The Week in Words: Sizing the soft patch; the tax debate; cars and cappuccino

"This was an unequivocally positive report, signaling an end to the recent soft patch in U.S. economic activity centered on the manufacturing industry."

- Michael Woolfolk, analyst at the Bank of New York Mellon Corp., on an upbeat report from the Institute for Supply Management

"The whole recovery's been a soft patch."

- David Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff & Associates Inc.
"If we choose to keep those tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, if we choose to keep a tax break for corporate jet owners, if we choose to keep tax breaks for oil and natural gas companies that are making hundreds of billions of dollars, then that means we've got to cut some kids off from getting a college scholarship, that means we've got to stop funding certain grants for medical research, that means that food safety may be compromised, that means that Medicare has to bear a greater part of the burden."

- President Obama

"The president is sorely mistaken if he believes a bill to raise the debt ceiling and raise taxes would pass the House. The votes simply aren't there, and they aren't going to be there because the American people know tax hikes destroy jobs."

- House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio)

"There is a certain portion of consumers that react to gas prices almost on a daily basis, and they decide what to buy based on those prices."

- Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends and insights for car-pricing site TrueCar.com.

"There's a point where I think it's excessive. How much cappuccino are you willing to pay for?"

- Gary Dilts, former Chrysler sales chief, on dealerships adding amenities including cafes and salons to draw customers.