The pick of this week's quotes
Seán FitzPatrick deceived, when he was chief executive and chairman, his board, shareholders, general public and staff. – Joe Meade, the Financial Services Ombudsman, on reports of secret loans to the former chair of Anglo Irish Bank, which the Government has decided to nationalise.
I believe it was unprofessional and pusillanimous of Michael Dell, the Dell CEO, not to make the announcement in person himself in Limerick in front of his own staff. – Chris Horn of Iona Technologies on his blog, http://chrishornat.blogspot.com/
I have never said that. – Taoiseach Brian Cowen on reports that he had raised the spectre of IMF intervention with unions as the Government seeks to cut expenditure.
To both sides, I say: Just stop now . – Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary general, on the fighting in Gaza.
Waterboarding is torture. – Eric Holder, Barack Obama's nominee for US attorney general.
At the end of the day, there is democracy in Cuba . . . [Cuba] brings out the communist in me! – RTE broadcaster Tom McGuirk enthuses, 50 years after La Revolución.
If you are not convinced to fight, then open the way to those who are convinced. – Osama bin Laden urges Arabs to take up arms against Israel.
The people who did this to me don't want women to be educated. They want us to be stupid things. – Shamsia Husseini, an Afghan schoolgirl who returned to class nearly two months after being sprayed with acid by religious extremists.
Construction, but not demolition, of residential and commercial property will fall to zero for the foreseeable future. – UCD economist Morgan Kelly says that, in real terms, house prices could fall by 80 per cent by the time the downturn ends.
It's very difficult to say when demand comes back. – Analyst Daniel Berenbaum as Intel, Ireland's largest private employer, announces a 90 per cent drop in quarterly profits.