"We have got to stop worrying about being loved and start worrying about being respected. And that's exactly how I'll lead our country."

"I'm a conservative, pro-life governor in a state where it is really tough to be both. A state like New Jersey, with lots of Democrats, but still we cut taxes, we balanced budgets. We fought the teacher's union."

"I don't disagree with ending Congress' retirement program. I'm a governor; I don't have a retirement program in my state, and I don't disagree with that."

"Social Security is meant to be - to make sure that no one who's worked hard and played by the rules and paid into the system grows old in poverty in America."

"I was appointed United States attorney on September 10, 2001. And I spent the next seven years of my career fighting terrorism and putting terrorists in jail."

"We have a lot of work to do in New Jersey, but I am darn proud we've brought our state back."

"We vetoed five income tax increases during my time as governor. We cut business taxes $2.3 billion, and we cut regulation by one-third of what my predecessor put in place."

"If anybody ran a business like that they would be out of business quickly, and Barack Obama's leadership is driving this business, the United States of America, toward a fiscal cliff."

"I don't think there's anybody in America who thinks my personality is best suited to being Number Two."

"You're "saying "'will it become politically unpopular to have the position I'm having.' If it does, so be it."

"I don't compromise my principles for politics."

"I think Gingrich has embarrassed the party over time. Whether he'll do it again in the future, I don't know. But Gov. Romney never has."

"Sometimes, when you see the newspaper and you read something I said, you say, 'Oh, I can't believe he said that.'"

"If I missed my moment, I missed my moment. I mean, I wasn't pining to be president of the United States."

"If you're sick, take your sick day. If you don't take your sick day, know what your reward is? You weren't sick - that was the reward."

"Here's what I know about political campaigns: no matter what you map out at the beginning, it's always different at the end."

"I'm so tired of talking about Warren Buffett."

"The people of New Jersey stepped up. They shared in the sacrifice. You know what else they did? They rewarded politicians who lead instead of politicians who pandered."

"But our leaders of today have decided it's more important to be popular, to say and do what's easy, and say yes rather than to say no, when no is what is required."

"Well, let me tell you, after three years of Obama, we are hopeless and changeless, and we need Mitt Romney to bring us back, to bring America back."

"Insisting that we must tax and take and demonize those who have already achieved the American Dream. That may turn out to be a good re-election strategy for President Obama, but is a demoralizing message for America."

"The argument for getting our own house in order is not an argument for turning our back on the world. We cannot and should not do that."

"I think America needs lots of tough people. Not just me. I think America needs to get tougher, all of us."

"I'm making this decision based on whether I believe in my heart that I'm ready to be president of the United States and that I want to be president of the United States right now."

"Someone has to stay on the line and say, no, we can do this by cutting spending and reducing the size of government. That's what I was committed to doing."

"And on this you have my pledge - unlike in the past, when you stood up and did what was right, this governor will not pull the rug out from underneath you - I will sign strong reform bills."

"You know, at some point there has to be parity. There has to be parity between what is happening in the real world, and what is happening in the public sector world."

"I can guarantee you this, that more pension and benefit reforms which I will consider arbitration reform to be one of them, are things that when they come to my desk, they will be signed."

"You just have to stand and grit your teeth and know your poll numbers are going to go down - and mine have - but you gotta grit through it because the alternative is unacceptable."

"Higher taxes is the road to ruin. We must and we will shrink our government, and that means making some tough choices, tightening our belts."

"Today is the day for the complaining to end and for statesmanship to begin. Today I am taking action to cut state spending and balance the budget this year."

"The people elected us to end the talk and to act decisively."

"If we make the tough decisions now, we will be one year ahead of 80 percent of the states in the race to economic growth. If we fail to act, we will fall even further behind... by going first, we can become first."

"We pay a price when special interests win out over the collective national interest."

"Today we must make a pact with each other to end this reckless conduct with the people's government."

"I believe marriage should be between one man and one woman. That's my view, and that'll be the view of our state because I wouldn't sign a bill that - like the one that was in New York."

"Is there any wonder why we are in such big trouble? Any question why the people don't trust their government anymore, and demand a change?"

"I am pro-life, I believe in exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. That's my position, take it or leave it."

"Everyone wants to demagogue everyone else. That may be good politics, but it's awful policy."

"Mitt Romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to end the debacle of putting the world's greatest care system in the hands of federal bureaucrats and putting those bureaucrats between an American citizen and her doctor."

"I absolutely believe that, come November 2012, I'm going to be governor of New Jersey and not in any other office. But the fact of the matter is, if Gov. Romney, who's going to be our nominee, picked up the phone and called me to talk about this, I love my country enough and I love my party enough to listen."

"I will make no apologies, ever, for protecting the lives and the safety of the American people. We have to give more tools to our folks to be able to do that, not fewer, and then trust those people and oversee them to do it the right way. As president, that is exactly what I'll do."

"Let me tell you exactly what we would do on Social Security. Yes, we'd raise the retirement age two years and phase it in over 25 years; that means we'd raise it one month a year for 25 years when we're all living longer, and living better lives."

"I was born into a middle class family in New Jersey. My dad came home from serving in the Army after having lost his father, worked in the Breyers ice cream plant in Newark, New Jersey. Was the first person to graduate from college."

"Mom spent the time that she was supposed to be a kid actully raising children, her younger brother and younger sister. She was tough as nails and did not suffer fools at all. And the truth was she could not afford to. She spoke the truth, bluntly, directly, and without much varnish. I am her son."

"Now our founding fathers had the wisdom to know that social acceptance and popularity were fleeing, and that this country's principles needed to be rooted in strengths greater than the passions and the emotions of the times."

"We believe - we believe that, if we tell the people the truth, that they will act bigger than the pettiness we see in Washington, D.C. We believe it is possible to forge bipartisan compromise, and stand up for our conservative principles."

"The three top issues have to be restoring jobs and private sector job growth to our country, getting the entitlement mess under control, and restoring back to our country a sense of self-confidence that Americans can achieve whatever we want to achieve."

"Now, we believe that the majority of teachers in America know our system must be reformed, to put students first so that America can compete, that teachers don't teach to become rich or famous. They teach because they love children."

"Today, the biggest challenge we must meet is the one we present to ourselves. To not become a nation that places entitlement ahead of accomplishment. To not become a country that places comfortable lies ahead of difficult truths. To not become a people that thinks so little of ourselves that we demand no sacrifice from each other."