Welcome to our collection of quotes by George W. Bush.
Wikipedia Summary for George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush previously served as the 46th governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. He was born into the Bush family; his father, George H. W. Bush, was the 41st president of the United States from 1989 to 1993.
As the eldest son of Barbara and George H. W. Bush, he is the second son of a former United States president to himself become president, with the first being John Quincy Adams, the son of John Adams. He flew warplanes in the Texas and Alabama Air National Guard. After graduating from Yale College in 1968 and Harvard Business School in 1975, he worked in the oil industry. Bush married Laura Welch in 1977 and unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives shortly thereafter. He later co-owned the Texas Rangers baseball team before defeating incumbent Ann Richards in the 1994 Texas gubernatorial election. As governor, Bush successfully sponsored legislation for tort reform, increased education funding, set higher standards for schools, and reformed the criminal justice system. Bush also helped make Texas the leading producer of wind powered electricity in the U.S. Bush was elected president in 2000 when he defeated Democratic incumbent Vice President Al Gore after a narrow and contested win that involved a Supreme Court decision to stop a recount in Florida. He became the fourth person to be elected president without a popular vote victory.
Upon taking office, Bush pushed through a $1.3 trillion tax cut program and the No Child Left Behind Act, a major education reform bill. He also pushed for socially conservative efforts, such as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act and faith-based welfare initiatives. In response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, Bush created the Department of Homeland Security and launched a "War on Terror" that began with the war in Afghanistan in 2001. He also signed into law the controversial Patriot Act in order to authorize surveillance of suspected terrorists. In 2003, Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq, beginning the Iraq War, with his administration arguing that the Saddam Hussein regime possessed an active weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program, and that the Iraqi government posed a threat to the U.S. Some administration officials falsely claimed that Hussein had an operational relationship with Al-Qaeda, the perpetrators of the 9/11 attack. No stockpiles of WMDs or an active WMD program were ever found in Iraq. Bush also signed into law the Medicare Modernization Act, which created Medicare Part D, and funding for the AIDS relief program known as PEPFAR.
Bush was re-elected to a second term in the 2004 presidential election, defeating Democratic Senator John Kerry in a close race. During his second term, Bush reached multiple free trade agreements and successfully nominated John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. He sought major changes to Social Security and immigration laws, but both efforts failed in Congress. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continued, and in 2007 he launched a surge of troops in Iraq. Bush received criticism from across the political spectrum for his handling of Hurricane Katrina and for the midterm dismissal of U.S. attorneys. In the midst of it, the Democratic Party regained control of Congress in the 2006 elections. In December 2007, the U.S. entered the Great Recession, prompting the Bush administration to obtain congressional approval for multiple economic programs intended to preserve the country's financial system, including the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to buy toxic assets from financial institutions.
Bush was among the most popular, as well as unpopular, U.S. presidents in history; he received the highest recorded approval ratings in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, but one of the lowest such ratings during the 2008 financial crisis. Bush finished his second term in office in 2009 and returned to Texas. In 2010, he published his memoir, Decision Points. His presidential library opened in 2013. His presidency has been rated as below-average in historical rankings of U.S. presidents, although his public favorability ratings have improved since leaving office.
In the corporate world, sometimes things aren't exactly black and white when it comes to accounting procedures.
When you ride a bike and you get your heart rate up and you're out, after 30 or 40 minutes your mind tends to expand; it tends to relax.
Murdering the innocent to advance an ideology is wrong every time everywhere.
In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.
We think it is in our nation's interest that Afghan women -- or any women around the world -- not suffer.
If someone came to me and said, Your strategy in your post-presidency is brilliant, as if I had figured out a way to make me look better, to me, that analysis is amusing.
We're concerned about AIDS inside our White House, make no mistake about it.
One of the biggest sacrifices in running for President, if there is one, is the loss of anonymity.
I realize I will never regain my anonymity but I can certainly give it a try. And it's a lot of fun to give it a try.
We're coming with a mighty force to end the reign of your oppressors. We are coming to bring you food and medicine and a better life. And we are coming and we will not stop, we will not relent until your country is free.
The contrast couldn't be clearer between the intentions and the hearts of those of us who care deeply about human rights and human liberty and those who kill. on the terrorist bombings in London, July 7, 2005.
We run a danger of trying to say the casualties are less than other wars or more than expected. It's just everybody matters, every person matters, and what really matters is having the strategy and the will to make sure any death is not -
is honored by achieving an objective.
The United States of America stands for: the ability for people to worship freely, the ability for people to vote and to express their opinion freely is something we hold dear.
There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment and expose the pretensions of tyrants and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant. And that is the force of human freedom.
We hope that diplomacy works before you ever use force. The hardest decision a president makes is ever to use force.
I hear a lot of talk about civil war. I'm concerned about that, of course. And I've talked to a lot of people about it. And what I've found from my talks are that the Iraqis want a unified country and that the Iraqi leadership is determined to thwart the efforts of the extremists and the radicals.
Our job is to help Iraq forces be better equipped, to help their police be able to deal with these extremists and to help their government succeed.
No matter how advanced our economy might be, no matter how sophisticated our equipment becomes, for the foreseeable future we will still depend on fossil fuels.
It is no accident that the rise of so many democracies took place in a time when the world's most influential nation was itself a democracy.
I'm going to be involved with freedom; I'm going to be involved in the marketplace; I'm going to be involved in the accountability in schools.
I'm forever a former president and I understand that, but at this point in my post-presidency, I don't want to be involved with politics.
There are some who feel like -- that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring 'em on! We've got the force necessary.
Islam is a faith that brings comfort to people. It inspires them to lead lives based on honesty, and justice, and compassion.
There's no such thing as legacies. At least, there is a legacy, but I'll never see it.
We look forward to analyzing and working with legislation that will make -- it would hope -- put a free press's mind at ease that you're not being denied information you shouldn't see.
I served. And now it's time for the new man to serve. I have zero desire to be in the limelight.
Those who heralded the decision not to give law enforcement the tools necessary to protect the American people just simply don't see the world the way we do.
Our law enforcement must have every tool necessary to find and disrupt terrorists at home and abroad. That's the task of the 21st century.
If there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. If the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of.
I'd also remind people, if I were running for Presidency, that a long-term problem facing the budget is Social Security and Medicare.
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.
The terrorists believe that free societies are essentially corrupt and decadent and, with a few hard blows, they can force us to retreat. They are mistaken.
In my judgment, the only way to deal with terrorists is to stay on the offensive, is to find them and bring them to justice before they hurt us again.
Mr. Vice President, in all due respect, it is-I'm not sure 80 percent of the people get the death tax. I know this: 100 percent will get it if I'm the president.
We really don't need the United Nations approval to act. When it comes to our security, we do not need anyones permission.
I've got a job to do, and I'm going to be judged upon whether or not the world is more peaceful and whether or not America is more prosperous and more compassionate.
In times of war and in hours of crisis, Senator Kerry has turned his back on 'pay any price' and 'bear any burden', and he's replaced those commitments with 'wait and see' and 'cut and run'.
I mean, there was a serious international effort to say to Saddam Hussein: 'You're a threat'. And the 9 11 attacks accentuated that threat, as far as I'm concerned.
I teamed up with the PGA of America to help promote a weekend of golf that raises scholarship money for kids who lost a parent or whose parent was severely wounded in combat.
Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It's a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It's also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend-even a friend whose name it never knew.
The business pages of American newspapers should not read like a scandal sheet.
Over my tenure as governor, I have come not only to respect the political muscle of the Federation; I've come to respect the brains. All of us depend on your efforts and energies.
Nobody's ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq. I have suggested, however, that resentment and the lack of hope create the breeding grounds for terrorists who are willing to use suiciders to kill, to achieve an objective. I have made that case.
You know, nobody likes to see innocent people die. Nobody wants to turn on their TV on a daily basis and see havoc wrought by terrorists.
I think, not only Al Qaida have an ideology; they have tactics necessary to spread their ideology. And it would be a huge mistake for the United States to leave the region, to concede territory to the terrorists, to not confront them.
There are a lot of tactical decisions that, if I could have done them over, I would have.
I strongly believe what we're doing is the right thing. If I didn't believe it -- I'm going to repeat what I said before -- I'd pull the troops out, nor if I believed we could win, I would pull the troops out.
The law I sign today directs new funds and new focus to the task of collecting vital intelligence on terrorist threats and on weapons of mass production.
In spite of the fact that at times I would challenge parents authority. They provided unconditional love.
In order for the U.N. to be effective, there must be consequences if people thumb their nose at the United Nations Security Council. And we will work with people on the Security Council to achieve that objective.
I want to live out principles that became a part of my life in my 40s, 50s, and 60s. One principle is the universality of freedom.
On the issue of evolution, the verdict is still out on how God created the Earth.
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.
Uhh Gosh, I.. don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those, uhh, exaggerations.
Somebody accused us of hiring him and putting him there. He was a classic.
This is a very difficult assignment for the United States, to hang in there and help this young democracy survive.
If affirmative action means what I just described, what I'm for, then I'm for it.
I have zero desire to be in the limelight.
Longer Version:
I have zero desire, just so you know, to be in the limelight. I don't think it's good for the country to have a former president criticize his successor. You're not going to see me giving my opinions in the public arena, until I start selling my book. I'm going to emerge then submerge.
The resolution approved today presents the Iraqi regime with a test -- a final test.
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.
States like (Iraq, Iran, and North Korea), and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.
I was taught that we should look after the beam in our own eye before searching for the mote in someone else's.
The work in Iraq is difficult and it is dangerous. Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed. Every picture is horrifying, and the suffering is real.
Saddam built up a massive war machine while neglecting the basic needs of his own people.
It was much easier for me to endure the belittling than it was to watch my dad get belittled.
The terrorists do not understand America. The American people do not falter under threat, and we will not allow our future to be determined by car bombers and assassins.
These stories about my intellectual capacity really get under my skin. You know, for a while I even thought my staff believed it. There on my schedule first thing every morning it said, 'Intelligence Briefing.'
The press in America has never been stronger and never been freer and never been more vibrant, sometimes to my chagrin, and a lot of times to my delight.
Russia's most precious resource is the brain power of this country. And you've got a lot of it. It's going to take a lot of brains in Russia to create a drain.
The United States is a Christian nation founded upon Christian principles and beliefs.
In the past when money was given from government to government, there was no accountability, especially the World Bank loans. Nobody was held accountable for the misuse of World Bank loans. That is why it is important to channel some of the money through civil society groups.
One of the common denominators I have found is that expectations rise above that which is expected.
Listen, I know of nobody -- I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action. And this investigation is a good thing.
Too many of our children cannot read. Reading is the building block, and it must be the foundation for education reform.
The economic crisis gave people the option to put money into private accounts.
One of my hardest parts of my job is to console the family members who have lost their life.
One of the very difficult parts of the decision I made on the financial crisis was to use hardworking people's money to help prevent there to be a crisis.
I want you to know that farmers are not going to be secondary thoughts to a Bush administration. They will be in the forethought of our thinking.
So many people commute in this country by car long enough distances to really cut into their income, their real income, that they would change their vote based on gas prices.
So thank you for reminding me about the importance of being a good mom and a great volunteer as well.
My advice to seniors -- and I consider myself one -- is to first and foremost take care of your body. Secondly, find something where you could say, I'm helping somebody else. And it may be just helping raise a grandkid. Or teaching a child to read -- one child to read.
The stakes are geopolitical in nature and I believe that democracies are -- people want to live in free societies, democracies are the best way to do that, and that if people see democracies in the neighborhood, they'll demand the same thing.
So I analyzed that and decided I didn't want to be the president during a depression greater than the Great Depression, or the beginning of a depression greater than the Great Depression.
Trying to stop suiciders -- which we're doing a pretty good job of on occasion -- is difficult to do. And what the Iraqis are going to have to eventually do is convince those who are conducting suiciders who are not inspired by Al Qaeda, for example, to realize there's a peaceful tomorrow.
No, I know all the war rhetoric, but it's all aimed at achieving peace.
Sometimes armchair quarterbacks are doing it to enhance their own image. I'm just not comfortable with that idea.
The Democrats believe they need more of your money to spend because they can spend it better than you can. But you know, sometimes philosophers don't act.
There is 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.'
Longer Version:
There is 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, Mass., Oct. 3, 2000.
People say, well, do you ever hear any other voices other than, like, a few people? Of course I do.
I'm going to put people in my place, so when the history of this administration is written at least there's an authoritarian voice saying exactly what happened.