'Paul and I have left everything on the field. We have given our all to this campaign. I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes.'
1. MITT ROMNEY, addressing supporters in Boston after conceding the presidential race to Barack Obama
'I didn't run to make history.'
2. TAMMY BALDWIN, Democratic Senator-elect from Wisconsin, after beating Republican Tommy Thompson to become the first openly gay U.S. Senator
'He may have won the battle but lost the war ... Second terms are difficult.'
3. KARL ROVE, former top aide to George W. Bush, who argued against Obama's win on Fox News even after in-house analysts confirmed it
'Just because you're displaced doesn't mean you should be disenfranchised.'
4. ANDREW CUOMO, governor of New York, who allowed voters uprooted by Hurricane Sandy to cast provisional ballots anywhere in the state
'Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated ... That won't change tonight, and it shouldn't.'
5. BARACK OBAMA, championing American freedoms at his victory rally in Chicago
Sources: NBC; Twitter; Fox News; New York Times; CNN