Laura Bush Quotes & Sayings

It's not easy to have the job of president. It's not easy to run for it. And it's not a job for the feint of heart. — Laura Bush

Well, we've faced very difficult decisions and challenges in our country, every one of us have, as we - since September 11th, as we fought the war on terror, all of those decisions that the President had to make to put young men and women in harm's way. — Laura Bush

AIDS respects no national boundaries; spares no race or religion; devastates men and women, rich and poor.No country can ignore this crisis. Fighting AIDS is an urgent calling - because every life, in every land, has value and dignity. — Laura Bush

We all, parents, educators, community leaders, and every ... citizen, need to come together to find new ways to engage children with the natural environment. — Laura Bush

We see all around the world where women's rights are denied, where governments don't believe in educating their girls. There are 800 million people in the world who are illiterate and 75 percent of them are women and girls. — Laura Bush

Jenna's traveled with me; they've both traveled with their dad. This is the only time they've been old enough in all of their dad's campaigns to really be involved in. — Laura Bush

The fight against terrorism is also a fight for the rights and dignity of women. — Laura Bush

I said, 'George, if you really want to end tyranny in this world, you're going to have to stay up later.' Nine o'clock and Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep ... — Laura Bush

I mean, the part you don't like, I mean, that's the only part. That's the part no one likes, and that is the criticisms, and the unfair criticisms, I might add, of my husband. But that's also just a fact of life in politics. — Laura Bush

Every child in American should have access to a well-stocked school library. — Laura Bush

I'm inspired by my faith and all the different people around me. — Laura Bush

When we look around the world today, when we see in Afghanistan that 10 million people have registered to vote in their upcoming elections, including 40 percent of those people are women, that's just unbelievable. — Laura Bush

I think disease and all the things that we treat are tied to national security in a lot of ways that we maybe don't realize or that the American people don't realize. If other countries have a chance to be stable, then that helps us. If there are ways we can prevent if there are ways we can help other countries defeat diseases, we're about to totally eradicate polio. And can you imagine? That would be so terrific. — Laura Bush

It's really important for people who are HIV positive to reach out to let other people know that they can be tested, they can find out they can still live a life
a positive life, a happy life. — Laura Bush

Though my plans at the moment are vague, I can assure you that I'll never run for the Senate in New York. — Laura Bush

In almost every single way, George and I share the same values. And if we differ on some issues, it's very, very minor. — Laura Bush

But you know, it's not easy when your husband runs for president. I mean, it's not easy for me. I'm sure it's not easy for her. There's a lot of scrutiny on families that isn't always wanted. — Laura Bush

In fact, I have the privilege of traveling around our country and meeting people all over the country who are making a huge difference in the lives of their neighbors and themselves. That's what I'm really fortunate to be able to do. — Laura Bush

There are a lot of women that I think are very powerful and would be great presidents. — Laura Bush

Nothing attracts attention like a red dress. — Laura Bush

Women have a better chance to secure freedom and protect themselves from violence, from abuse, from injustice, if they are well-educated and know their rights. — Laura Bush

I was so fortunate. My parents lived lives of service. They helped other people, that was their second nature; it came to them so naturally. It wasn't forced. This is their character, and it's a big advantage I have, being raised by people like this, having a secure and stable life, and a lot of love and encouragement. — Laura Bush

Educated people can make their own choices about their governments. And certainly for women, an education allows you to understand your rights. — Laura Bush

A good book is like an unreachable itch. You just can't leave it alone. — Laura Bush

If you take the burden of health care, of diseases off the backs of some other countries, it gives them a chance to use their own very limited resources in ways that help their people. And also there's a hopelessness associated with deadly diseases, that if that can be alleviated, people can build their own economies in their own countries and they'll be less reliant on the developed world for help. — Laura Bush

I mean, it's fun for us to talk about issues. You know, there's no one issue we spend a lot of time on probably, because he gets to do that all day with somebody else who's a lot more expert at issues than I am. — Laura Bush

An educated child is better equipped to handle all the challenges of life, from finding work to avoiding diseases like HIV/AIDS. — Laura Bush

We know how unhealthy it is. I know what happens, though - young women start smoking because they don't think they're really going to keep smoking. — Laura Bush

It's really important for boys to have a father around, or a grandfather, or an uncle - a man they can really relate to who loves them, and who they know loves them. — Laura Bush

In contrast to my husband, I can pronounce the word nuclear. — Laura Bush

I was born upon the prairie, where the wind blew free, and there was nothing to break the light of the sun. I was born where there were no enclosures, and where everything drew a free breath.
the Great Comanche war chief, Ten Bears — Laura Bush

Girls learn how to relate to men from the way their fathers love them. And if their fathers really love them and want the very best for them, then they've seen that kind of good behavior that they'd want in a husband. — Laura Bush

Libraries offer, for free, the wisdom of the ages
and sages
and, simply put, there's something for everyone inside. — Laura Bush

As long as we have books, we are not alone. — Laura Bush

We can overcome evil with greater good. — Laura Bush

The English language lacks the words to mourn an absence. For the loss of a parent, grandparent, spouse, child or friend, we have all manner of words and phrases, some helpful some not. Still we are conditioned to say something, even if it is only "I'm sorry for your loss." But for an absence, for someone who was never there at all, we are wordless to capture that particular emptiness. For those who deeply want children and are denied them, those missing babies hover like silent ephemeral shadows over their lives. Who can describe the feel of a tiny hand that is never held? — Laura Bush

I think doctors have really come up to speed and understand that more women than men die of heart disease. [But] all the research on heart disease has really been based on men, and needs to be updated with research on women - even very early-stage research is done using male rats! — Laura Bush

What I want for children in our country and around the world is safe, stable and loving homes. — Laura Bush

I was the same way after graduating with a degree in education. I started to teach and I was wondering: do I really know how to teach? — Laura Bush

There's a very close tie between good health and good education. — Laura Bush

Any first lady can do whatever they want to do. In this country, people expect them to work on whatever they want or to have a career of their own. — Laura Bush

When I heard that heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined - when I heard that, I knew. The other thing that's very important is that heart disease ... is preventable. There are some specific lifestyle changes that women can make: losing weight, not smoking, exercising, eating healthy foods. Knowing the risk factors: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, [being] overweight. And if you have heart disease in your family, you should see your doctor. Because this disease is preventable. — Laura Bush

We seldom give each other advice-I think that's the success of 25 years of marriage. — Laura Bush

No one likes to be criticized. — Laura Bush

I also know that there are a lot of people around the United States who want my husband to win and who are for him and who support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. And I feel good about those people, too. — Laura Bush

I'm not wild about the term first lady. I'd just like to be called Laura Bush. — Laura Bush

Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open. — Laura Bush

Leadership is not about popularity, it is about doing what is right. — Laura Bush

Politics is a people business. I like people. — Laura Bush

A love of books, of holding a book, turning its pages, looking at its pictures, and living its fascinating stories goes hand-in-hand with a love of learning. — Laura Bush

As parents, the most important thing we can do
is read to our children early and often. Reading
is the path to success in school and life. When
children learn to love books, they learn to love
learning. — Laura Bush

Well, I think that we ought to definitely look at it and debate it. I think there are a lot of people who have trouble coming to terms with that because they see marriage as traditionally being between a man and a woman. But I also know that when couples are committed to each other and love each other, that they ought to have, I think, the same sort of rights that everyone has. — Laura Bush

For countries to succeed, for democracies to succeed, the women and men in those countries need to be free. Women and men need to know their rights. — Laura Bush

The ages between birth and age 5 are
the foundation upon which successful
lives are built. — Laura Bush

Research shows us that children who are read to from a very early age are more likely to begin reading themselves at an early age. They're more likely to excell in school. They're more likely to graduate secondary school and go to college. — Laura Bush

Diseases don't respect borders. You know, just at the edge of the American border, that isn't the edge of diseases. We need to be sure that we're looking worldwide. And it is in our security interest, as well as our moral interest, to pay attention to the rest of the world. — Laura Bush

I have always admired organizations that help children grow and learn, and organizations that protect and shelter children when no one else does. And I wanted to draw attention to these organizations and recognize the contributions they were making to the country and to our children in particular. — Laura Bush

I don't really feel like I have to have a debate with my husband over issues. — Laura Bush

They're great girls. They're very funny, they're very smart, they're fun to be with. They're very lively, as I think people can tell. And you know, they're very confident girls. — Laura Bush

I like politics. I like traveling in the United States. — Laura Bush

Children who are read to learn two things: First, that reading is worthwhile, and second, that they are worthwhile. — Laura Bush

If I'm just at the White House, I have meetings in my office, I sign letters, I plan different things. Late in the afternoon, I'll quit working and wait for my husband to get home. — Laura Bush

When you read with your child, you show them that reading is important, but you also show them they're important - that they are so important to you that you will spend 20 minutes a day with your arm around them. — Laura Bush

I've always loved children. When I was working with children as a librarian, I loved being with them and working around them. — Laura Bush

I don't like that, because there are a lot of people whose works I admire as actors or actresses, or musicians. And you know, I've been a big fan of different musicians or actors. — Laura Bush

I turned to books for comfort. (Former First Lady, Laura Bush) — Laura Bush

It's really important, obviously, for people to realize that it is a very small percentage, only 1 percent of our total economy, of our total budget, and I think that's important for people to know. But I also know that Americans are very generous and that many, many Americans are proud that their taxpayer dollar has saved lives in Africa through the president's malaria initiative or through PEPFAR, the emergency relief plan for AIDS. — Laura Bush

Any criticism of someone you love is hard to take ... — Laura Bush

I also want to encourage anybody who was affected by Hurricane Corina to make sure their children are in school. — Laura Bush

Maybe it is the media that has us divided. — Laura Bush

I see that one part of the education of women is health education. We know that women who are educated have much healthier families ... — Laura Bush

In many developing countries, girls don't go to school. They stay home. They are at the water wells, bringing water back and forth to the village. Or they are doing chores, preparing meals, farming. Some cultures think girls and women shouldn't be educated, and those are very often the places where the treatment of women and girls is the worst. — Laura Bush

Children know that if they have a question about the world, the library is the place to find the answer. And someone will always be there to help them find the answer-our librarians. (A librarian's) job is an important one. Our nation runs on the fuel of information and imagination that libraries provide. And they are in charge of collecting and sharing this information in a helpful way. Librarians inform the public, and by doing so, they strengthen our great democracy. — Laura Bush

There is nothing political about American literature. — Laura Bush

I think there are a lot of reasons to be critical of the media in America. — Laura Bush

Education is spreading hope. Millions are now learning to live with HIV/AIDS - instead of waiting to die from it. — Laura Bush

Time spent in nature decreases stress and anxiety and improves focus for adults as well as children. — Laura Bush

My husband and I have always incorporated things into our life that reduce stress. We're very careful with our health. We go to bed early. In this job, fatigue would be very detrimental! We've always eaten very healthily; now it's really particularly easy because we have a chef. — Laura Bush

The National Book Festival is a great way for families and friends to share the creative works of some of America's most-loved authors, .. Readers of all ages can listen to favorite writers speaking about their books, have books autographed, meet many storybook characters and enjoy a day on the National Mall. — Laura Bush

Giving homeless children the chance to be educated, giving them this ticket to their futures, is so wonderful. They will have the chance to not repeat the suffering of their childhoods in their own families. They can build secure and safe lives for themselves and their children. — Laura Bush

The National Federation of Republican Women has a long history of helping bring women into the political process while promoting the Republican cause. — Laura Bush

I like this idea of generation after generation helping children on the streets, kids who have run away fleeing violence. I like the whole idea of opening arms for children who have nowhere else to go, sleeping by dumpsters. — Laura Bush

I would never do anything to undermine my husband's point of view. — Laura Bush

I think it's important that (Roe v. Wade) remain legal for medical reasons and other reasons. — Laura Bush

Books are important. They help you sleep at night. — Laura Bush

It was an honor and a thrill to have the chance to meet His Holiness, Pope Benedict, and then to have lunch with Prime Minister Berlusconi ... I think Italy and the U. S. have a very strong friendship and relationship, and I'm proud of that. — Laura Bush

When you reach out to others in need, when you reach out to the world, you really do have a satisfying life by helping others. — Laura Bush

Bluffton is growing. But we must hold on to that small-town character. — Laura Bush

My mother was my Girl Scout leader, and George's mother was his Cub Scout leader. In fact, that's when some say her hair turned white. — Laura Bush

We always get up about 5:30, and George gets up and goes in and gets the coffee and brings it to me, and that's been our ritual since we got married. And we read the newspapers in bed and drink coffee for about an hour probably, read our briefing papers. — Laura Bush

Certainly the women's health part is something that I've become very interested in. It's not something I thought about when George [Bush] was elected ... what I'd always been interested in was education. — Laura Bush

I have found the most valuable thing in my wallet is my library card. — Laura Bush

All people need to know how AIDS is transmitted, and every country has an obligation to educate its citizens. This is why every country must also improve literacy, especially for women and girls, so that they can make wise choices that will keep them healthy and safe. — Laura Bush

It's a huge advantage to have parents who read to you. And it's an advantage that lasts a lifetime. — Laura Bush

There are gender health differences, and we need to know what they are. — Laura Bush

But we talk about issues, we talk about people, we talk about personalities. George is a very good reader of people, and he's very perceptive about people, and you know, that's fine. — Laura Bush

We need to alert women everywhere about the seriousness of heart disease. — Laura Bush

You know, there are a lot of would-be governors of Texas sitting around today who never took the opportunity to get into a race when the time was right. — Laura Bush

When I was in my 20s, I was a bookworm - spent 12 hours of the day in the library. How I met George, I'll never know. — Laura Bush