.
• "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.
• ´"En el día de hoy..." said by Francisco Franco at the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) end

Sweden

• "Vår beredskap är god" (Our [state of] readiness is good), said by Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson on 27 August 1939 on national Swedish radio about the readiness state of the Swedish armed forces. In hindsight, Sweden could not have defended itself against a German invasion, partly because Hansson had led a major disarmament campaign since the 1920s. Nowadays, it is used as a derogatory term describing a statement which is obviously false but intended to keep people calmed down.
• "Gärna medalj, men först en rejäl pension" (A medal is fine, but proper retirement pay is first priority), slogan for the Social Democrats in the 1958 general election. The medal referred to is the "För nit och redlighet i rikets tjänst" which is usually given as a retirement award, military and civil service alike, for more the 30 years of long and faithful government employment.
• "Nån jävla ordning får det vara i ett parti" (There must be some damn order in a party), uttered by C.-H. Hermansson, leader of the Communist Party (present-day Left Party) at a party convention 1969.
• "Att vara liberal är att vara kluven" (Being 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 children, the elderly and the disabled]) The focus areas for the Social Democrats during the 2002 general election.
• "Att ställa krav är att bry sig" (Demanding is caring [about people]), catch phrase for the Liberal Party during the 2002 general election.
• "Alla ska med" (Everyone [in society] must be on board) The Social Democrats' catchphrase during the 2006 general election.
• "Det måste löna sig att arbeta" (It must pay to work) The core message of Alliance for Sweden's labour market policy during and after the 2006 general election.
• "Om man är socialdemokrat, då tycker man att det är häftigt att betala skatt. För mig är skatt det finaste uttrycket för vad politik är." (If you're a Social Democrat, you think it's cool to pay taxes. To me, taxes are the most beautiful expression of what politics is about.", said by Mona Sahlin in an interview on SVT, in 1994. Often shortened to "Det är häftigt att betala skatt." The phrase was quoted by Anders Borg, in 2011.

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.

Tanzania

• "Panya kwao darini hata kama kuna giza!" (No place like home!) The phrase Rodrick Mashayo chose to convince his family to join him back home.

• "I think some people become leaders by mistake" Said by Edwin Mashayo when was disappointed by malicious acts of some leaders.

Turkey

• "Dün dündür, bugün bugündür" (Yesterday was yesterday, today is today) by Süleyman Demirel
• "Yollar yürümekle aşınmaz!" (Roads won't wear by walking) by Süleyman Demirel
• "Verdimse ben verdim." (If it was given by me, I gave it) by Süleyman Demirel
• "Ege bir Yunan gölü değildir. Ege bir Türk gölü de değildir. Aslında Ege, göl değildir. (Aegean is not a Greek Lake. Aegean is not a Turkish Lake. In fact, Aegean is not a Lake.) by Süleyman Demirel
• "Durmak yok, yola devam." (Don't stop, keep moving.) by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
• "Hayaldi gerçek oldu." (It was a dream, but now realized) by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Ukraine

• "Любі друзі..." (Dear friends) phrase often used in speeches by Viktor Yushchenko, 3rd president of Ukraine.
• "Я верю, что сильных и здоровых людей намного больше, чем этих козлов, которые мешают нам жить!" (I believe that there are more strong and healthy people, than these bastards, which are disturbing us) by Viktor Yanukovich, 4rth Ukrainian president (2004, during president election campaign, about those, who were supporting his opponents)
• "Працював, очолював підприємства. І от уже 10 років як став чиновником і, так сказати, вліз у дєрьмо" (I was working, leading enterprise. 10 years ago I became a bureaucrat and I stepped in the shit), by Viktor Yanukovich, 4th Ukrainian president (2004, during president election campaign, during the meeting in Zhytomyr region)
• "А чего эти дебилы не расходятся?" (Why won't these morons leave already?) by Viktor Yanukovich, 4rth Ukrainian president (December 2009, after the meeting about people, who came on meeting. Vasylkiv, Kiev region)

United Kingdom

• "Keep Calm and Carry On", propaganda poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of the Second World War
• "I believe it is peace for our time." Neville Chamberlain's appraisal of appeasement of Hitler in 1938.
• "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" Winston Churchill
• "We shall fight on the beaches" Winston Churchill
• "Most of our people have never had it so good" (popularly misquoted as "You've never had it so good!") Harold Macmillan
• "A week is a long time in politics" Harold Wilson describing a political turn around.
• "I know what's going on. I'm going on" Harold Wilson at the 1969 May Day Rally following political gossip and unattributed reports that his leadership of the Labour Party would be challenged (The Times, 5 May 1969, p. 1)
• "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
• "Crisis? What crisis?" incorrectly attributed to James Callaghan by The Sun newspaper
• "You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning." Margaret Thatcher
• "But in which direction was she sailing at the time" Tam Dalyell (re the sinking of the General Belgrano)
• "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." – Samuel Johnson.
• "Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" Tony Blair though authorship was reputedly that of Gordon Brown
• "She was the People's Princess" Tony Blair, on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales
• "I think that everybody really will concede that on this, of all days, I should begin my speech with the words 'My husband and I" Queen Elizabeth II on her Silver Wedding anniversary

United States

• "Yes, we can" used by Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.
• "Mission Accomplished" Banner displayed by the USS Abraham Lincoln during a speech by George W. Bush on May 1, 2003, referring to the Iraq War.
• "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. Bush raised taxes later in his presidency.
• "Oh, the vision thing", said by George H. W. Bush, responding to concerns that his campaign lacked a unifying theme.
• "I'm the decider", said by George W. Bush about the fate of United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in April 2006.
• "They misunderestimated me." Said by George W. Bush – Bentonville, Ark., 6 November 2000
• Fuzzy math, initiated by George W. Bush, and used often by others since
• "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.
• "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is." Said by Bill Clinton during testimony regarding his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
• "I didn't inhale", said by Bill Clinton.
• "It's the economy, stupid" was a phrase in American politics widely used during Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaign against George H.W. Bush. Widely attributed to Clinton advisor James Carville.
• "I took the initiative in creating the Internet." said by Al Gore during a 1999 CNN interview, and often misquoted as "I invented the internet."
• "We are all republicans – we are all federalists", Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural.
• "Ich bin ein Berliner", said by John F. Kennedy in West Berlin.
• "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country", part of the Inaugural address of John F. Kennedy.
• "Four score and seven years ago...", Opening of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
• "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. The phrase was derived from a popular television ad for Wendy's hamburgers.
• "Show me the spot", Abraham Lincoln challenging the alleged incident of invasion by Mexico and loss of life that precipitated the Mexican American War.
• "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.")
• "When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal." Said by Richard Nixon during the Frost/Nixon interviews, about his alleged participation in the Watergate scandal cover-up.
• "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
• "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.
• "I'm Ross, and you're the Boss", said by Ross Perot during the 1992 presidential election.
• "That Giant sucking sound", said by Ross Perot in 1992 with regards to American jobs going to Mexico if the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) were 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".
• "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem", said by Ronald Reagan.
• "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall", said by Ronald Reagan.
• "Mistakes were made", said by Ronald Reagan and many others, including George W. Bush.
• "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 quotation was also borrowed by Sarah Palin during the 2008 Vice Presidential Debate against Joe Biden.
• "I don't want to exploit...my opponent's youth and inexperience", said by Ronald Reagan in the second debate with Walter Mondale, defusing the age issue.
• "The rent is too damn high", a quotation and political platform of Jimmy McMillan in the 2010 New York governor's race
• "Are you better off than you were four years ago?", question posed by Ronald Reagan at the end of his debate with Jimmy Carter in 1980.
• "It's morning again in America": Ronald Reagan, 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.
• "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Franklin D. Roosevelt
• "I shall return." U.S. General Douglas MacArthur after leaving the Philippines
• "It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes." said by Senator Ted Stevens, describing the Internet.
• "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." Senator Lloyd Bentsen to Senator Dan Quayle in the 1988 Vice Presidential debates.
• "I like Ike" Famous campaign slogan for President Dwight D. Eisenhower
• "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.
• "Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy." said by President Franklin D. Roosevelt after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
• "Vast right-wing conspiracy", used by Hillary Clinton in 1998 in defense of husband President Bill Clinton in reference to the Lewinsky scandal.
• "The buck stops here." – Harry Truman
• "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" – Joseph N. Welch
• "Trust, but verify", used by Ronald Reagan when discussing relations with the Soviet Union.

Vatican

• "Stupidity is also a gift of God, but one mustn't misuse it". Pope John Paul II.

Venezuela

• "Moral y Luces serán nuestras primeras necesidades" ("Moral and Light will be our first needs"; by Simón Bolívar)
• "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 Juan Carlos of Spain 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 4 February 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 Chávez after his proposal for constitutional reform was rejected by the Venezuelan people.
• "Sembrar el petróleo" ("sowing 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)