* “The era of strategic patience is over. Some people say my rhetoric is very strong, but look what has happened with very weak rhetoric in the last 25 years.”–President Donald Trump.
* “It’s a lot different than being CEO of Exxon, because I was the ultimate decision maker.”–Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
* “North Korea is no longer a communist country. Every state entity has been deputized to make money.”–Justin Hastings, author of “A Most Enterprising Country.”
* “Drug trafficking is not this violent in other countries. It makes me desperate, because this violence, it’s increasing.”–Guillermo Valdes, former leader of Mexico’s civil national security intelligence service (CISEN). Last year there were more than 20,000 killings in Mexico; this year looms worse.
* “Mexico is one of the riskiest cities in the world to do journalism.”– Paul F. Lagunes, assistant professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University.
* “They had pretty good R.O.I.”–Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, using an acronym for return on investment regarding Moscow’s role in last year’s presidential election.
* “Whether we’re talking about unprecedented heat waves, increasingly destructive hurricanes, epic drought and inundation of our coastal cities, the impacts of climate change are no longer subtle. They are upon us. That’s the consensus of our best scientists, as laid bare by this latest report. … (It) confirms what we already knew.”–Michael E. Mann, professor of atmospheric science at Pennsylvania State University, referencing the congressionally mandated, quadrennial National Climate Assessment.
* “For 40 years after the fall of Richard Nixon, it was easy to proclaim that character mattered and still pull the lever for a Republican. In 2016, however, a commitment to virtue became costly. In the battle between virtue and politics, virtue lost, and it’s still losing.”–David French, National Review.
* “I don’t think you get it. … What we’re talking about is the beginning of cyberwarfare.”–Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, in addressing technology companies’ lawyers for not doing more to thwart Russian disinformation.
* “Mr. Trump has ushered in a fresh era of noxious manhood wherein bullying is conflated with toughness and self-interest is more important than self-respect.”–Jill Filipovic, author of “The H Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness.”
* “Facebook needs to replace its focus on engagement quantity with interaction quality.”–Ellen Pao, former chief executive of Reddit.
* “As a nonprofit or public benefit corporation, Facebook could be a much better institution. It could shed its ‘two masters’ dilemma, truly pursue its lofty goals and become a firm of which its users and the world could actually be proud.”–Tim Wu, Columbia Law School and author of “The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads.”
* “I think the term ‘fake news’ has done a lot of damage to the media. I don’t like to use the term myself because it’s not true.”–Judy Woodruff, “PBS NewsHour” anchor.
* It’s kind of like one of those hangovers you get in college that lasts for a few days. Unfortunately, for us, it’s going to last for a few years, at least.”–Matt Hirschy, interim executive director of Equality North Carolina, on the lingering effects of the since-repealed state law that had restricted restroom access for transgender people.
* “I’m pro people and pro business.”–Phillip Levine, Democratic mayor of Miami Beach, in announcing his candidacy for governor.
* “The bottom line is, you can legislate till the cows come in, but you can’t legislate ethics and morality in people.”–Republican state Sen. Jack Latvala of Clearwater.
* She left a lasting legacy. She could always be counted on to be that voice for honest and open government. She will always be known for her love of the outdoors and for protecting Tampa Bay.”–Former Mayor Pam Iorio, on the death of former Hillsborough County Commissioner Jan Platt.
* “Ultimately, what I would like to see happen if this occurs is that this becomes a place where people come early and stay late. It becomes more and more of a destination as opposed to the desolate area it is now.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on the proposed Rays ballpark site on the southern edge of Ybor City.
* “This wasn’t the 15 minutes of fame I was looking for. Nobody wants this on their resume.”–Interim Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan, on how the impact of his handling of the Seminole Heights murders and engagement with the community will affect his chances to become permanent chief.
* “We are not a feature film market. We are a commercial market, and it is a reality we need to accept.”–Tyler Martinolich, interim director of the Tampa Hillsborough Film and Digital Media Commission.
* “It kind of inspires you. … You just think, you want that to happen to you.”–Lightning coach Jon Cooper, on seeing the 2004 Stanley Cup championship team being honored at Amalie Arena.