[observation on the state of the U.S. economy, 2014] It's the worst economic recovery since World War II. We should have slingshotted out of this recession. We have a small temporary aberration in our deficits only to be seen with much higher deficits in the near future, and we're not preparing for that.

[on his proposal that the government might offer a probationary right to work to illegal immigrants] This gives people the ability to get right with the law, pay a fine, pay back taxes, learn English, learn civics, assimilate, be gainfully employed. And during the five-year period the government has to do its job. It has to secure the border. It has to have a tracking system in place so we know if a person overstays their visa.

The way the left tells it, the Republican Party is in this big massive civil war. It's Tea Party versus establishment, libertarians versus social conservatives. There is infighting, conflict, backbiting, discord. Look, I'm Irish. That's my idea of a family reunion.

If somebody is going to try to paste an epistemology on me, then give me Thomas Aquinas.

The idea that a few bureaucrats know what's best for all of society, or possess more information about human wants and needs than millions of individuals interacting in a free market, is both false and arrogant.