Vladimir Putin

Russia needs a strong state power and must have it. But I am not calling for totalitarianism.

I believe that the presidential term should be limited.

My notion of the KGB came from romantic spy stories. I was a pure and utterly successful product of Soviet patriotic education.

Primarily the United States has overstepped its national borders, and in every area.

If you aspire to be a leader of your own country, you must speak your own language, for God’s sake.

Our soldiers are there (in Syria) in order to secure Russia’s interests in this critically important part of the world, which is so near to us. And they will stay there, for as long as it is in Russia’s interest for them to do so.

I think: the powers like to talk about ‘freedom’ in order to wash the population’s brains.

Marx analysed what was happening in a quite brilliant way, if we are investing in infrastructure then we the public should get the benefit of it.

A reporter’s ability to keep the bond of confidentiality often enables him to learn the hidden or secret aspects of government.

I’m the most successful person ever to run for the presidency, by far. Nobody’s ever been more successful than me. I’m the most successful person ever to run. Ross Perot isn’t successful like me. Romney – I have a Gucci store that’s worth more than Romney.

With regards to big business, I spoke about this a few years ago at one of the public meetings with our business leaders. I warned them that this situation, which we see today, could develop. I warned them about this and recommended at the time that our business keeps its capital in Russia.

I love the Russian classics very much, the Russian classical literature. But I also read modern literature. As far as Russian literature is concerned, I am very fond of Tolstoy and Chekhov, and I also enjoy reading Gogol very much.

There should be competition and exchanges between different countries, but there are certainly certain universal values, and that is freedom and democracy.

You could imagine that a democratic society would have an organization that carries out intelligence gathering functions. But that’s a very minor part of what the CIA does.

I want every individual who has the potential and qualifications to succeed in higher education to be given the opportunity to participate, whatever their family background.

Jesus was the first socialist, the first to seek a better life for mankind.

Protest actions and propaganda are two slightly different things.

Instead of citizens, it produces consumers. Instead of communities, it produces shopping malls. The net result is an atomized society of disengaged individuals who feel demoralized and socially powerless.

Homelessness in the UK is wholly unnescessary.

I seemed to be in a minority on every subject. Every argument that came up, every debate that came up, I was in a minority of one usually, sometimes two. That was quite character forming.

Nothing will bring American sympathy along with us so much as American blood shed in the field.