Quotes from John Bercow

I was proud to be a Tory Member of Parliament for twelve years, proud to represent Buckingham as a Tory, proud to have voted with my party 99% of the time as the record shows.

One consistent thing in an otherwise inconsistent career is that I've always been passionate about parliament.

A legislature cannot be effective while suffering from public scorn.

I'm not in the business of warning people.

If someone is being very cheeky, it can be quite fun to deal with that situation.

The prime minister's job is to captain his team, his party and his government.

I've never been much given to little social cliques.

It is quite wrong for party conferences to be used as an excuse for the Commons not to sit. Conferences could be held at weekends.

When I first started out in politics I was, what you might describe as, a hard right Conservative.

I don't want to crawl over the entrails of past disputes.

Sally is my wife, but not my chattel or my property.

Lying to a committee is a very grave abuse, and there ought to be a clear punishment.

There is no denying or hiding the fact that over the years I moved from well on the right of the Conservative Party, much much more to its left, and therefore to the centre of the poltical spectrum.

I said that if I hadn't been a politician, I'd have liked to be a barrister, or an academic. My beloved wife said: 'You'd be a very good barrister and a hopeless academic.' I said 'Why?' She said: 'Because you're not an original thinker.'

The Conservatives must realise that being sceptical is different from being phobic in what is an interdependent world.

Even youngish men can acquire wisdom as time goes by.

I pride myself on being courteous to people, and trying to fashion good relations.

For far too long the House of Commons has been run as little more than a private club by and for gentleman amateurs.

There's no point in worrying about things you can't influence.

I am seeking every day to restore faith in Parliament - to ensure we have a House of Commons which is representative, effective and reconnected to the people we serve.

I think the state opening of Parliament is an incredibly important occasion, and broadly speaking, the way in which it's done is an invaluable tradition.

There are people who are just very, very sniffy and snobby and have always sort of looked down their noses at me.

I think the record shows that as Speaker, I have taken the lead in cleaning up politics.

I never aspired to be Speaker simply so I could say, 'I am the Speaker of the House of Commons,' and tell my children that.