Quotables

"Much of it will be sheer hypocrisy. . . . All of it will be to no avail."

Egyptian journalist Hani Shukrallah, who is of Coptic origin, on the "chorus of condemnation" in Egypt that would follow the Jan. 1 massacre of Copts at the Church of the Two Saints in Alexandria.

"In the words of Job, 'When I looked for light, then came darkness.' Bad things happen, and we have to guard against simple explanations in the aftermath."

President Barack Obama, speaking at the memorial service for victims of a Jan. 8 shooting spree at a Tucson, Ariz., political event hosted by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.

"As I look out the window, I see a very beautiful planet that seems very inviting and peaceful. Unfortunately, it is not."

Scott Kelly, brother-in-law of the severely wounded Giffords. Kelly is currently orbiting in the International Space Station. Giffords' husband Mark Kelly is scheduled to command a space shuttle launch in April.

"Naming children after perfumes, bicycles, and countries is putting a limit on their potential. They are not merchandise or commodities."

Monsignor Andrew Faley, assistant general secretary to the Catholic Bishops' Conference, echoing a statement by Pope Benedict XVI during a Sistine Chapel Mass on Jan. 11. He called on parents to return to giving their children biblical names.

"A currency without a government was always doomed to fail."

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, on the roots of Europe's economic crisis.