Top 25 John Key Quotes

I have more engagement with New Zealand than people might think. Unlike the impression I have of the American president, who sits in the Oval Office and people come to them.

New Zealand needs to balance its environmental responsibilities with its economic opportunities, because the risk is that if you don’t do that – and you want to lead the world – then you might end up getting unintended consequences.

You are not going to change me and if you do, it will look like a fraud, it will be a fraud.

If I had terminal cancer, I had a few weeks to live, I was in tremendous amount of pain – if they just effectively wanted to turn off the switch and legalise that by legalising euthanasia, I’d want that.

Investment is crucial. Because the truth is, you only get jobs and growth in the economy when people invest money, at their own risk, in setting up a business or expanding an existing business.

I was really fascinated by politics. It always has been part of my view that politics really is a calling or you wouldn’t go into it, because it’s demanding and potentially has a toll on you and your family.

I’m often at events when they’re quite light-hearted social events when people would want me to kid around.

I’m not deeply ideologically driven. I believe in good center-right politics.

Bronagh looks after the kids and without her the family would disintegrate… there are some things you can’t discuss with anyone other than your wife. There has to be a strong bond of trust.

I engage with a lot of journalists, some of them have history and some of them don’t, that’s not my concern. My concern is to make sure I represent the views I want to represent on those shows.

I used to think… that people would think badly of me for various stuff they read. But now I accept it’s just part of the deluge of stuff that comes every day.

I dare you to show me one example where I haven’t discharged my responsibility seriously, professionally and appropriately.

My mother had an incredibly strong accent – although I couldn’t hear it – and she was the main person there, so I’ll have learnt to speak English from her.

Moral persuasion over a period of time makes a difference, but we shouldn’t be naive to think that just because we raise it in a meeting it will make all those problems go away. It won’t and it doesn’t.

From time to time I might push a little bit too hard and I have got to be a bit more careful.

I think for the most part people are proud of the bicultural foundation New Zealand is built on and the fact that we are a multicultural society.

There is much more good gained from having a fully functioning financial market than there ever is not having that.

We have been given the trust and goodwill of New Zealanders. I do not take that trust for granted, and I never will.

Sunday night I always cook if I can – if I’m home, I always cook.

I guess I’m reasonably confident in all honesty. But I definitely don’t think I’m arrogant. I’m pretty down to earth, I mean I’m genuinely down to earth.

It’s possible to spend every waking hour here on the ninth floor and not get out of the office. And this isn’t the real world in here. And contrary to public opinion, I’m not incredibly poll-driven. They are an ongoing indicator of how we are going, but I take the feedback I get on the street as being the most important.

I want to leave New Zealand in better shape than I found it. I know the job of prime minister is not forever and I’m going to do the best I can every day to make that difference.

I’ve always been a glass-half-full as opposed to a glass-half-empty, and the day that changes is the day I should leave.

New Zealand as a whole needs to save more, spend less and reduce our reliance on foreign debt.

I think it is only natural that people have anxiety about the economy because the economy is real. It is their job, their ability to service their mortgage and look after their family. And in the final analysis, nothing is more important than your capacity as a breadwinner or an earner to provide for those that rely on you.