Sebastian Pinera Quotations

No child should be left behind - I've heard this from President Obama. And here, we say in Latin America, no country should be left behind.

Whatever happens, we want a meeting to propose a constructive opposition to the future government.

We've got to move beyond the idea that the public and private sectors are at odds. Government has to lay the groundwork for private equity to productively invest in things like education. It's a partnership, not a battle.

I would say that the U.S. has overlooked Latin America. Their priorities have always been somewhere else. And that is a problem and that is a mistake.

I think the U.S. should assert its leadership in a more effective way.

We need a change of government after these 16 years.

There is a trend toward the left and populism that causes problems. The future president will have to face this with firmness and defend Chile's interests with energy.

The brutal, massive and shameless intervention of the government that we witnessed in the last months has diminished the legitimacy of this election.

I want to say to the president elect of Chile, we're going to be a firm and constructive opposition. It's a promise to our country.

I believe in a real democratic system, with a state of law and freedom of the press. I believe in a free, open-market economy integrated with the world. And I believe in equality of opportunity. Those are my basic beliefs. On top of that, of course, I believe in some moral values.

Business is a useful tool in politics, but it's not enough. You need much more than to be a good businessman, to be a good politician.

Chile isn't the biggest, richest or most powerful country in the world, but we should dedicate ourselves to transforming it into the best country in the world. We don't have a single minute to lose.

I would say that the U.S. has overlooked Latin America. Their priorities have always been somewhere else. And that is a problem and that is a mistake.

On one hand, it is very important that democracy and human rights be defended across borders. But it is also very important to respect the right of each country to choose its own path.

Countries with deficit don't want to pay the bill, and they want to get more loans, and countries with superiority, they don't want to help the countries with problems, and they just want them to tighten their belts.

I grew up middle class. My father was a public functionary who didn't leave an inheritance, just debts.

Economic and financial crisis are getting much more usual, and they are not confined to a given country but they immediately spread all over the world, and you have to be prepared for that.

You will never solve the American problems just by printing money.

I deeply believe that marriage is by nature between a man and a woman, but that conviction does not prevent me from recognising that other forms of affective relationships exist.

I'm a person with a lot of affection for adventure - I scuba dive, skydive, fly helicopters.

Life is tough - and you have to be tougher than life to change the world.

Chile is not a rich country in terms of gas, or oil or coal, but we are extremely rich in terms of the energies of the future.

To have a stable economy, to have a stable democracy, and to have a modern government is not enough. We have to build new pillars of development. Education, science and technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, and more equality.