Brussels Quotes:

After 30 years in Brussels, I can tell you: The relationship between the Commission and the Parliament has probably never been as good as it is now.

- Jean-Claude Juncker

source: Source: www.spiegel.de

topic: Years, Parliament, Brussels

Most people don't know how to tell stories.

- Ted Rall

topic: People, Stories, Sprouts, Brussel Sprouts, Brussels

Brussels is a gay little city that lies as bright within its girdle of woodland as any butterfly that rests upon moss.

- Ouida

source: Ouida (2016). “Bébée, or Two Little Wooden Shoes”, p.24, Ouida

topic: Lying, Butterfly, Gay, Girdles, Brussels

The heart of France lies between Brussels and Paris.

- Carl von Clausewitz

topic: War, Lying, Heart, Brussels

There was an Old Person of Brussels, Who lived upon Brandy and Mussels; When he rushed through the town, he knocked most people down, Which distressed all the people of Brussels.

- Edward Lear

source: Edward Lear (2001). “The Complete Verse and Other Nonsense”, Lane, Allen

topic: People, Alcohol, Towns, Old Person, Brandy

I can't think of anything I can't stand the taste of less than brussels sprouts.

- Michael Welch

source: Source: www.thestarscoop.com

topic: Thinking, Taste, Brussel Sprouts, Brussels

For many people, politics in Brussels and Strasbourg might as well be happening on another planet.

- Martin Schulz

topic: People, Might, Planets, Brussels

Brussels sprouts are misunderstood - probably because most people don't know how to cook them properly.

- Todd English

topic: People, Misunderstood, Brussel Sprouts, Brussels

If tomorrow morning Brussels should decide to let Turkey in, Italians wouldn't be free to oppose it, neither in Parliament nor through a referendum. A

- Matteo Salvini

topic: Morning, Turkeys, Tomorrow, Brussels

It’s a Belgian beer, sweetie. Please tell me you’ve at least heard of it. (Blaine) Boy, I was born in Brussels and the last time I checked, this was my new homeland, America, not my birthplace. So you can either order an American-made beer or I’ll bring you water and you can sit there and act all superior until you puke, okay? (Aimee)

- Sherrilyn Kenyon

topic: Beer, Boys, Order, Belgians, Birthplace

When will Labour learn that you cannot build Jerusalem in Brussels.

- Margaret Thatcher

source: Margaret Thatcher, Iain Dale (1997). “As I said to Denis--: the Margaret Thatcher book of quotations”, Robson Book Ltd

topic: Europe, Jerusalem, Britain, Brussels

Just come to Brussels after a Council meeting. Do you know what happens? Every head of government holds his or her own press conference. They all say the same thing, in 24 languages: I was able to push through my agenda. And if the result is anything other than what they desired, the message is: Brussels is to blame. It has been this way for over 20 years. These messages stick with people, and that's deadly for Europe.

- Martin Schulz

topic: Government, Years, Europe, Brussels

The brussels sprout. This is also the worst vegetable of next year.

- Steven Rubenstein

topic: Humorous, Years, Vegetables, Brussel Sprouts, Brussels

Everybody used to say going to restaurants... is like theater, there's stage sets, there's drama, there's play acting and you watch the show. And now, boy, everything's just become so serious. And you sit at the counter and the chef comes out and tells you what he did to the Brussels sprouts leaves and no, there's not a lot of dancing.

- Pete Wells

topic: Drama, Boys, Play, Sprouts, Brussel Sprouts

We kids feared many things in those days - werewolves, dentists, North Koreans, Sunday School - but they all paled in comparison with Brussels sprouts.

- Dave Barry

topic: School, Kids, Sunday, Sunday School, Brussel Sprouts

Countries are different. They make different choices. We cannot harmonise everything.

- David Cameron

source: David Cameron's Speech about his plans for a referendum on British membership of the European Union, www.theguardian.com. January 23, 2013.

topic: Country, Choices, Different, Different Choices, Brussels

The world likes humor, but it treats it patronizingly. It decorates its serious artists with laurel, and its wags with Brussels sprouts.

- E. B. White

source: E. B. WHITE (1954). “The SECOND TREE from the CORNER”

topic: Humor, Artist, World, Brussel Sprouts, Brussels

I think that the real tragedy of Greece - aside of the savagery of European bureaucracy, Brussels bureaucracy and northern banks, which was really savage - is that the Greek crisis didn't have to erupt. It could have been taken care of pretty easily at the very beginning. But it happened and Syriza came into office with a declared commitment to combat it, and in fact as I recall they actually called a referendum, which horrified Europe.

- Noam Chomsky

source: Source: pennpoliticalreview.org

topic: Real, Taken, Commitment, Brussels

At the time, Jean-Claude [Juncker] was already an important man in Brussels. I was a young representative in the European Parliament. We talked for a long time and from that point on, our connection became increasingly deep. But our working-class origins are at least as important to our bond.

- Martin Schulz

topic: Men, Class, Long, Brussels

I do not see the E.E.C. [European Economic Community] as a great love affair. It's more like nine middle aged couples with failing marriages meeting at a Brussels hotel for a group grope.

- Kenneth Tynan

topic: Travel, Couple, Home, Brussels

HR?' 'Human Resources.' 'In Brussels that kind of department is referred to as the Office for Personkind Enablement. Resources sounds like something you dig out of the ground.

- Peter F. Hamilton

source: Peter F. Hamilton (2012). “Great North Road”, p.63, Pan Macmillan

topic: Office, Sound, Kind, Like Something, Brussels

I like democracy. I like to be able to throw out my political leaders when they get things wrong, and we don't get to do that with Brussels.

- David Cameron

topic: Leader, Political, Democracy, Brussels

I don't understand why Italians should be bound to Brussels's choices without being able to express themselves through a referendum.

- Matteo Salvini

topic: Choices, Able, Referendums, Brussels

The message that "we can't take in everybody" is imperative. At the same time, the decision as to who has a right to asylum needs to be made in Brussels.

- Paolo Gentiloni

topic: Decision, Needs, Asylums, Brussels

I'm going to reduce the size of the Cabinet, cut the number of ministers, reduce the size of the House of Commons, campaign for a European Parliament with 100 fewer members, halve the number of political advisers, and abolish a huge swathe of Labour's regional bureaucracies and agencies and their offices in Brussels.

- William Hague

topic: Cutting, Numbers, Agency, Adviser, Brussels

You know, you try to move the Brussels bureaucracy, and unless you have some capacity to really break it, you can't move it. It just sits there and stares at you.

- Newt Gingrich

source: Source: www.spiegel.de

topic: Moving, Trying, Break, Brussels

The EU should be concentrated on adapting to globalisation and global competitiveness, not building more powerful centralised institutions in Brussels.

- William Hague

topic: Powerful, Building, Should, Competitiveness, Globalisation

I think we don't need some people in Brussels trying to run countries that are some distance apart, who don't speak the same language, don't eat the same food. There's a bit of difference between, Holland, if you like, and Italy.

- Bernie Ecclestone

source: Source: www.topgear.com

topic: Country, Running, Distance, Holland, Distance Apart

When [Erwin Schrödinger] went to the Solvay conferences in Brussels, he would walk from the station to the hotel where the delegates stayed, carrying all his luggage in a rucksack and looking so like a tramp that it needed a great deal of argument at the reception desk before he could claim a room.

- Paul Dirac

topic: Science, Biographies, Rooms, Brussels, Delegates

I do half the cooking, and by 'half' I mean three quarters," Dad pointed out. "And if you're going to turn up your nose at all my carnivorous delights, ingrate child, you can sit under the table and gnaw sadly on a raw Brussels sprout at mealtimes.

- Sarah Rees Brennan

topic: Dad, Children, Mean, Ingrates, Brussel Sprouts

I actually started the whole project some years ago with a live debut at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. The focus was mainly on my favorite period of Billie Holiday, which was the late-50s Verve recordings, with essentially a small version of the Count Basie band.

- Jose James

source: Source: revive-music.com

topic: Holiday, Years, Focus, Brussels

Why don't you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks, ask him what he wants and give it to him so he leaves you in peace?

- Vladimir Putin

source: "Putin rejects 'child-killer talks'". news.bbc.co.uk. September 7, 2004.

topic: White, Giving, House, Brussels

It's not just other countries in Europe having a say over what we do. It's unelected bureaucrats in Brussels on sort of six-figure, huge salaries telling us how we run our country despite having never stood for an election themselves.

- David Cameron

topic: Running, Country, Europe, Brussels

This is crossing the Rubicon, after which there will be no more sovereign states in Europe with fully-fledged governments and parliaments which represent legitimate interests of their citizens, but only one State will remain. Basic things will be decided by a remote 'federal government' in Brussels and, for example, Czech citizens will be only a tiny particle whose voice and influence will be almost zero. ... We are against a European superstate.

- Vaclav Klaus

topic: Zero, Government, Europe, Basic Things, Czech

As you probably know, some American politicians and American journalists refer to Washington, DC as the "capital of the free world." But it seems to me that Brussels, which boasts 1,000 years of history and which serves as the capital of Belgium, the home of the European Union, and the headquarters for NATO, this city has its own legitimate claim to that title.

- Joe Biden

source: "Biden Says Brussels Could Be 'Capital of the Free World'", www.foxnews.com. May 25, 2010.

topic: Home, Years, Cities, Belgium, Washington Dc

I actually love fish and vegetables. I was raised on vegetables! Anything green - spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts - I crave.

- Eva Longoria

source: Source: www.glamour.com

topic: Vegetables, Green, Spinach, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts

Europe will not accept genetically modified foods. It doesn't make any difference in the final analysis what Brussels does, what Washington does, or what the World Trade Organization does.

- Jeremy Rifkin

topic: Organization, Differences, Gmos, World Trade Organization, Genetically Modified

I loved Queen, Journey, Fleetwood Mac, and people like Barbara Streisand. The thing with me is that classical music was also an inspiration. I took piano lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels for 10 years.

- Lara Fabian

topic: Queens, Inspiration, Journey, Fleetwood Mac, Barbara Streisand

There are certainly major differences between Poland's policies and those of the old EU countries. Debates are going on in Brussels over a shared foreign policy and even a shared foreign minister.

- Lech Kaczynski

source: Source: www.spiegel.de

topic: Country, Differences, Debate, Brussels

The Brexiteers promised their supporters wonderful things, almost none of which can ever come true. The billions that London transfers to Brussels will most certainly not land in the budget of the country's National Health Service. Brexit is going to be very bitter for many of its supporters.

- Nicholas Bloom

topic: Country, Land, London, Brussels, Health Services

I hate to shop. I consider it one of life's necessary evils, like brussels sprouts and high-heeled shoes.

- Laurell K. Hamilton

topic: Hate, Shoes, Shopping, Sprouts, Necessary Evil

I get shitty scared. One show in Amsterdam, I was so nervous I escaped out the fire exit. I've thrown up a couple of times. Once in Brussels, I projectile-vomited on someone. I just gotta bear it. But I don't like touring. I have anxiety attacks a lot.

- Adele

topic: Couple, Fire, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Projectile

The wedding ring on my left hand was bought by my grandfather, Samuel Miliband, in Brussels in 1920. I never knew him, as he died when I was one. But his ring was kept by my aunt until it was placed on my finger by my wife Louise 32 years later.

- David Miliband

source: "Biography/ Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.

topic: Wedding, Aunt, Hands, My Grandfather, Wedding Ring

Here in Europe some of the challenges have to do with structures that are so complicated. You've got Brussels, and you've got parliament, you've got councils and then you've got national governments. So people sometimes don't feel as if they know who's making decisions, and the more that we can bring people in and engage them, the better. Some of it is also cultural and social, people's sense of identity.

- Barack Obama

source: Source: www.spiegel.de

topic: Government, Europe, People, Brussels

I believe that transatlantic relations are very important and that President Bush's visit to Brussels, in a few days, will have a major impact on that.

- Jean-Pierre Raffarin

topic: Believe, Impact, Important, President Bush, Brussels

I'm obsessed with broccoli, carrots, celery, string beans, snap peas, black kale, brussels sprouts, cabbage - I could go on! They used to call me 'rabbit' when I was a kid. I hate mushrooms, though. I apologize to fungi lovers, but this way, there's more for you!

- Lisa Edelstein

topic: Hate, Kids, Mushrooms, Fungi, Celery

In Europe one needs to act ‘as if’ – as if what was wanted was little, in order to obtain much, as if States were to remain sovereign to convince them to concede sovereignty … The Commission in Brussels, for example, should act as if it were a technical instrument, in order to be able to be treated as a government. And so on by disguise and subterfuge.

- Giuliano Amato

topic: Government, Order, Europe, Subterfuge, Brussels

I think it's kinda nice.' And I did. my mom isn't famous for her pies. No, she's famous for defusing a nuclear device in Brussels with only a pair of cuticle scissors and a ponytail holder. Somehow, at the moment, pies seemed cooler.

- Ally Carter

topic: Mom, Nice, Thinking, Ponytails, Brussels

As a citizen of Ireland I have more sovereignty over our government. Because citizens now have more ways of holding the Irish government to account, not just under Irish constitutional law, but under the European system, at Strasbourg and Brussels. This, I believe, is the benefit for individual citizens.

- Mary Robinson

source: Source: www.opendemocracy.net

topic: Believe, Government, Law, Constitutional Law, This I Believe

We agree: Brussels can't regulate everything. I'm driven by something else: There are forces in Europe that want to generally give national policy priority over a common European approach. We have to prevent this.

- Martin Schulz

topic: Europe, Giving, Priorities, Brussels

This going into Europe will not turn out to be the thrilling mutual exchange supposed. It is more like nine middle-aged couples with failing marriages meeting in a darkened bedroom in a Brussels hotel for a group grope.

- E. P. Thompson

source: 1975 On Britain's entry into the EEC, in the Sunday Times, 27 Apr.

topic: Couple, Europe, Groups, Brussels