Anglo Pacific MD Julian Treger on the sector showing photos of open pits to promote itself (February 3): "Brands like Hermes don't show crocodiles getting skinned when they sell their handbags."

Barrick Gold CEO Mark Bristow (February 4): "I think we'll see a very quick peak of this virus. My personal view is there's a lot more shit going down in the world than this virus."

Ivanhoe Mines chairman Robert Friedland (February 6): "This current virus, it's not even the big one. It will mutate very rapidly.There will be wave after wave after wave after wave of coronaviruses."

Kirkland Lake Gold CEO Tony Makuch on Fosterville's longer-term outlook (February 21): "Part of it is the conundrum that always happens with underground gold mines, right? It's sort of people will say ‘I see a three-year window, is that all you got?' I mean you would have to assume that things are going to fall off the cliff, only if we find nothing, right? There's nothing wrong with outlining a high-grade resource, figuring out what the size of it is and then going out there and mining it out - that's the nature of our biz."

GEOVIA CEO Michelle Ash (February 25): "Part of the problem with our industry is we've made heroes of the people who pull us out of the poo when we get into it."

Northern Star Resources executive chairman Bill Beament on coronavirus (March 26): "If we look back in three months and we've overreacted, then happy days, pop the champagne."

Papua New Guinea prime minister James Marape on Porgera (April 28): "To all PNGeans, bear with me, short term pain for long term gain, don't be cry babies and pessimist. The world will not end if Porgera closes."

Metal Tiger CEO Michael McNeilly on the late Terry Grammer (May 19): "I know you're busy kicking rocks, raiding corporate boardrooms and drinking at the best bars somewhere else now."

SolGold CEO Nick Mather on appointing Citi as a defence advisor (May 20): "If you're going to fight a battle - any military commander will tell you this - you make sure you're well-supplied before you even march over the hill."

RareX executive director Jeremy Robinson on the company's farm-in with Kincora Copper at Trundle (June 2): "A free-carry is what we all dream about in this business. A 35% free-carry? I don't even think Mark Creasy gets those - he only gets 30%."

Clean TeQ Holdings CEO Sam Riggall on the looming shortage of battery materials (June 19): "At some point in this game of musical chairs, the music will stop and not everyone will have a seat."

Tesla boss Elon Musk to miners (July 23): "Please mine more nickel. Tesla will give you a giant contract for a long period of time if you mine nickel efficiently and in an environmentally sensitive way."

Then-Rio Tinto head of growth and innovation Stephen McIntosh on the Winu discovery (July 28): "I think it is wonderful for Australia Inc as it disproves the thesis that the job was done, and everything had been found. That's far from the case."

Rio Tinto CEO J-S Jacques speaking at a parliamentary enquiry into the Juukan Gorge blast (August 7): "This is a defining moment for Rio Tinto and we are absolutely committed to learn and change."

BHP then-CFO Peter Beaven on a conference call (August 18): "My kids just hit print on the printer so I didn't hear your question - this is one of the issues with working from home."

Mineral Resources MD Chris Ellison on the company's COVID-19 testing facility (August 19): "It's not cheap, but to put a price on someone's life, it's economic."

Website Women's Agenda in response to Silver Lake Resources having no female directors (August 19): "The invitation to join us in the current century is very much open."

Matterhorn Asset Management managing partner Egon von Greyerz on gold (August 20): "For those who think gold is going to collapse, the big bad wolf will eat you alive."

HESTA CEO Debby Blakey on Juukan Gorge (August 27): "What occurred with Rio is a wake-up call for all investors."

Surbiton Associates director Dr Sandra Close (August 30): "I cannot recall so much interest in gold since the modern boom began almost 40 years ago."

Chalice Gold Mines managing director Alex Dorsch on the Julimar discovery (September 18): "It's not out of the realms of top 10 orebodies in the world for scale potential."

Fortescue Metals Group CEO Elizabeth Gaines (October 13): "As we continue to see examples in large Australian companies of behavioural and cultural standards that are simply unacceptable, stakeholders are now strongly demanding change. In our view that change must be led by a renewed focused on diversity."

Legend Mining MD Mark Wilson (October 14): "I always like to acknowledge my geological colleagues by putting some money rock, or rock porn, on the front of our presentations, because it gives them something to look at while I talk drivel in the background."

De Grey Mining executive chairman Simon Lill on the early drill results from Hemi (October 14): "I got texts from the geologists saying f-a-r-r-r-k. So they were pretty excited about what we were getting."

Dundee Corporation CEO Jonathan Goodman (October 28): "The technical work done by junior mining companies in the last cycle was complete crap, really poorly done. … PEA's have become aggressive marketing documents but if we want to attract people from outside our circle of investors we have to put out quality information." 

Martin Place Securities head of resources Barry Dawes (November 2): "A Trump win would change the world for the better. A Biden win would be an absolute disaster for us all."

Newcrest Mining chairman Peter Hay after being asked by a shareholder if the company would consider paying dividends in gold (November 11): "The answer is no. The way we now pay dividends, by electronic transfer, would be hard to achieve in relation to sending bullion down the telephone wires."

Saracen Mineral Holdings MD Raleigh Finlayson on how he and Bill Beament combine business and friendship (November 25): "I've got friends and Bill's got money."

WA premier Mark McGowan on legislation to protect the state from being sued by Mineralogy (November 25): "We're dealing with Clive Palmer. We make absolutely no apologies for being harsh when it comes to Clive Palmer."

Kingsgate Consolidated chairman Ross Smyth-Kirk on the "alarmist climate change cult" (November 26): "Recently a couple of major companies have announced that they intend to power a couple of new mines by solar. Unless there has been a major new breakthrough in the last couple of weeks or Elon Musk has built a new battery that can make up for the intermittent power generated by a solar plant this is still not possible. Unfortunately I think these virtue signallers would know this - if not they should."

Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility lead counsel/strategy lead James Fitzgerald on the issues facing new Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm (December 18): "What are the chances that a London-based, Danish accountant will be sensitised to these matters, let alone able to identify and enforce the positive change required to restore Rio Tinto's relationships and reputation? Your guess is as good as mine."