Transparency is not about restoring trust in institutions. Transparency is the politics of managing mistrust.

Democracy is the only game in town. The problem is [when] people start to believe that it is not a game worth playing.

Bulgaria has been deindustrialized by interest groups who extracted state assets like oil states extract the oil in their ground.

The Church of TED is very optimistic. Bulgarians are some of the most pessimistic in the world. There are the Happy, the Unhappy and the Bulgarians.

Authoritarianism is not pretending anymore to be a real alternative to democracy, but we can see many more authoritarian practices and styles basically being smuggled into democratic governments.

As a rule, governments monitor people.

[It's] difficult to engage people in politics when they believe that what really matters is where they personally stand.

Russians clearly perceive America's global influence as being in irreversible decline and American society shattered by major political, economic and ideological crises.

This funny thing we call love, how simple it may seem. To say it is sometimes enough but to feel it is a dream.

Many people plan financially for retirement—but not spiritually and emotionally.

The kid is scary.

If you were given one wish, what would you wish for? To wish no more.

I sang for my family. And I think probably the first time I sang and got paid for it, I was about 6 or 7.

If more than 10% of the people like a painting, you can be sure it's bad.

This combat between proletariat and plutocracy is, after all, itself a civil war. Two inferiorities struggle for the privilege of polluting the world.

Whatever has made, or does make, or may make music, should be held sacred as the golden bridle-bit of the Shah of Persia's horse,and the golden hammer, with which his hoofs are shod.

I made her the queen of my double wide trailer with the polyester curtains and redwood deck.

A TV show is constant work, which is the great thing about it.