It's time, Dear Readers, for another sentimental retrospective of the nearly gone and nearly lamented Year of the Turnaround, or, as we like to call it, 2004. Join us now, as we cull the ten most memorable of our much belovèd Quotes of the Week.

What more suitable way to end this wild’n’wacky year than on a note of cracked optimism?

“There's a great desire in Russia to do business with the West, and that's making Russia the sexiest telecom market in Europe just now.”
– Camille Mendler, Director, Telecommunications Strategies Europe, The Yankee Group (see Golden Telecom (GLDN))

Arise ye prisoners of sense perception! Mother Russia! Pin-Up Girl for the Capitalist Millenium! And speaking of sex appeal...

“The Vatican is not a customer... But if the Pope decided he wanted some dark fiber, then we'd sell it to him!”
– Nick McMenemy, Head of Strategy and Business-Critical Operations, Interoute Telecommunications Ltd. (see Interoute Buys Fiber-to-the-Pope)

Will the Pope go to the Dark Side? Let’s ask an inside expert:

“Every really good lawyer can make up a speculative fear.”
– Michael Powell, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (see Powell: VOIP Regs 'Grave Mistake')

That’s always been our definition of a Really Good Lawyer. In that spirit, speculate on this:

“There seems to be a lot of crap getting funded.”
– Jeff Hinck, Partner, Crescendo Ventures (see It's Raining VC Money)

...which may explain...

“When you take the lumpiness, we don't associate it with anything other than the fact that it's lumpy.”
– Mark Smith, Chairman and CEO, Adtran Inc. (see Adtran Cites Lumps and Bumps in Q3)

Could just be yesterday's corn. And while we're on the subject of lumps...

“We informed a group of engineers that their function would now reside in India, and we gave them the option to relocate there.”
– Andrew Feldman, VP Marketing, Force10 Networks Inc. (see Force10 Relocates Jobs to India)

The engineers, keeping their options open, are no doubt busy checking the National Weather Service for frost warnings in Hell. When anything's possible, it pays to be adaptable: “We saw we were in the middle of a desert, and we turned into a camel.”
– Gordon Saussy, President and CEO, Megisto Systems Inc. (see Megisto Breaks Silence)

Dontcha just hate when that happens? But we're all in the ham-handed grasp of indifferent fate...

“Our business continues to be impacted by industry-related conditions.”
– Dan Smith, CEO, Sycamore Networks Inc. (see Sycamore Signs Sprint, Seeks Help)

And our weather continues to be impacted by meteorological conditions. But do we simply wither and die under the remorseless onslaught of a cold, cruel market, in the creation of which we clearly have played no role? No, we do not! We whine! We finger-point! We hurl our porridge!

“There isn't proper and grownup business behavior going on.”
– Patrick Gallagher, CEO, FLAG Telecom Group Ltd. (see FLAG Hits Out at VSNL Monopoly)

Too sad, too true: Foodfights in the boardroom, slapfights in the lab... Thank God, we here at Light Reading continue to maintain our lofty standards of Proper and Grownup journalistic behavior. As for the Invisible Hand of the Marketplace...

“Up until around Christmas we were just sitting on it.”
– Kerry Davis, Founder, Aztech Partners (see Brightlink Gets Second Chance)

Call me...

— Larry, Attack Monkey, Light Reading