Presidential Quotes

See also Core English Vocabulary (P) Quotes

Appeared on Richard Nixon`s infamous "List of Enemies" during the 1972 presidential election, the only time Hackman was publicly involved in politics. During an interview on "Larry King Live" (1985) in July 2004, Hackman stated that although he is a Democrat, he liked President Ronald Reagan, who had died the previous month.

- Gene Hackman

(from his Presidential Farewell Address): I`ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don`t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That`s how I saw it, and see it still.

- Ronald Reagan

Well, I think because a lot of people don`t know why I`m a Republican, I came first of all from a socialistic country which is Austria and when I came over here in 1968 with the presidential elections coming up in November, I came over in October, I heard a lot of the press conferences from both of the candidates, (Hubert H. Humphrey) and (Richard Nixon), and Humphrey was talking about more government is the solution, protectionism, and everything he said about government involvement sounded to me more like Austrian socialism. Then when I heard Nixon talk about it, he said open up the borders, the consumers should be represented there ultimately and strengthen the military and get the government off our backs. I said to myself, "What is this guy`s party affiliation?" I didn`t know anything at that point. So I asked my friend, "What is Nixon?" He`s a Republican. And I said, "I am a Republican". That`s how I became a Republican."

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

If one vote per precinct had changed in 1960, John Kennedy would never have been President of this nation. And if a few more people had gone to the polls and voted in 1968, Hubert Humphrey would have been President; Richard Nixon would not. - during his closing statement in the 1980 Presidential debate

- Jimmy Carter

(stating that the best moment in the 2004 campaign for Democratic presidential nominee was Howard Dean`s post-Iowa speech) "Because clearly everybody was captivated by it. I think that`s an argument why he should be President, because he can capture everyone`s attention. Listen, George W. Bush was a cheerleader. I`m sure he screamed like that when he was at Yale, and I don`t see why that disqualifies someone from being President. But George Bush did it in a human pyramid.

- Stephen Colbert

The senator is grandstanding, not to provide solutions but to advance her presidential ambitions,

- Edward Cox

(at the 1980 presidential debate, when Jimmy Carter accused him of opposing Medicare): There you go again.

- Ronald Reagan

I don`t know if the presidential candidates are running for the White House or Animal House.

- Bob Hope

One of the most surreal moments in this election was after the third debate, when I heard a talking head say, Al Gore won on substance, on the issues. But you have to give the victory to Bush because he seems presidential.

- Bradley Whitford

A little tough talk in the midst of a campaign or as part of a presidential debate cannot obscure a record of 30 years of being on the wrong side of defense issues.

- Dick Cheney

In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone.

- Donald Rumsfeld

Don`t automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn`t considered key aspects of the issue.

- Donald Rumsfeld

If a prospective Presidential approach can`t be explained clearly enough to be understood well, it probably hasn`t been thought through well enough. If not well understood by the American people, it probably won`t "sail" anyway. Send it back for further thought.

- Donald Rumsfeld

Presidential leadership needn`t always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.

- Donald Rumsfeld

(July 3, 2007) I believe that presidential pardon authority is available to any president, and almost all presidents have exercised it. This (the Libby decision) was clearly an effort to protect the White House. ... There isn`t any doubt now, what we know is that Libby was carrying out the implicit or explicit wishes of the vice president, or maybe the president as well, in the further effort to stifle dissent.

- Hillary Rodham Clinton

I understand personally that it is frustrating to lose presidential elections by narrow margins.

- James Baker

I think 9/11 was the predominant overriding element. And I think that in the end, an awful lot of people were unwilling to switch commander-in-chief in midstream. And it just came down to, sort of, that perception. (Imus in the Morning, February 7, 2005 - on why he believes he lost the 2004 presidential election)

- John Kerry

Ronald Reagan, of course, was a Republican governor of California who went through a painful defeat in the 1976 presidential race before winning four years later.

- Michael Medved

The students who marched against the war, or who march for other things, are by and large not the students who get internships or volunteer for presidential candidates,

- Michael Phillips

(George Washington didn`t have an opponent, but he had a number of sing-along themes, among them) Follow Washington, ... Presidential Campaign Songs, 1789-1996.

- Oscar Brand

I think he did challenge the Democrats, unlike any modern Republican presidential candidate, on the question of the basic direction of American government, particularly as it dealt with domestic policies and domestic economics, ... And it did shift the grounds of the debate.

- Walter Mondale

I think the Democratic Party realizes, having lost two presidential elections, we need to do a better job of creating a farm team.

- John Mahoney

I think that it`s a vital moment now for Russian democracy to convince people that it`s only our actions, our joined actions and protests that could force Kremlin to reconsider its plans to abolish presidential elections.

- Garry Kasparov

I think that the Green Party should run a woman for president in 2008. Under the right circumstances, I`d be happy to be the Vice Presidential candidate of the right Green woman because the Greens take gender equality seriously.

- David Cobb

During the presidential primaries of 1940, I received a request from the Democratic National Committee to sing God Bless America before the speeches.

- Kate Smith

Somebody asked me about the current choice we`re being given in the presidential election. I said, Well, it`s like two of the scariest movies I can imagine.

- Dean Koontz

It was a presidential election year, and as a member of a consortium of Ivy League radio stations, we participated in `network` coverage of election night.

- Andrea Mitchell

I am intent on making this immigration issue part of the national debate during that Presidential election... and I will do that any way I can.

- Tom Tancredo

I?m not usually very impressed with him as a speechmaker, but I thought his speech had most of the right elements for being a really good presidential speech.

- David Barrett

Not a season passes without new disclosures showing Nixon`s numerous attempts at criminal use of his presidential powers and in fact the scorn he held for the rule of law.

- Bob Woodward

The 2004 Election marks the first time in modern political history that Republican voter turnout matched Democratic turnout in a presidential election year.

- Jeff Miller

One of the problems we saw in the last presidential election in our party is that our nominee, while winning the election, which we ought never to forget, often lost sight of the difference between strategy and tactics.

- Paul Begala

At the unveiling at the White House of the presidential portrait, President Bush pointed out that Hillary Clinton was the first sitting Senator in history to have her portrait hanging in the White House.

- Eleanor Clift

I was communications director for (2004 presidential candidate John) Kerry in Florida, and we couldn`t get Bob Menendez there enough to campaign for us.

- Matthew Miller

(Phillips then made what should be the definitive argument against granting Hinckley more time off campus. While the presidential assailant may appear to be free of the demons that caused him to shoot four people in a therapeutic setting, there is really no proof that he has been cured.) His approach, potential infatuation and stalking-like behavior are historical problems, ... His interests with the female staff has been of great concern to the treatment staff ... . He is not cured. He is in recovery, in remission.

- Robert Phillips

On the other side, I do believe that the rhetoric we are seeing from the Democrats today is unprecedented, is a new low in presidential politics and goes beyond political discourse and amounts to political hate speech.

- Ed Gillespie

I am committed to ensure that our 2008 Republican presidential candidates forthrightly address issues of importance to the African-American community.

- Ken Mehlman

Former President Bill Clinton`s presidential library opened this week making it by far the largest and most expensive presidential archive to date.

- John Doolittle

Of all presidential perks, the pardon power has a special significance. It is just the kind of authority that would attract the special attention of someone obsessed with himself and his own ability to influence events.

- Barbara Olson

No candidate can win a presidential race advocating gay marriage and opposing the military action in Iraq.

- Dick Morris

The ferocity with which the presidential press corps went after the Karl Rove story is startling, but it shouldn`t be surprising.

- Howard Fineman

The age of Lincoln and Jefferson memorials is over. It will be presidential libraries from now on.

- Ahmad Smith

In the last half century we haven`t had Presidential leadership that addressed this question in the broadest and most important aspect.

- Alex Johnston

The legions of reporters who cover politics don`t want to quit the clash and thunder of electoral combat for the dry duty of analyzing the federal budget. As a consequence, we have created the perpetual presidential campaign.

- Alexei Pushkov

Federal elections happen every two years in this country. Presidential elections every four years. And four years just isn`t long enough to dismantle all the environmental laws we`ve got in this country.

- Ali Aoun

You know, I respect what Howard Dean has been able to do. It`s good for our party. But I`ve got to tell you this: If money alone decided presidential nominations, Phil Gramm would have been nominated in `96.

- Alice McGrew

After Robert Kennedy`s assassination in 1968, I became a major contributor and fundraiser in Hubert Humphrey`s presidential campaign.

- Alison O'Connor

Sen. Frist has every right, and indeed the duty, to see that every presidential nominee for the Federal bench at every level gets an up or down vote.

- Alison O'Connor

If image is everything, how can the Democratic presidential hopefuls compete with a President fresh from a war victory.

- Allen Burrus

Sooner or later, I need to begin to do what any candidate does in a presidential race; I need to begin to win.

- Allison Comito