Davos 2014: Top 10 quotes of the day

“All people from whatever religion in their essence desire dignity and detest extremism.”
Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Iran in the World

“We need a race to the top so we have policies and regulation to protect human rights, the environment and to reduce poverty.”
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, Oxfam International in Africa’s Next Billion

“Every time one person freely trades with another, wealth increases.”
Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of Australia in Australia’s Vision for the G20 

“Never again will this country be ruled without the consent of the people.”
Hazem El Beblawi, Interim Prime Minister of Egypt 

“Women get 77 cents on the dollar that men get for the same job.”
Penny Pritzker, United States Secretary of Commerce in The US Economic Outlook

“I believe that drugs have destroyed many people. But governmental policy has destroyed many more.
Kofi Annan Chairman, Kofi Annan Foundation, Secretary-General, United Nations (1997-2006) in The Drugs Dilemma: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business  

If you are an Iranian artist, you are political, whether you like it or not. Even if you paint flowers, it is political.
Shirin Neshat, Artist 

We need a reset in the way the economy grows around the world.
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund

The US, Europe and China are different in culture, systems and language. But differences aren’t the most important; cooperation is. We must work together
Wang Jianlin, Chairman, Dalian Wanda Group, People’s Republic of China, speaking in China, Europe, US: The Competition Challenge

“We’ve turned the corner in Europe – but we’re not out of the crisis with such high unemployment”
José Manuel Barroso. President, European Commission, Brussels in Closing Europe’s Competitiveness Gap