Quotes from Nicola Sturgeon

I am a believer in people succeeding on merit.

The assumption that people sometimes make is that I have made a cold, calculated decision to put my career ahead of having family, and that's not true.

The importance of education is ingrained in Scottish history.

I hope Donald Trump doesn't become president of the United States and I expect the people of the United States will have the good sense not to elect him.

Scotland is not a region of the U.K.; Scotland is a nation, and if we cannot protect our interests within a U.K. that is going to be changing fundamentally, then that right of Scotland to consider the options of independence has to be there.

I think the first decision I took when I became a government minister was to reverse the planned closure of Monklands Accident and Emergency. It's an issue close to my heart.

I've never had a voice coach, but I am about to name drop horrendously here: I did once get some advice on how to project my voice from Sean Connery, which was lovely. It's all about where you breathe. That's my claim to fame.

I feel comfortable in a position of leadership, but that's not to say I feel complacent about it. I take it incredibly seriously.

I am a social democrat - I believe in pursuing greater equality and tackling social justice - but... you can't do that unless you have got a strong economy, unless you have got a vibrant business base earning the wealth that makes that possible.

An independent Scotland - like all countries - will face challenges, and we will have our ups and downs. But the decisions about how we use our wealth will be ours.

I stand here today as the first woman first minister of our country. Every day I hold this office, I will work to ensure that every woman, every wee girl across this country, gets a chance to do what I've done and follow their dream.

There's nothing in my background that would have said I was destined to be a senior politician.

My early years as a political activist were dominated by the poll tax.

The debate around the ageing population should, in my view, focus much more on how we grow the active, working population.

I bow to no one in my ambition to see Glasgow be as successful as it possibly can be.

Since I became First Minister, I have made clear my priority to alleviate poverty and tackle inequality in Scotland. Ensuring that everyone can do better in life will not only make Scotland fairer, but it will also make it a more prosperous place.

U.K. welfare cuts are pushing more children into poverty; that is beyond dispute.

Poverty is on the increase - due to welfare cuts - and demand for food banks has rocketed.

I've not had a deliberate image makeover.

I desperately want Scotland to be an independent country. I cannot, though, sit here and tell you definitively that it will happen, and that it will happen on this timescale, because I have to respect the opinion of the people of Scotland.

I was very proud, on just my second day in office, to appoint a gender-balanced cabinet - one of only three in the developed world.

If Scotland was independent, we'd be the 14th richest country in the developed world.

Most politicians come into politics because they want to make a difference; we just have different ideas how to do it.

If there are healthy - and growing - numbers of people working and paying taxes, we are better able to pay the costs of people living longer.