The debate around the ageing population should, in my view, focus much more on how we grow the active, working population.
— Nicola Sturgeon
Sporting success doesn't happen by accident. It takes hard work and determination on the part of the individual athletes. And it also takes investment in facilities and training support.
The U.K. government sets a cap on how much can be spent on discretionary housing payments.
We already know that social security is more affordable in Scotland than it is in the rest of the U.K. - spending on social protection takes up a smaller share of our economic output and our tax revenues than is the case in the U.K. as a whole.
Parties that win elections should form the government, not parties that lose elections.
Scotland has been re-energized, and people all over the country have become involved in - and informed about - politics and government in a way that I have never known before. In short, we have put ourselves firmly in control of our country.
The fact is Scottish Labour has lost its way.
In particular, I want to set a challenge to public bodies and private companies to improve gender balance on their own boards.
I am privileged to count many Muslims among my friends - some are amongst my closest friends.
The importance of education is ingrained in Scottish history.
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.
True gender equality in Scotland - and elsewhere - is still some way off.
Scotland's relationship with Malawi is perhaps unique - with almost every town or village in Scotland having some connection.
Too often in the past, Scotland has been sidelined and ignored in the Westminster corridors of power, but that doesn't have to be the case anymore.
Labour long ago realised it could no longer automatically assume that it would win elections in Glasgow and other places where it has taken people's votes for granted for decades - as we have seen across Scotland at local council and Holyrood elections.
There are lots of jobs and investment in Scotland dependent on our membership of the E.U. single market.
Scotland has a great deal to offer the world in terms of our approach to key economic and social issues.
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.
If Scotland was independent, we'd be the 14th richest country in the developed world.
An independent Scotland could afford pensions full stop - after all, it is our taxes and national insurance contributions that fund them now.
There can be no greater privilege in life than to be chosen to lead your country.
Not once in my life has the Tory Party come anywhere close to winning an election in Scotland, and yet, for more than half my life, we have had a Tory government. That is wrong and undemocratic.
Personally, I can think of no greater privilege than to lead the party I joined when I was just 16.
It is one of the little known facts about modern Scottish politics that it is not quite as cut-throat as people think it is.
To every woman out there who thinks that they might like to get involved in politics or stand for parliament, I say go for it. If I can do it, so can you.
Governments in countries across the world have a duty to do everything possible to keep the public safe from terrorist attacks.
When I was growing up, I was lucky to benefit from a first class education.
I am a believer in people succeeding on merit.
For me, personally, it has been humbling since I became First Minister to speak to women and girls and have them tell me how much it means to them to have a woman in the top job in politics in Scotland.
The Scottish Government's international development work began in 2005 with a £3 million budget focused solely on Malawi, reflecting the historic links between our two countries.
Voting Labour in the past hasn't protected Scotland against Tory governments.
Glasgow is a great city.
Most people would agree that the E.U. is too bureaucratic, not transparent or democratic enough and that it often interferes too much in matters that are best left to national governments.
American companies based in Scotland employ large numbers of people - in fact, we are the best performing part of the U.K., outside London and the southeast of England when it comes to attracting foreign direct investment.
The fact that healthier lifestyles and advances in medicine mean that we are living longer is actually something to be celebrated.
My early years as a political activist were dominated by the poll tax.
Because of lower life expectancy in Scotland - something that we are working hard to improve - the average woman will get £11,000 less in pension payments than counterparts in the rest of the U.K., even though she will pay exactly the same in contributions.
Any politician or campaigner trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the public won't get very far.
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.
U.K. welfare cuts are pushing more children into poverty; that is beyond dispute.
For parents - women in particular - good quality, affordable childcare is vital.
Scotch beef, salmon and shellfish are recognised the world over for their excellence and Scottish provenance. People recognise the Scottish brand. They associate the country with quality food and drink, and clearly other Scottish sectors, such as dairy, can benefit from that, too.
The teachers who taught me at Dreghorn Primary and Greenwood Academy were fantastic.
A good education is the most important gift we can give our young people.
Some of the brightest and best women in our society are stifled in their ambitions.
Of course, aid is only one small part of international development. Some of the greatest benefits to the world's poorest can be achieved through policy changes by developed countries.
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.
Instead of an end to austerity, Labour has made clear that it wants to impose more austerity cuts.
The fact is that co-operation between independent countries - to our mutual advantage - is the way of the modern world.
My message is a simple one - the E.U. is not perfect, but Scotland's interests are best served by being a member.
