Know your enemy
"Human rights and democratisation are taught in each and every course ..." — A spokesperson for the US School of the Americas, infamous for training Latin American military officers who later become torturers and dictators.
Not an electrical one
"All of us at this stage are in a state of deep shock." — Wayne Gilbert, chief executive of Mercury Energy, after supposedly repaired cables in Auckland failed in testing.
Confident man
"I'm confident it's rort-proof, and I'm confident that every single member [of parliament] and senator will abide by the rules and that we will not see any transgressions in the future." — Senator Nick Minchin on the government's new rules for parliamentary travel allowances.
But only one can't be sacked
"Mistakes have been made, and we all share the responsibility." — Rupert Murdoch, after his HarperCollins book company was forced to apologise and pay £125,000 to former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten, whose book it first accepted but then rejected for fear of offending Chinese authorities.
Next, PM
"I'm vulgar. I'm a populist. But isn't that what the mayor should be?" — British writer Jeffrey Archer, planning to stand as Tory candidate for mayor of London.
Saddam's hiding them!
"... the UN technical mission, a survey team dispatched by [Secretary-General Kofi] Annan to Iraq, has failed to find any sumptuous palace complexes of the type described in florid terms by the media." — Sydney Morning Herald, March 11.
How to tell a communist
"We want to develop our country on a sustainable basis, but sometimes some of the NGOs come in and say you're violating environment rules, you're violating human rights, but usually things like this comes from communist individuals." — Bob Hasan, Indonesian timber tycoon and Suharto crony.
Belt tightening
"As a nation, we can no longer afford to lead an affluent life." — Indonesian President Suharto, whose family has accumulated as much as US$35 billion during his term of office.