Presidents, premiers, monarchs and cabinet ministers have plenty to say at their annual gathering at the U.N. General Assembly. Still, sometimes they borrow a few words, quoting from a range of sources. Speakers this week touched on homeland sayings, ancient texts, figures of moral authority and more. One even slipped in a bit of Talking Heads. We’re talking the new wave band, not TV pundits. From Iraq to Finland, Greece to Barbados, the quotes show that leaders — even the most eloquent ones — draw from the canon that came before.


