George W. Bush Quotes & Sayings

always stressed that the comforts they enjoyed came with a responsibility to give back. — George W. Bush

See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda. — George W. Bush

After 9/11, we had to look at the world differently. After 9/11, we had to recognize that when we saw a threat, we must take it seriously before it comes to hurt us. In the old days we'd see a threat, and we could deal with it if we felt like it or not. But 9/11 changed it all. — George W. Bush

Not over my dead body will they raise your taxes! — George W. Bush

If there's any comparison between the compassion and decency of the American people and the terrorist tactics of extremists, it's flawed logic. It's just I simply can't accept that. It's unacceptable to think that there's any kind of comparison between the behavior of the United States of America and the action of Islamic extremists who kill innocent women and children to achieve an objective. — George W. Bush

But I also made it clear to (Vladimir Putin) that it's important to think beyond the old days of when we had the concept that if we blew each other up, the world would be safe. — George W. Bush

Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me." — George W. Bush

You cannot lead an alliance if you say you're going alone. — George W. Bush

What I am against is quotas. I am against hard quotas, quotas they basically delineate based upon whatever. However they delineate, quotas, I think vulcanize society. So I don't know how that fits into what everybody else is saying, their relative positions, but that's my position. — George W. Bush

The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror ... so today I vetoed it — George W. Bush

I was not elected to serve one party. — George W. Bush

Initiative and referendum make government more responsive to its citizens, neutralize the power of the special interests and stimulate public involvement in state issues. — George W. Bush

The military was providing him (George H.W. Bush) with an education that was not available at Andover or Yale. — George W. Bush

Presidents, whether things are good or bad, get the blame. I understand that. — George W. Bush

This is a different - a different era, a different war, Stretch. So what we're - people are changing phone numbers and phone calls, and they're moving quick. And we've got to be able to detect and prevent. I keep saying that, but this is a - it requires quick action ... — George W. Bush

Well, it's an unimaginable honor to be the president during the Fourth of July of this country. It means what these words say, for starters. The great inalienable rights of our country. We're blessed with such values in America. And I - it's - I'm a proud man to be the nation based upon such wonderful values. — George W. Bush

Democracies don't war; democracies are peaceful countries. — George W. Bush

Freedom is on the march in this world. I believe everybody in the Middle East desires to live in freedom. I believe women in the Middle East want to live in a free society. I believe mothers and fathers want to raise their children in a free and peaceful world. I believe all these things, because freedom is not America's gift to the world, freedom is the almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world. — George W. Bush

Laura and I really don't realize how bright our children is sometimes until we get an objective analysis. — George W. Bush

I encourage all Americans to express admiration and appreciation to fathers. — George W. Bush

We've got a cultural issue in America. We've got to change the whole way the issue is looked at. That's the mission. Some in the political process don't have enough patience for that, and I probably don't either. — George W. Bush

We must take the battle to the enemy, disrupt his plans, and confront the worst threats before they emerge. — George W. Bush

Through much of the last century, America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations. — George W. Bush

All Americans must recognize that the face of terror is not the true faith - face of Islam. Islam is a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world. It's a faith that has made brothers and sisters of every race. It's a faith based upon love, not hate. — George W. Bush

Look, when you're the president, there's all kinds of things said about us. I mean, it's just the nature of the job. — George W. Bush

Children and unborn children should be protected by law and welcomed into life. — George W. Bush

In my first meeting with Vladimir Putin in the spring of 2001, he complained that Russia was burdened by Soviet-era debt. At that point, oil ws selling for $26 per barrel. By the time I saw Putin at the APEC summit in Sydney in September 2007 oil had reached $71
on its way to $137 in the summer of 2008. He leaned back in his chair and asked how were Russia's mortgage-backed securities doing. — George W. Bush

I don't particularly like it when people put words in my mouth, either, by the way, unless I say it. — George W. Bush

I like to tell people when the final history is written on Iraq, it will look like just a comma because there is
my point is, there's a strong will for democracy. — George W. Bush

Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror, while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom. The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop anthrax, and nerve gas, and nuclear weapons for over a decade. This is a regime that has already used poison gas to murder thousands of its own citizens - leaving the bodies of mothers huddled over their dead children. — George W. Bush

What we Republicans should stand for is growth in the economy. We ought to make the pie higher. — George W. Bush

I think we need not only to eliminate the tollbooth to the middle class, I think we should knock down the tollbooth. — George W. Bush

I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. — George W. Bush

So thank you for reminding me about the importance of being a good mom and a great volunteer as well. — George W. Bush

You work three jobs? Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that.
To a divorced mother of three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005 — George W. Bush

I'm also honored to be here with the speaker of the House - just happens to be from the state of Illinois. I'd like to describe the speaker as a trustworthy man. He's the kind of fellow who says when he gives you his word he means it. Sometimes that doesn't happen all the time in the political process. — George W. Bush

People sometimes have to correct my English. I knew I had a problem when Arnold Schwarzenegger started doing it. — George W. Bush

Anyone engaging in illegal financial transactions will be caught and persecuted. — George W. Bush

If you haven't doubted, you probably haven't thought very hard about what you believe, — George W. Bush

The only thing I know about Slovakia is what I learned first-hand from your foreign minister, who came to Texas. — George W. Bush

I would still invade Iraq even if Iraq never existed — George W. Bush

Saddam Hussein's regime is a gray and gathering danger. — George W. Bush

Thank you, your Holiness. Awesome speech. — George W. Bush

And as a result of the United States military, Taliban no longer is in existence. — George W. Bush

The American people are proud to welcome your majesty back to the United States, a nation you've come to know very well. After all you've dined with 10 U.S. presidents. You've helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 -in 1976 — George W. Bush

I don't want nations feeling like that they can bully ourselves and our allies. I want to have a ballistic defense system so that we can make the world more peaceful, and at the same time I want to reduce our own nuclear capacities to the level commiserate with keeping the peace. — George W. Bush

I cut the taxes on everybody. I didn't cut them. The Congress cut them. I asked them to cut them. — George W. Bush

The Islam that we know is a faith devoted to the worship of one God, as revealed through The Holy Qur'an. It teaches the value and the importance of charity, mercy, and peace. — George W. Bush

Iraq has stockpiled biological and chemical weapons, and is rebuilding the facilities used to make more of those weapons ... We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons - the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have. — George W. Bush

If affirmative action means what I just described, what I'm for, then I'm for it. — George W. Bush

People are innocent till proven otherwise. All people are. — George W. Bush

According to Muslim teachings, God first revealed His word in the Holy Qur'an to the prophet, Muhammad, during the month of Ramadan. That word has guided billions of believers across the centuries, and those believers built a culture of learning and literature and science. All the world continues to benefit from this faith and its achievements. — George W. Bush

[TARP] The strategy was a breakthrough intervention in the free market. — George W. Bush

Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children. — George W. Bush

I talked to my little brother, Jeb
I haven't told this to many people. But he's the governor of
I shouldn't call him my little brother
my brother, Jeb, the great Governor of Texas. — George W. Bush

Their sacrifice was great, but not in vain. All Americans and every free nation on earth can trace their liberty to the white markers of places like Arlington National Cemetery. And may God keep us ever grateful. — George W. Bush

It's none of my business what somebody's [orientation is]. Now, when somebody makes it my business, like on gay marriage, I'm going to stand up and say I don't support gay marriage. I support marriage between men and women. — George W. Bush

We got plenty of money in Washington. What we need is more priority. — George W. Bush

There needs to be debates, like we're going through. There needs to be townhall meetings. There needs to be travel. This is a huge country. — George W. Bush

The enemies of liberty and our country should make no mistake: America remains engaged in the world by history and by choice, shaping a balance of power that favors freedom. We will defend our allies and our interests. We will show purpose without arrogance. We will meet aggression and bad faith with resolve and strength. And to all nations, we will speak for the values that gave our nation birth ... an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm. — George W. Bush

Our Founding Fathers understood that our country would survive and flourish if our Nation was committed to good character and an unyielding dedication to liberty and justice for all. — George W. Bush

This was not an act of terrorism, but it was an act of war. — George W. Bush

Tribal sovereignty means that. It's sovereign. You're a ... you're a ... you've been given sovereignty and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. — George W. Bush

Always chew on your pretzels before you swallow. — George W. Bush

Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. — George W. Bush

Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way. — George W. Bush

The resolve of our great nation is being tested. But make no mistake, we will show the world that we will pass the test. — George W. Bush

Yes, we [USA] can be safe and secure, if we stay on the offense against the terrorists and if we spread freedom and liberty around the world. — George W. Bush

I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan .' And I did, and then God would tell me, 'George go and end the tyranny in Iraq ,' and I did. — George W. Bush

We will keep a commitment to pluralism and not discriminate for or against Methodist or Mormons or Muslims or good people with no faith at all. — George W. Bush

I think the fundamentals of the economy are finally in the electronic economy and they are strong are we have reason for great optimism. — George W. Bush

We're supposed to have guns. It says so in the Bible; and the second greatest book ever written, the Texas State Constitution. — George W. Bush

I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to come and witness my hanging. — George W. Bush

Take the life issue. This issue requires a president and an administration leading our nation to understand the importance of life. This whole faith-based initiative really ties into a larger cultural issue that we're working on. It begins to affect the life issue, as well as the human dignity issue, because when you're talking about welcoming people of faith to help people who are disadvantaged and are unable to defend themselves, the logical step is also those babies. — George W. Bush

The true history of my administration will be written 50 years from now, and you and I will not be around to see it. — George W. Bush

I'm not a textbook player. I'm a gut player. — George W. Bush

You subscribe politics to it. I subscribe freedom to it. — George W. Bush

They misunderestimated me. — George W. Bush

I'm not surprised that people are unsettled because of war. The enemy has got a powerful tool, and that is to get on your TV screen by killing innocent people. And my job is to continue to remind the people it's worth it, we're not going to retreat hastily, and we're not going to pull out of there before the job is done. And we have got a plan for victory. — George W. Bush

I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well. — George W. Bush

My pan plays down an unprecedented amount of our national debt. — George W. Bush

It is important that social, political, and religious freedoms grow in China. A society which recognizes religious freedom is a society which will recognize political freedom as well. — George W. Bush

Whatever it took to help Taiwan defend theirself. — George W. Bush

Look at other countries that have tried to have federally controlled health care. They have poor-quality health care. Our health-care system is the envy of the world because we believe in making sure that the decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by officials in the nation's capital. — George W. Bush

I believe that marriage has served society well, and I believe it is important to affirm that, that marriage between a man and a woman is the ideal. And the job of the President is to drive policy toward the ideal. — George W. Bush

I'm mindful in a free society that people can worship if they want to or not. You're equally an American if you choose to worship an almighty and if you choose not to. — George W. Bush

I ask you to uphold the values of America and remember why so many have come here. We're in a fight for our principles, and our first responsibility is to live by them. No one should be singled out for unfair treatment or unkind words because of their ethnic background or religious faith. — George W. Bush

I've coined new words, like, misunderstanding and Hispanically. — George W. Bush

I think it's very important for the American president to mean what he says. That's why I understand that the enemy could misread what I say. That's why I try to be as clearly as I can. — George W. Bush

As hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well - a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world. — George W. Bush

In this job, there are some simple pleasures that really help you cope. One is books, I mean, books are a great escape. Books are a way to get your mind on something else. — George W. Bush

Saddam Hussein is a homicidal dictator who is addicted to weapons of mass destruction. — George W. Bush

It's essential that we do what's right - not necessarily what appears to be immediately popular. — George W. Bush

I had to abandon free market principles in order to save the free market system. — George W. Bush

We either deal with terrorism and this extremism abroad, or we deal with it when it comes to us. — George W. Bush

We don't believe in planners and deciders making the decisions on behalf of Americans. — George W. Bush

First of all, I don't see America having problems. — George W. Bush

I've made it clear, Madam President, that the war against terrorism is not a war against Muslims, nor is it a war against Arabs. It's a war against evil people who conduct crimes against innocent people. — George W. Bush

We're fighting people that hates our values. They can't stand what America stands for. — George W. Bush

A generation of reporters saw the Washington Post win a Pulitzer for exposing the scandal, and many dreamed of being the next Woodward or Bernstein. A strong and skeptical press corps is good for democracy. Often the media's first instinct is to portray every story as a scandal, however, which presents a distorted picture of government and leaves the public cynical. — George W. Bush