Sarkozy: Listen, I'm sorry to say it, but we could go on holiday together!
Onfray: Are you joking?
Sarkozy: You don't go on holiday with someone because you agree with him about the problem of social security. Deep down, the most important thing is style.
Onfray: I couldn't agree more --

...

Sarkozy: For a long time, I got drunk on crowds, from their applause, their excesses, perhaps even their hysteria. And now I am more appreciative of their silence. It expresses much more than any applause.

Can you imagine an American president saying that?

(Translation from the French by Tobias Grey; appears in the July issue of Harpers.)