“The main priority of the Socialist Party is education.”
January, 13th 2003
As Opposition Leader
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero: 41 quotes1 like
Famous José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero Quotes
“We are lucky that a crisis of this magnitude only comes around once every 80 years.”
In an interview with Spanish national television. <br class="br">As President, 2008 <br class="br">Source: Zapatero evita respaldar a De la Vega y asume que habrá crisis de Gobierno http://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/zapatero-de-la-vega-crisis-gobierno-tve-20100309.html
Presidential press release after ETA's 2006 ceasefire declaration, September 2006. <br class="br">Sources: Efe Agency, PSOE PSOE http://www.psoe.es/ambito/saladeprensa/news/index.do?id=89659&action=View and the general press. <br class="br">As President, 2006
“If we live together, together we must decide.”
Start of an speech in the Congress of Deputies against Ibarretxe's plan. February 1st, 2005
As President, 2005
“The photo is the most important thing.”
Interview with Mohamed VI in the headquarters of the UN, September 2010. <br class="br">As President, 2008 <br class="br">Source: http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/09/21/espana/1285022449.html
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero Quotes about people
[...]<br>"Peace is not a natural state of man, as the great pacifist Gandhi told us. But man can create it. If we have broken down walls that seemed unbreakable, we will not passively agree that more profound differences should their place." <br class="br">5th Dec. 2005 <br class="br">Sources: Transcripción completa del discurso en la web de la ONU http://www.spainun.org/pages/viewfull.cfm?ElementID=2229&print=1. Many extracts taken from the press, e.g. Cadena Ser http://www.cadenaser.com/espana/articulo/alegato-terrorismo-primera-reunion-alianza/csrcsrpor/20051127csrcsrnac_1/Tes. <br class="br">As President, 2005
To Hugo Chavez, who had accused Aznar of being a racist and a fascist in the 17th Iberoamerican Summit. <br class="br">As President, 2007 <br class="br">Source: El Mundo: El Rey se enfrenta a gritos con Chávez en defensa de Aznar: ¿Por qué no te callas? http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/11/10/internacional/1194711476.html (Spanish)
April 2005, regarding Juan José Ibarretxe's plan to propose a referendum regarding whether to approve his plan to reform the aunomomy of the Basque Country.
As President, 2005
Source: El Correo, Saturday 9th April 2005, p. 23
“In democracy, nobody is above anybody else apart from he who is elected by the people.”
24th Feb. 2008
As President, 2008
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero Quotes about time
As President, 2008 <br class="br">Source: Diciembre 2008. Prensa http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/439407/
"Ségolène represents personal energy, good spirits and optimism, the determination to preside, the vocation to get things done instead of talking about it; as we have done in Spain." <br class="br">"Today, the grandeur of a country is measured by the extent to which it defends and extends its citizens' rights through its impulse towards total equality, by its capacity to create energy that contributes towards cultural, social and economic growth. That is how a country becomes strong, by making its citizens more powerful." <br class="br">In a meeting of the French Socialist Party in Toulouse at the end of the electoral campaign for the first round of presidential voting, to help Ségolène Royal, 19th April 2007. <br class="br">As President, 2007 <br class="br">Source: La Rioja http://www.larioja.com/prensa/20070420/mundo/zapatero-apoya-segolene-ofrece_20070420.html (Spanish).
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero Quotes
“It's likely that the worst of the economic crisis is behind us.”
29th April 2009 <br class="br">Source: http://www.elmundo.es/mundodinero/2009/04/29/economia/1241010748.html <br class="br">As President, 2008
Oct. 2003, when Cristóbal Montoro, then Home Affairs Minister, announced that there was a surplus in the public purse. <br class="br">As Opposition Leader <br class="br">Source: El Mundo, Rodríguez Zapatero reprocha a Rajoy que no afronte el debate presupuestario como líder del PP http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2003/10/28/espana/1067356250.html (Spanish)
“I would like to admit the clear error I made in front of all Spanish citizens.”
January 2007, apologising for his announcement on 29th December 2006, "in a year things will be even better"/ <br class="br">As President, 2007 <br class="br">Source: El País: Minuto a minuto del debate sobre política antiterrorista en el Congreso http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Minuto/minuto/debate/politica/antiterrorista/Congreso/elpepuesp/20070115elpepunac_9/Tes (Spanish).
“The earth belongs to nobody except the wind.”
At the 15th Climate Change Summit, Copenhagen, 17th December 2009. <br class="br">Source: http://noticias.lainformacion.com/medio-ambiente/zapatero-desconcierta-a-todos-con-su-frase-sobre-la-tierra-y-el-viento_sEhELshTqdhjO0fz7EJwe2/ <br class="br">As President, 2008
“During the next legislature, we will aim for full employment in Spain.”
Debate on the State of the Nation, 3rd July 2007 <br class="br">As President, 2007 <br class="br">Source: http://www.cadenaser.com/economia/audios/prometio-zapatero-llegar-pleno-empleo/csrcsrpor/20090127csrcsreco_2/Aes/
In reference to the ETA bombing at Madrid airport, El Confidencial http://www.elconfidencial.com/noticias/noticia.asp?id=20607 (Spanish). That same day, Zapatero said that calling the attack an 'accident' had been a slip of the tongue, but it was seized by the press and provoked anger, for example the slogan "Killing people is not an accident" used in the protests of March, 2007. <br class="br">As President, 2006
“Today things are better than a year ago. But within a year things will be even better.”
Presidential press release on 29th December 2006, one day before an ETA bomb attack at Madrid airport, resulting in 2 deaths. <br class="br">As President, 2006 <br class="br">Source: el Mundo http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2006/12/29/espana/1167368963.html.
“Gender equality is more successful than armed force”
Interview with "Time" Magazine, September 22th, 2004
As President, 2004
As President, 2007 <br class="br">Source: Entrevista http://www.elmundo.es/papel/2007/01/25/espana/2076551.html (Spanish), interview with Baltasar Garzón, 25th Jan 2007.
As President, 2008
“Discouraging smoking and drinking is a left ideal.”
3rd September 2005, in a meeting of the PSOE federal committee whilst tabling a motion to increase tax on alcohol and cigarettes to finance health spending. <br class="br">As President, 2005 <br class="br">Source: Psoe.es http://www.psoe.es/ambito/saladeprensa/docs/index.do?action=View&id=58918 (Spanish)
Meeting on the 14th August 2007 in Jerez, predicting another PSOE victory in the 2008 elections. <br class="br">Source: ABC http://www.abc.es/20070815/nacional-politica/zapatero-advierte-sera-firme_200708150245.html <br class="br">As President, 2007
“In my opinion, patriotism is liberty.”
6th October 2005, during a discussion on Catalan and Spanish nationalism and the inclusion of the term nation-state in the Statute of Catalonia. <br class="br">As President, 2005 <br class="br">Source: Libertad Digital: Zapatero, la patria-libertad, el españolismo y la "fórmula" para la nación catalana http://www.libertaddigital.com/index.php?action=desanoti&cpn=1276262390 (Spanish)
Speech in the French National Assembly. March, 2005
As President, 2005
"The transition to democracy was based on a base of harmony and little remembrance." (It was good that the Transition) "[...] was like that, because at the time the wounds were still open. That problem affected an entire generation of Spaniards. However, the generation that I come from is drawn to politics in a context of democracy and liberty, and now it's only fair that the sacrifices that many people made are recognised and that people know exactly what happened to their relatives, because it's their right [...] this right doesn't involve looking back with a grudge, but completely the opposite: it means looking back with serenity, to find out the truth [...] it means building a stronger country, a country that can look at all of its citizens with absolute serenity, so that they feel recognised in our project of contemporary democracy".
Interview in 2005 in the book "Zapatero and the Citizens' World" by Calamai and Garzia.
As President, 2005
11th Sept. 2007, during a speech by the PSOE in the Congress of Deputies. <br class="br">As President, 2007 <br class="br">Source: Zapatero: "El Gobierno ha situado a España en la Champions League de las economías del mundo" Cadena SER http://www.cadenaser.com/espana/articulo/zapatero-gobierno-ha-situado-espana/csrcsrpor/20070911csrcsrnac_5/Tes.
Dinner speech at which Zapatero was the guest of honour, hosted by Felipe Calderón in the National Palace, Mexico City. <br class="br">As President, 2007 <br class="br">Source: Transcripción oficial en la web de la Presidencia de México http://www.presidencia.gob.mx/prensa/discursos/?contenido=31030
Meeting in the Vistalegre Palace, Madrid, 23rd April 2007. <br class="br">As President, 2007 <br class="br">Source: Nota de prensa Zapatero: "Responderemos a cada insulto con una propuesta, a cada descalificación con una idea" en la web oficial del PSOE http://www.psoe.es/ambito/alcaladehenares/news/index.do?action=View&id=133350, Ya: Zapatero al PSOE: "A cada insulto, una propuesta, a cada descalificación, una idea y a cada exageración una sonrisa" http://noticias.ya.com/espana/22/04/2007/zapatero-psoe-mitin.html
“I'm going to give you a peaceful Basque Country”
To Eduardo Madina, after an ETA assasination attempt
As Opposition Leader
Said to the presenter of 'Cuatro', Iñaki Gabilondo, at the end of an interview, and referring to the 2008 general election. His words were captured by microphones when Zapatero presumed that he was no longer on air. <br class="br">As President, 2008 <br class="br">Source: "A partir de este fin de semana, voy a dramatizar un poco" http://www.publico.es/048875/a/partir/semana/dramatizar/poco:
Congress of Deputies, 1st May 2006
As President, 2006
“I am highly at ease and calm because we have a fairly republican king.”
"For me, a republican is someone who defends public institutions and democratic values, someone who is a defender of public life, someone who repsects the principles of liberty, so in that sense we are very calm and at ease." <br class="br">14th April 2005, during a commemoration to the Second Republic. <br class="br">Sources: ABC: Rajoy critica el «alarde intelectual» de Zapatero de llamar republicano al Rey http://www.abc.es/hemeroteca/historico-15-04-2005/abc/Nacional/rajoy-critica-el-alarde-intelectual-de-zapatero-de-llamar-republicano-al-rey_201845247092.html (Spanish), <br class="br">As President, 2005
“I don't want to be a great leader. I would rather be a good democrat.”
Interview with "Time" Magazine, September 19th, 2004 <br class="br">Font: Time: "I Don't Want To Be A Great Leader" http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901040927-699350,00.html http://es.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=Jos%C3%A9_Luis_Rodr%C3%ADguez_Zapatero&action=edit&section=3 <br class="br">As President, 2004
Closing remark to the Presidential debate with Mariano Rajoy in the 2008 election campaign.
As President, 2008
A slip of the tongue for Zapatero at a joint press conference with Dmitri Medvedev, saying 'follar', to fuck, instead of 'apoyar', to help. <br class="br">As President, 2008 <br class="br">Source: 20 Minutos: El lapsus de Zapatero: "Un acuerdo para estimular, para favorecer, 'para follar'..." http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/454254/0/lapsus/zapatero/follar/
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