George H. W. Bush Quotes & Sayings

Competence is a narrow ideal. Competence makes the trains run on time but doesn't know where they're going. — George H. W. Bush

I'm the one who will not raise taxes. My opponent now says he'll raise them as a last resort, or a third resort. But when a politician talks like that, you know that's one resort he'll be checking into. My opponent, my opponent won't rule out raising taxes. But I will. And The Congress will push me to raise taxes and I'll say no. And they'll push, and I'll say no, and they'll push again, and I'll say, to them, Read my lips: no new taxes. — George H. W. Bush

International exchanges are not a great tide to sweep away all differences, but they will slowly wear away at the obstacles to peace as surely as water wears away a hard stone. — George H. W. Bush

By the grace of God, we won the Cold War. — George H. W. Bush

Somebody said, "Well, you're going to write your definitive book about your life, biography." No, I'm not. I haven't done that. I wrote a book of letters which gives an insight into the real me as opposed to the public perceptions of me. But I'm convinced historians will figure out the things we got wrong and hopefully the things we got right. — George H. W. Bush

I want a kinder, gentler nation. — George H. W. Bush

And I'm not a student of religion, but I don't find anything in what the principal teachings of Islam that put us in contradiction at all. In fact, the principles are the same as what-we have a diverse religious culture. But it's kindness, it's be good to your neighbor, it's love, and it's take care of children. It's all these things that-so there's no anti-Islam. — George H. W. Bush

A time of historic change is no time for recklessness. — George H. W. Bush

Nearly all Americans have ancestors who braved the oceans-liberty-loving risk takers in search of an ideal-the largest voluntary migrations in recorded history. Across the Pacific, across the Atlantic, they came from every point on the compass-many passing beneath the Statue of Liberty-with fear and vision, with sorrow and adventure, fleeing tyranny or terror, seeking haven, and all seeking hope ... Immigration is not just a link to America's past; it's also a bridge to America's future. — George H. W. Bush

My first act as president is a prayer. I ask you to bow your heads: Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and thank You for Your love. Accept our thanks for the peace that yields this day and the shared faith that makes its continuance likely. Make us strong to do Your work, willing to head and hear Your will, and write on our hearts these words: 'Use power to help people. For we know that we are given power, not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people. Help us to remember it Lord, Amen. — George H. W. Bush

Law enforcement officials cannot place themselves above the law that they are sworn to defend. — George H. W. Bush

The United States is the best and fairest and most decent nation on the face of the earth. — George H. W. Bush

Be bold in your caring, and be bold in your dreaming. — George H. W. Bush

I think the 24-hour news cycle has helped exaggerate the differences between the parties. You can always find someone on TV somewhere carping about something. That didn't happen 20 years ago. — George H. W. Bush

This is a fact: Strength in the pursuit of peace is no vice; isolation in the pursuit of security is no virtue. — George H. W. Bush

There are truckloads of broccoli at this very minute descending on Washington. My family is divided. For the broccoli vote out there: Barbara loves broccoli. She has tried to make me eat it. She eats it all the time herself. So she can go out and meet the caravan of broccoli that's coming in. — George H. W. Bush

You have to understand that people that are hurting are going to criticize. — George H. W. Bush

We are not here to enjoy the things on earth, but to pass them around. The people who do it are the happiest people you know! — George H. W. Bush

Communism didn't fall. It was pushed. — George H. W. Bush

I do not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli. — George H. W. Bush

I don't know that atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God. — George H. W. Bush

I just sit ther and do what I vowed I would never do - talk back to the television. — George H. W. Bush

Old guys can still do fun things. — George H. W. Bush

Let's forgive the Nazi war criminals. — George H. W. Bush

Poland should be strong and prosperous and independent and play its proper role as a great nation in the heart of Europe. — George H. W. Bush

We're going to keep trying to strengthen the American family. To make them more like The Waltons and less like The Simpsons. — George H. W. Bush

My grandkids say, "Reality Bites." O.K., but it also challenges and rewards ... I believe our best days are yet to come. — George H. W. Bush

The Persian Gulf crisis has forged a new world order in which the superpower adversaries of the Cold War now stand united to reverse Iraq's conquest of Kuwait ... — George H. W. Bush

I have just repeated word for word the oath taken by George Washington 200 years ago, and the Bible on which I placed my hand is the Bible on which he placed his. It is right that the memory of Washington be with us today, not only because this is our Bicentennial Inauguration, but because Washington remains the Father of our Country. — George H. W. Bush

Education is the key to opportunity. It's a ticket out of poverty. — George H. W. Bush

I'm going to be so much better a president for having been at the CIA that you're not going to believe it. — George H. W. Bush

If the American people knew what we have done, they would string us up from the lamp posts. — George H. W. Bush

War is never cheap or easy. — George H. W. Bush

But the biggest thing that has happened in the world in my life, in our lives, is this: By the grace of God, America won the Cold War. — George H. W. Bush

I can't ever remember sitting around and saying, 'gosh let's hurry up and get these debates going, that'll win it for me.' Nope. — George H. W. Bush

America's freedom is the example to which the world expires. — George H. W. Bush

We are a nation of communities ... a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky. — George H. W. Bush

I don't write letters anymore. — George H. W. Bush

We ought to increase legal immigration for our country's advantage. The high-tech world we are now dominating is dependent on educated folks, but we're short ... of workers. It is to our nation's advantage to encourage high-powered, smart people to come into our country. — George H. W. Bush

I'll be glad to reply to or dodge your questions, depending on what I think will help our election most. — George H. W. Bush

You cannot be President of the United States if you don't have faith. Remember Lincoln, going to his knees in times of trial in the Civil War and all that stuff. — George H. W. Bush

Appeasement does not work. As was the case in the 1930s, we see in Saddam Hussein an aggressive dictator threatening his neighbors. — George H. W. Bush

But let me tell you, this gender thing is history. You're looking at a guy who sat down with Margaret Thatcher across the table and talked about serious issues. — George H. W. Bush

People say I'm indecisive, but I don't know about that. — George H. W. Bush

I want to salute Reverend Moon, who is the founder of The Washington Times and also of Tiempos del Mundo. A lot of my friends in South America don't know about The Washington Times, but it is an independent voice. — George H. W. Bush

If I were to give advice to young people, high-achieving young people for example, I'd have to say, don't neglect your family. Politics is important, sitting at the head table is glamorous. Traveling around the world, trying to do something for world peace was wonderful. But ... Family and friends and faith are what are really matters in life. And I know that. I see it so clearly now. — George H. W. Bush

Our God is a forgiving God. — George H. W. Bush

I put confidence in the American people, in their ability to sort through what is fair and what is unfair, what is ugly and what is unugly. — George H. W. Bush

The potential of this nation is as boundless as the imagination and drive of the American people ... Quality management is not just a step. It must be a new style of working. Even a new style of thinking. The dedication to quality and excellence is more than good business; it's a way of life. — George H. W. Bush

The U.S.S. George H. W. Bush is a great thing in my life. It's amazing. A great honor. — George H. W. Bush

The world can therefore seize the opportunity (the Persian Gulf crisis) to fulfill the long held promise of a New World Order where diverse nations are drawn together in common cause to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind. — George H. W. Bush

Learning is good in and of itself ... the mothers of the Jewish ghettoes of the east would pour honey on a book so the children would know that learning is sweet. And the parents who settled hungry Kansas would take their children in from the fields when a teacher came. — George H. W. Bush

If you have a plan, we want to hear it. Tell your community leaders, your local officials, your governor, and your team in Washington. Believe me, your ideas count. An individual can make a difference. — George H. W. Bush

We consider it vital that the community of nations be drawn together in an orderly, disciplined, rational way to review the history of our global environment, to assess the potential for future climate change, and to develop effective programs. — George H. W. Bush

Time and again in this century, the political map of the world was transformed. And ineach instance a new world order came about through the advent of a new tyrant or the outbreak of a bloody global war, or its end. — George H. W. Bush

Please don't ask me to do that which I've just said I'm not going to do, because you're burning up time. The meter is running through the sand on you, and I am now filibustering. — George H. W. Bush

It is possible to tell things by a handshake. I like the "looking in the eye" syndrome. It conveys interest. I like the firm, though not bone crushing shake. The bone crusher is trying too hard to "macho it." The clammy or diffident handshake - fairly or unfairly - get me off to a bad start with a person. — George H. W. Bush

Well, I think everybody is frustrated by the finances of the U.N. and the inability to solve problems of war and peace. — George H. W. Bush

The notion of political correctness has ignited controversy across the land. And although the movement arises from the laudable desire to sweep away the debris of racism and sexism and hatred it replaces old prejudices with new one. It declares certain topics off-limits, certain expressions off-limits, even certain gestures off-limits. What began as a crusade for civility has soured into a cause of conflict and even censorship. — George H. W. Bush

Don't confuse being 'soft' with seeing the other guy's point of view. — George H. W. Bush

It's amazing how many people beat you at golf now that you're no longer president. — George H. W. Bush

The longer our graduation lines are today, the shorter our unemployment lines will be tomorrow. — George H. W. Bush

Gulf Lesson One is the value of airpower. — George H. W. Bush

Think about every problem, every challenge, we face. The solution to each starts with education. — George H. W. Bush

We have a right to expect a police force that protects our citizens and behaves in a responsible manner ... in the American conscience there is no room for bigotry and racism. — George H. W. Bush

We can find meaning and reward by serving some higher purpose than ourselves, a shining purpose, the illumination of a Thousand Points of Light ... We all have something to give. — George H. W. Bush

As for me, tough duty though it may be, I continue to do my part for the commercial recreation industry. Fishing, boating, tennis, golf, running, hunting, and all of this. Horseshoes. It's tough duty. Somebody has to do it, and I'm going to keep on. — George H. W. Bush

I'm a conservative, but I'm not a nut about it. — George H. W. Bush

Study hard; and you might grow up to be President. But let's face it: Even then, you'll never make as much money as your dog. — George H. W. Bush

If the people were to ever find out what we have done, we would be chased down the streets and lynched. — George H. W. Bush

I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of [CIA] sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious, of traitors. — George H. W. Bush

I will never apologize for the United States of America - I don't care what the facts are. Said after 'Vincennes' shot down an Iranian Airliner. — George H. W. Bush

Courage is a terribly important value. It means you don't run away when things are tough. It means you don't turn away from a friend when he or she is in trouble. It means standing up against the majority opinion ... There's a lot of people who won't wear it on their sleeve, or display it through some heroic act. But courage is having the strength to do what's honorable and decent. — George H. W. Bush

This government to government relationship is the result of sovereign and independent tribal governments being incorporated into the fabric of our Nation, of Indian tribes becoming what our courts have come to refer to as quasi-sovereign domestic dependent nations. Over the years the relationship has flourished, grown, and evolved into a vibrant partnership in which over 500 tribal governments stand shoulder to shoulder with the other governmental units that form our Republic. — George H. W. Bush

America needs to be a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons. — George H. W. Bush

The United States is strongly committed to the IPCC process of international cooperation on global climate change. We consider it vital that the community of nations be drawn together in an orderly, disciplined, rational way to review the history of our global environment, to assess the potential for future climate change, and to develop effective programs. The state of the science, the social and economic impacts, and the appropriate strategies all are crucial components to a global resolution. The stakes here are very high; the consequences, very significant. — George H. W. Bush

The glory of being a carrier pilot has certainly worn off. — George H. W. Bush

I'm not trying to get myself up a notch on the ladder by shoving somebody else down on the ladder, whether it's a candidate or the president of the United States or anybody else. I just don't believe that's the way one oughta campaign, I've never done that. — George H. W. Bush

Each of the patriots whom we remember on this day was first a beloved son or daughter, a brother or sister, or a spouse, friend, and neighbor. — George H. W. Bush

Our nation is the enduring dream of every immigrant who ever set foot on these shores, and the millions still struggling to be free. This nation, this idea called America, was and always will be a new world
our new world. — George H. W. Bush

We also share a profound desire for a lasting peace in the Middle East. My Administration is dedicated to achieving this goal, one which will guarantee Israel security. At the same time, we will do our utmost to defend and protect Israel, for unless Israel is strong and secure, then peace will always be beyond our grasp. We were with Israel at the beginning, 41 years ago. We are with Israel today. And we will be with Israel in the future. No one should doubt this basic committment. — George H. W. Bush

Surely a tired woman on her way to work at six in the morning on a subway deserves the right to get there safely . everyone who changes his or her life because of crime . have been denied a basic civil right. — George H. W. Bush

We have before us the opportunity to forge, for ourselves and for future generations, a New World Order. A world where the rule of law, not the law of the jungle, rules all nations. When we are successful-and we will be-we have a real chance at this New World Order. An order in which a credible United Nations can use its peacekeeping forces to fulfill the promise and vision of its founders. — George H. W. Bush

I stand for anti-bigotry, anti-Semitism, and anti-racism. — George H. W. Bush

A campaign is a disagreement, and disagreements divide. But an election is a decision, and decisions clear the way for harmony and peace. I mean to be president of all the people. — George H. W. Bush

I am not one who - who flamboyantly believes in throwing a lot of words around. — George H. W. Bush

Both must make tangible, immediate steps toward this vision. — George H. W. Bush

Abraham Lincoln truly inspired me. It wasn't just the freeing of the slaves, he kept the Union together. Some people even forget that today. What I think inspired me was the fact that in spite of being the President of the United States he retained a certain down-to-earth quality. He never got to be a big shot, and he cared about people. — George H. W. Bush

To those men and women in business, remember the ultimate end of your work: to make a better product, to create better lives. I ask you to plan for the longer term and avoid that temptation of quick and easy paper profits. — George H. W. Bush

Every loss of life is terrible. — George H. W. Bush

You got to wrestle with your conscience. You got to listen to people. It doesn't come so easy to me that this is right and that's wrong. It's never that simple. — George H. W. Bush

I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions, You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried. — George H. W. Bush

Real improvement in our schools is not simply a matter of spending more, it is a matter of expecting more. — George H. W. Bush

A new breeze is blowing, and a nation refreshed by freedom stands ready to push on. There is new ground to be broken, and new action to be taken. There are times when the future seems thick as a fog; you sit and wait, hoping the mists will lift and reveal the right path. But this is a time when the future seems a door you can walk right through into a room called tomorrow. — George H. W. Bush

As you know, in the 2000 campaign I articulated a point of view that we ought to have personal savings accounts for younger workers that would make sure those younger workers receive benefits equal to or greater than that which is expected, ... I still maintain the same position. — George H. W. Bush

Tell me your Dreams and I'll write you a Fantasy. Tell me your Fantasies and I'll paint you a Dream for the minds eye you can get lost in! — George H. W. Bush

There's a second life involved. No matter what your position is on abortion or the death penalty, you shouldn't put a pregnant woman to death. — George H. W. Bush

The American way of life is not negotiable. — George H. W. Bush

I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the decade beginning January 1, 1990, as the Decade of the Brain. I call upon all public officials and the people of the United States to observe that decade with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. — George H. W. Bush

It's not whether people like you but whether they share the bright dreams ... and understand the heartbeat of the country. — George H. W. Bush