We campaigned on the fact that we were going to have to take difficult decisions because of the state of the public finances. When we got into government we discovered that actually the public finances were in an even worse state than we thought.

We need religion as a guide. We need it because we are imperfect. Our government needs the church because only those humble enough to admit they are sinners can bring to democracy the tolerance it requires in order to survive.

I stand before you today because this vision of government as the engine of opportunity is what I believe in.

This is a country for of and by the people not for of and by the government. If we turn it over to them we cannot complain about what they're doing because this is a natural course of men and we have to hold their feet to the fire.

Health care is one-sixth of our economy. If the government can control that they can control just about everything. We need to understand what is going on because there are much more economic models that can be used to give us good health care than what we have now.

Taxes are like abortion and not just because both are grotesque procedures supported by Democrats. You're for them or against them. Taxes go up or down government raises taxes or lowers them. But Democrats will not let the words 'abortion' or 'tax hikes' pass their lips.

Government is force pure and simple. There's no way to sugar-coat that. And because government is force it will attract the worst elements of society - people who want to use government to avoid having to earn their living and to avoid having to persuade others to accept their ideas voluntarily.

What the Founding Fathers created in the Constitution is the most magnificent government on the face of the Earth and the reason is this: because it was intended to preserve the American society and the American spirit not to transform it or destroy it.

The truth is in California you can't build a new manufacturing facility and businesses are leaving in droves because of bad government policy.

The government can only be brought down because it alienates several parties in the House.

The Republican form of government is the highest form of government: but because of this it requires the highest type of human nature a type nowhere at present existing.

I think the country's getting disgusted with Washington partly because of the decline of civility in government.

I don't believe you can find any evidence of the fact that I have changed government policy solely because of a contribution.

Who can be against progress after all? But it's a fraudulent use of the word - because for the Progressive progress is marked not be how free you are but how much government can 'do' for you.

It is unfortunate that Americans are no longer aware of what the constitution says and what their rights are. Because of that we are often very passive about what happens when the government violates those rights.

I am often asked if when I was secretary I had problems with foreign men. That is not who I had problems with because I arrived in a very large plane that said United States of America. I had more problems with the men in our own government.

I pinch myself because of the understanding that I've been blessed with a real rare opportunity that few Americans ever get - to serve their government and their people at this level.

As someone who worked hard for a Labour victory in the 90s do I regret it? Not really. It was bound to happen. And it'll happen with the next government and the one after it. Because all governments serve us. They serve the filth.

I can't really criticize the Tea Party people because I came into the White House pretty much on the same basis that they have become popular. That is dissatisfaction with the way things are going in Washington and disillusionment and disencouragement about the government.

President Obama's reckless defense cuts that are hanging over our cloud hanging over the horizon could put almost 44 000 jobs at stake right here in Pennsylvania. we are not going to let that happen. You know why? Because No. 1 national defense is the first priority of the federal government.

I've got the greatest job in the world. There's no other job in government where cause and effect is so tightly coupled where you can make a difference every day in so many different ways and in so many different people's lives. It's a great challenge.

I mean just because you're a musician doesn't mean all your ideas are about music. So every once in a while I get an idea about plumbing I get an idea about city government and they come the way they come.

Liberal Democrats are inexorably opposed to tax cuts because tax cuts give people more power and take away from the role of government.

The new rage is to say that the government is the cause of all our problems and if only we had no government we'd have no problems. I can tell you that contradicts evidence history and common sense.