"I think we ought to raise the age at which juveniles can have a gun." (St. Louis, MO; Oct. 18, 2000)
"As governor of Texas, I have set high standards for our public schools, and I have met those standards." (CNN online chat; Aug. 30, 2000)
"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." (Washington, DC; Aug. 5, 2004)
"In other words, I don't think people ought to be compelled to make the decision which they think is best for their family." (Washington, DC; Dec. 11, 2002)
"I love the idea of a school in which people come to get educated and stay in the state in which they're educated." (Waco, TX; Aug. 13, 2002)
"I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to come and witness my hanging." (at dedication of his portrait; Austin, TX; Jan. 4, 2002)
"I'm hopeful. I know there is a lot of ambition in Washington, obviously. But I hope the ambitious realize that they are more likely to succeed with success as opposed to failure." (interview with Assoc. Press; Jan. 18, 2002)
"There's a huge trust. I see it all the time when people come up to me and say, 'I don't want you to let me down again.'" (Boston, MA; Oct. 3, 2000)
"Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness." (CNN online chat; Aug. 30, 2000)
"The public education system in America is one of the most important foundations of our democracy. After all, it is where children from all over America learn to be responsible citizens, and learn to have the skills necessary to take advantage of our fantastic opportunistic society." (Santa Clara, CA; May 1, 2002)
"My administration has been calling upon all the leaders in the--in the Middle East to do everything they can to stop the violence, to tell the different parties involved that peace will never happen." (Crawford, TX; Aug. 13, 2001)
"That's why I went to the Congress last September and proposed fundamental-- supplemental funding, which is money for armor and body parts and ammunition and fuel." (Erie, PA; Sep. 4, 2004)
"They have miscalculated me as a leader." (Westminster, CA; Sep. 13, 2000)
"For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three nonfatal shootings. And, folks, this is unacceptable in America. It's just unacceptable. And we're going to do something about it." (Philadelphia, PA; May 14, 2001)
"I want to thank the dozens of welfare-to-work stories, the actual examples of people who made the firm and solemn commitment to work hard to embetter themselves." (Washington, DC; Apr. 18, 2002)
"We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease." (Gothenburg, Sweden; June 14, 2001)
"It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber." (Washington, DC; Apr. 10, 2002)
"I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together." (Bartlett, TX; Aug. 18, 2000)
"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYN's aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country." (Poplar Bluff, MO; Sep. 6, 2004)
"I think if you know what you believe, it makes it a lot easier to answer questions. I can't answer your question." (when asked whether he wished he could take back any of his answers in the first debate; Reynoldsburg, OH; Oct. 4, 2000)
"I mean, if you've ever been a governor of a state, you understand the vast potential of broadband technology, you understand how hard it is to make sure that physics, for example, is taught in every classroom in the state. It's difficult to do. It's, like, cost-prohibitive." (Washington, DC; June 24, 2004)
"I am mindful of the difference between the executive branch and the legislative branch. I assured all four of these leaders that I know the difference, and that difference is, they pass the laws and I execute them." (Washington, DC; Dec. 18, 2000)
"I don't think we need to be subliminable about the differences between our views on prescription drugs." (Orlando, FL; Sep. 12, 2000)
"Natural gas is hemispheric. I like to call it hemispheric in nature because it is a product that we can find in our neighborhoods." (Austin, TX; Dec. 20, 2000)
"I'm the master of low expectations." (aboard Air ForceOne; June 4, 2003)
"If he's--the inferences is that somehow he thinks slavery is a--is a noble institution--I would--I would strongly reject that assumption. That John Ashcroft is an openminded, inclusive person." (NBC Nightly News; Jan. 15, 2001)
"There's only one person who hugs the mothers and the widows, the wives and the kids, upon the death of their loved one. Others hug, but having committed the troops, I've got an additional responsibility to hug and that's me and I know what it's like." (Washington, DC; Dec. 11, 2002)
"I was raised in the West. The west of Texas. It's pretty close to California. In more ways than Washington, DC, is close to California." (Los Angeles; Apr. 8, 2002)
"Will the highways on the Internet become more few?" (Concord, NH; Jan. 29, 2000)
"It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet." (Arlington Heights, IL; Oct. 24, 2000)
"The administration I'll bring is a group of men and women who are focused on what's best for America, honest men and women, decent men and women, women who will see service to our country as a great privilege and who will not stain the house." (Des Moines, IA; Jan. 15, 2000)
"The legislature's job is to write law. It's the executive branch's job to interpret law." (Austin, TX; Nov. 22, 2000)
"Over the long term, the most efficient way to conserve energy is by using energy more efficiently." (Radio address; May 12, 2001)
"Columbia carried in its payroll classroom experiments from some of our students in America." (Bethesda, MD; Feb. 3, 2003)
"We want to develop defenses that are capable of defending ourselves and defenses capable of defending others." (Washington, DC; Mar. 29, 2001)
"They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some kind of federal program." (St. Charles, MO; Nov. 2, 2000)
"The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the--the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice." (Washington, DC; Oct. 28, 2003)
"I was a prisoner, too, but for bad reasons." (Monterrey, Mexico; Jan. 13, 2004)
"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." (La Crosse, WI; Oct. 18, 2000)
"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." (Washington, DC; Dec. 18, 2002)
"We have practically banished religious values and religious institutions from the public square and constructed a 'discountfort zone' for even discussing our faith in public settings." (Milwaukee, WI; Sep. 9, 2000)
"I want to appreciate those of you who wear our nation's uniform for your sacrifice." (Jacksonville, FL; Jan. 14, 2005)
"If the terriers and bariffs are torn down, this economy will grow." (Rochester, NY; Jan. 7, 2000)
"I'm honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam Hussein." (Washington, DC; May 25, 2004)
"First, let me make it very clear, poor people aren't necessarily killers. Just because you happen to be not rich doesn't mean you're willing to kill." (Washington, DC; May 19, 2003)
"The best way to relieve families from time is to let them keep some of their own money." (Westminster, CA; Sep. 13, 2000)
"This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. And having said that, all the options are on the table." (Brussels, Belgium; Feb. 22, 2005)
"A lot of times in the rhetoric, people forget the facts. And the facts are that thousands of small businesses--Hispanically owned or otherwise--pay taxes at the highest marginal rate." (to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Washington, DC; Mar. 19, 2001)
"One of my hardest parts of my job is to console the family members who have lost their life." (Washington, DC; Apr. 13, 2004)
"We need an energy bill that encourages consumption." (Trenton, NJ; Sep. 23, 2002)
"Those of us who spent time in the agricultural sector and in the heartland, we understand how unfair the death penalty is." (Omaha, NE; Feb. 28, 2001)
"... and after this day, our secretaries, respective secretaries, will continue to interact to create the conditions necessary for prosperity to reign." (Washington, DC; May 19, 2003)
"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?" (Florence, SC; Jan. 11, 2000)
"Redefining the role of the United States from enablers to keep the peace to enablers to keep the peace from peacekeepers is going to be an assignment." (interview with the New York Times; Jan. 14, 2001)
"We're concerned about AIDS inside our White House--make no mistake about it." (Washington, DC; Feb. 7, 2001)
"There's no cave deep enough for America, or dark enough to hide." (Oklahoma City, OK; Aug. 29, 2002)
"By the way, we rank tenth amongst the industrialized world in broadband technology and its availability. That's not good enough for America. Tenth is ten spots too low, as far as I'm concerned." (Minneapolis, MN; Apr. 26, 2004)
"The most important job is not to be governor, or First Lady in my case." (Pella, IA; Jan. 30, 2000)
"My job is to, like, think beyond the immediate." (Washington, DC; Apr. 21, 2004)
"I want each and every American to know for certain that I'm responsible for the decisions I make, and each of you are as well." (Live with Regis; Sep. 20, 2000)
"We need to apply twenty-first-century information technology to the health-care field. We need to have our medical records put on the IT." (Collinsville, IL; Jan. 5, 2005)
"The illiteracy level of our children are appalling." (Washington, DC; Jan. 23, 2004)
"The folks who conducted to act on our country on September 11 made a big mistake. They underestimated America. They underestimated our resolve, our determination, our love for freedom. They misunderestimated the fact that we love a neighbor in need. They misunderestimated the compassion of our country. I think they misunderestimated the will and determination of the commander in chief, too." (Langley, VA; Sep. 26, 2001)
"Laura and I really don't realize how bright our children is sometimes until we get an objective analysis." (CNBC; Apr. 15, 2000)
"My pan plays down an unprecedented amount of our national debt." (budget address to Congress; Feb. 27, 2001)
"The only thing I know about Slovakia is what I learned firsthand from your foreign minister, who came to Texas." (to a Slovakian journalist, though Bush's meeting was with Janez Drnovsek, the prime minister of Slovenia; June 22, 1999)
"And, most importantly, Alma Powell, secretary of Colin Powell, is with us." (Washington, DC; Jan. 30, 2003)
"How do you know if you don't measure if you have a system that simply suckles kids through?" (explaining the need for educational accountability, Beaufort, SC; Feb. 16, 2000)
"I was proud the other day when both Republicans and Democrats stood with me in the Rose Garden to announce their support for a clear statement of purpose: You disarm, or we will." (speaking about Saddam Hussein, Manchester, NH; Oct. 5, 2002)
"See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction." (Milwaukee, WI; Oct. 3, 2003)
"Our priorities is our faith." (Greensboro, NC; Oct. 10, 2000)
"They can get in line like those who have been here legally and have been working to become a citizenship in a legal manner." (referring to immigrant workers; Washington, DC; Dec. 20. 2004)
"I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well." (Washington, DC; Jan. 29, 2001)
"People make suggestions on what to say all the time. I'll give you an example: I don't read what's handed to me. People say, 'Here, here's your speech,' or 'Here's an idea for a speech." They're changed. Trust me." (interview with the New York Times; Mar. 15, 2000)
"God loves you, and I love you. And you can count on both of us as a powerful message that people who wonder about their future can hear." (Los Angeles, CA; Mar. 3, 2004)
"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." (Washington, DC; May 1, 2001)
"It is clear our nation is reliant upon big foreign oil. More and more of our imports come from overseas." (Beaverton, OR; Sep. 25, 2000)
"The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorize himself." (Grand Rapids, MI; Jan. 29, 2002)
"We cannot let terrorists and rogue nations hold this nation hostile or hold our allies hostile." (Des Moines, IA; Aug. 21, 2000)
"After all, Europe is America's closest ally." (Mainz, Germany; Feb. 23, 2005)
"See, we love--we love freedom. That's what they didn't understand. They hate things; we love things. They act out of hatred; we don't seek revenge, we seek justice out of love." (Oklahoma City, OK; Aug. 29, 2002)
"One of the common denominators I have found is that expectations rise above that which is expected." (Los Angeles, CA; Sep. 27, 2000)
"As you know, these are open forums; you're able to come and listen to what I have to say." (Washington, DC; Oct. 28, 2003)
"It's very interesting when you think about it, the slaves who left here to go to America, because of their steadfast and their religion and their belief in freedom, helped change America." (Dakar, Senegal; July 8, 2003)
"And so, in my State of the--my State of the Union--or state--my speech to the nation, whatever you want to call it, speech to the nation--I asked Americans to give 4000 years--4000 hours over the next--the rest of your life--of sevice to America. That's what I asked--4000 hours." (Bridgeport, CT; Apr. 9, 2002)
"The senator has got to understand if he's going to have--he can't have it both ways. He can't take the high horse and then claim the low road." (Florence, SC; Feb. 17, 2000)
"The Senate needs to leave enough money in the proposed budget to not only reduce all marginal rates, but to eliminate the death tax, so that people who build up assets are able to transfer them from one generation to the next, regardless of a person's race." (Washington, DC; Apr. 5, 2001)
"I've coined new words, like 'misunderstanding' and 'Hispanically'." (Radio-Television Correspondents Asso. dinner; Washington, DC; Mar. 29, 2001)
"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test." (Townsend, TN; Feb. 21, 2001)
"There is book smart and the kind of smart that helps do calculus. But smart is also instinct and judgment and common sense. Smart comes in all kinds of different ways." (CNN; Sep. 19, 2000)
"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." (Saginaw, MI; Sep. 29, 2000)
"Russia is no longer our enemy, and therefore we shouldn't be locked into a Cold War mentality that says we keep the peace by blowing each other up. In my attitude, that's old, that's tired, that's stale." (Des Moines, IA; June 8, 2001)
"I have said that the sanction regime is like Swiss cheese--that meant that they weren't very effective." (Washington, DC; Feb. 22, 2001)
"We thought we were protected forever from trade policy or terrorist attacks because oceans protected us." (speech to business leaders at APEC Summit; Santiago, Chile; Nov. 20, 2004)
"Governor Bush will not stand for the subsidation of failure." (Florence, SC; Jan. 11, 2000)
"There's no doubt in my mind that we should allow the world's worst leaders to hold America hostage, to threaten our peace, to threaten our friends and allies with the world's worst weapons." (South Bend, IN; Sep. 5, 2002)
"Secondly, the tactics of our--as you know, we don't have relationships with Iran. I mean, that's--ever since the late '70s, we have no contacts with them, and we've totally sanctioned them. In other words, there's no sanctions--you can't--we're out of sanctions." (Annandale, VA; Aug. 9, 2004)
"You see, the Senate wants to take away some of the powers of the administrative branch." (Washington, DC; Sep. 19, 2002)
"It's a time of sorrow and sadness when we lose a loss of life." (Washington, DC; Dec. 21, 2004)
"Security is the essential roadblock to achieving the road map to peace." (Washington, DC; July 25, 2003)
"For a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times." (Tokyo, Japan; Feb. 18, 2002)
"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family." (Nashau, NH; Jan. 27, 2000)
"Not over my dead body will they raise your taxes." (Ontario, CA; Jan. 5, 2002)
"One of the great things about books is, sometimes there are some fantastic pictures." (US New & World Report; Jan. 3, 2000)
"And so, during these holiday seasons, we thank our blessings ..." (Fort Belvoir, VA; Dec. 10, 2004)
"And there's no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail." (Washington, DC; Oct. 4, 2001)
"Obviously, I pray every day there's less casualty." (Fort Hood, TX; Apr. 11, 2004)
"There's an old saying in Tennessee--I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee --that says, Fool me once, shame on--shame on you. Fool me--you can't get fooled again." (Nashville, TN; Sep. 17, 2002)