"The future of free speech will not be determined by a Supreme Court justice interpreting the first amendment, because the first amendment only binds government...  It does not bind Google, Comcast and Facebook." - Jeffrey Rosen, CNN


"We feel a responsibility to embrace other non-profit news organizations that are doing quality journalism...  It only stands to reason that we would want to work with other partners that can enhance the experience of the content that we are providing to our very sizable audience." - NPR CEO Vivian Schiller, The Atlantic


"I think there is a way out for the United States. I don't think its over. But it all hinges on whether you can re-energize the real mainsprings of American power. And those two things are technological innovation and entrepreneurship." - Niall Ferguson, Aspen Daily News


"Our parents were the Greatest Generation.  I fear that my generation, the Baby Boomers, will be remembered as the Grasshopper Generation - We ate through it all like hungry locusts.  Now we and our children together need to be the Regeneration... If we don't bring sustainability to both the market and mother nature, I believe that our generation will be more unfree than had our parents lost the Cold War." - Thomas Friedman, Aspen Ideas Festival


"Social media is a truth serum for mainstream media." - David Kirkpatrick, Meredith McKee on Twitter


“Now is becoming more and more of a mirage for millions of middle-class Americans.  America cannot continue to be America without a middle class... This is not a country which anybody here wants to live in.” - Ariana Huffington, Brent Gardner-Smith


Employees at Twitter “need at least as much education as Biz and I have.” - Twitter founder and college dropout Evan Williams, Aspen Daily News


"The people who create value are ultimately not just the big thinkers and not just the people that have technology backgrounds, but also people who have an idea for the combination of what a consumer wants and how you're going to get paid for it." - Strauss Zelnick, The Washington Post


“There will be problems with people protesting and rioting and very unhappy that there is an outside force attacking a Muslim country; that is going to happen no matter what.  We can’t live with a nuclear Iran... Iran doesn't have a nuclear power now, but we're unable to contain them and their behavior in the region. What makes me think that once they have a nuclear program, we're going to be able to be more successful in containing them?” - Yousef Al-Otaiba, U.A.E. Ambassador to the U.S., Examiner.com


"It's almost like all of our past due bills came due at once.  They all came in the mailbox the same day, whether it's bad education, spending too much money, not good enough infrastructure, and so I think it's going to take us a while to work out of that." - Thomas Wilson, Bloomberg on YouTube


"The future's not that rosy from an Internet freedom standpoint.  We're very, very concerned about more and more governments restricting [information]. It's not just China. This is a much broader problem." - David Drummond, The Aspen Times


"Today if you are motivated to learn, if you really really really want to learn, this is an amazing time for everyone because if you have access to Wikipedia, if you have access to the latest information on the web... Khan Academy... academicearth.org...  If you are motivated you can go to the very best lectures...  There is great promise if we use technology well." - Bill Gates, MPR News