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" I never thought of politics as a profession. "

George Papandreou

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" First of all, Greece won't go down. We're talking about a country that is capable of making change. Europe will not allow the destabilization of the 27-country euro zone. But if there were no action, then markets would start becoming jittery about other countries - and not only Spain and Portugal, but other countries in the European Union. "

George Papandreou

" Politics also means educating people. It's important to speak openly with our fellow Greeks, to tell them what our problems are and that we have to change something. "

George Papandreou

" You can theorise about the options you have but in reality they are very specific. "

George Papandreou

" The fact that we're going through a crisis is an opportunity for Europe to be more coordinated and more integrated. We're actually talking about a European Monetary Fund or euro bonds, about guarantees for countries, about economic governance in the European Union. That shows the strength of Europe. "

George Papandreou

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

George Papandreou

" We are a country with great potential. We have the political will to make deep changes in a just and equitable way, to put our country back on a development path, to meet the challenges of a new world. "

George Papandreou

" The structures in Europe in a globalising economy need to be modernised, need to be more integrated, need to be stronger. "

George Papandreou

" I will always be upfront with the Greek people, so we can solve the country's problems together. "

George Papandreou

" I have been supporting the European Union, but we are still a work in progress. We have to become more of a United States of Europe. We should talk about electing a president of the E.U., rather than having one selected from the heads of government. "

George Papandreou

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

George Papandreou

" Many people have been pontificating, and patronizing, and moralizing, and scapegoating, saying you Greeks, you are the problem. I would say we Greeks have a problem. We are not the problem. "

George Papandreou

" The unemployed in Greece can get a voucher and choose a training program somewhere in Europe to be retrained during this crisis and when this crisis is over, we make sure that that person hasn't fallen off the cliff and can come back into the labor market with new skills to find a job. "

George Papandreou

" In ancient Greece, politics and the market were not decoupled. "

George Papandreou

" Very often, people will come out and say, 'Greeks aren't doing things, Greeks aren't making changes, there's no reform,' That is hogwash. We have made a huge effort. The Greek people have made a huge effort. "

George Papandreou

" I am proud of being a Greek of the diaspora. "

George Papandreou

" Everyone needs to carry out his own personal revolution. "

George Papandreou

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

George Papandreou

" Countries are not like financial markets. Social change cannot be executed as swiftly as credit-default swaps. You cannot sell short on social commitments and practical responsibilities. "

George Papandreou

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

George Papandreou

" We in Europe have great capacities. "

George Papandreou

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

George Papandreou

" Europe is a strong market for the U.S. If it has problems, if there's a lack of consumer confidence, if there's a deeper recession, this will deeply affect jobs in the U.S. "

George Papandreou

" Unfortunately, corruption is widespread in government agencies and public enterprises. Our political system promotes nepotism and wasting money. This has undermined our legal system and confidence in the functioning of the state. One of the consequences is that many citizens don't pay their taxes. "

George Papandreou

" Europe has a lot of strength. We need to pool that strength, and I am very much in favour of that - more of a deeper political union. "

George Papandreou

" The Marshall Plan was after destruction, and the U.S. came to our help and obviously this was very, very important for the future of Europe. I think now we have all the capabilities of doing it on our own and, in a sense, we have to. "

George Papandreou

" I would like to see Greece as a case study, an opportunity for Europe to strengthen its coordination of fiscal policy. "

George Papandreou

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

George Papandreou

" If we were going to default, we would have decided that many months ago. It would be wrong for the Greek economy, it would be wrong for the European economy, it would make things worse in the end. That's why we're taking the pain and making these structural reforms, and we're on target. "

George Papandreou

" The Greek people do not want to exit the euro. And I believe the Greek people already have shown that they have made major sacrifices to stay in the euro zone. "

George Papandreou

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

George Papandreou