Get QuoteDark Inspirational Quotes App

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

George Papandreou

Related Quotes:

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

George Papandreou

" 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

" Greece has great strengths, but much of this potential has been wasted. That's because of a wider political system, but also because of a lack of an institutional framework. "

George Papandreou

" When I was growing up in the United States and Sweden, I never thought about becoming a politician. "

George Papandreou

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

George Papandreou

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

George Papandreou

" It is important that the Greek people make decisions on important developments. "

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

" 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

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

George Papandreou

" If we were the problem, it would be very convenient - kick Greece out, everything's fine. What would happen to Spain, what about Portugal, what about Italy, what about the whole of the euro zone? We need more cooperation and less simplification and prejudice. "

George Papandreou

" We have a rise of extremism because we need to give a sense that we are targeting some of the deeper problems in Greece, the injustices. "

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

" 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

" The more there is a European solution to a theoretical, but possible, problem in the markets, the less we will have to talk about an I.M.F. solution. "

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

" We in Europe have great capacities. "

George Papandreou

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

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

" I think there is a heritage which I'm proud of, which is a fight for democracy, a fight for social justice, a fight for freedom. My grandfather went to jail or exile six times in his life, fighting for his principles for democracy, or for his country. And my father twice. "

George Papandreou

" There are certain moments in the history of a nation when the choices made define the decades to come. "

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

" 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

" As long as I feel I am doing what I think is right and just for my country, for the Greek people, that is enough for me. Saving Greece from this crisis was the first thing on the agenda. We are now on a much more normalised road. "

George Papandreou

" Greece's history in the drachma was an up-and-down history, a roller coaster. "

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

" How can a parliamentarian or a leader in a country say, on the one hand, that we're going to support Greece but at the same time say that Greeks are lazy? "

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

" 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

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

George Papandreou