The art of music is for them a sublime language, a song mystic in itself though clear to the initiated, which they use to express what they want without being influenced by anything foreign to their desires. They have invented their music for their own use, to speak, to sing about themselves to themselves, to remain united, and they have invented the most touching monologues.
— The Roma and Music

The Great Gypsy Round-up was certainly one of the most sinister ordeals to have befallen Spain’s Roma community and generally one of the most sinister episodes in the History of Spain. At the same time, it can also be viewed as a mere continuation of previous administrative policies towards Roma in Spain. It did not come about unexpectedly but was considered highly justified and was even supported by a legal ruling.
— Interview with Isaac Motos

No reliable figures exist on the number of Romani speakers in Europe or in other continents. Estimates offered by Romani organisations suggest that there are more than 10 million Romani-speaking people in Europe. This makes Romani by far the most spoken minority language in the European Union.
— The Romani Language

Very little is widely known of Roma, their history and their culture. What we do know does not get to us through them, but through the perspectives of other peoples. Such views are frequently tainted by ignorance, prejudice and negative stereotypes. Furthermore, historical sources offering data about Roma are not always accurate, not to mention scarce.
— Roma, an unknown culture