88 Quotes by George Papandreou

Politics also means educating people. It’s important to speak openly with our fellow Greeks, to tell them what our problems are and that we have to change something.

We had about 60 regions in Greece and now there are only 13. It’d be like cutting down 50 states to 13 and making it more efficient.

Very often, people will come out and say, ‘Greeks aren’t doing things, Greeks aren’t making changes, there’s no reform,’ That is hogwash. We have made a huge effort. The Greek people have made a huge effort.

Greece has great strengths, but much of this potential has been wasted. That’s because of a wider political system, but also because of a lack of an institutional framework.

This idea that you’re a successful tough guy if you evade taxes and deceive the state has got to change.

The real problem in Greece is not cutting taxes, it’s making sure that we don’t have tax evasion.

Unfortunately, corruption is widespread in government agencies and public enterprises. Our political system promotes nepotism and wasting money. This has undermined our legal system and confidence in the functioning of the state. One of the consequences is that many citizens don't pay their taxes.