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Ben Carson Quotes
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Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. is an American neurosurgeon, author, and politician who is the 17th and current United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, under the Trump Administration. Prior to his cabinet position, he was a candidate for President of the United States in the Republican primaries in 2016.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, and a graduate of Yale University and the University of Michigan Medical School, Carson has authored numerous books on his medical career and political stances. He was the subject of a television drama film in 2009.

He was the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland from 1984 until his retirement in 2013. As a pioneer in neurosurgery, Carson's achievements include performing the only successful separation of conjoined twins joined at the back of the head, pioneering the first successful neurosurgical procedure on a fetus inside the womb, performing the first completely successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins, developing new methods to treat brain-stem tumors, and reviving hemispherectomy techniques for controlling seizures. He became the youngest chief of pediatric neurosurgery in the country at age 33. He has received more than 60 honorary doctorate degrees, dozens of national merit citations, and written over 100 neurosurgical publications. In 2008, he was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.

Carson's widely publicized speech at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast catapulted him to conservative fame for his views on social and political issues. On May 4, 2015, he announced he was running for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election at a rally in his hometown of Detroit. In March 2016, following the Super Tuesday primaries, he suspended his campaign and announced he would be the new national chairman of My Faith Votes, a group that encourages Christians to exercise their civic duty to vote. He then endorsed the candidacy of Donald Trump.

On March 2, 2017, Carson was confirmed by the United States Senate as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in a 58–41 vote.

✵ 18. September 1951   •   Other names Бен Карсон, בען קארסאן, بن کارسون, ベン・カーソン, 벤 카슨
Ben Carson photo
Ben Carson: 191   quotes 19   likes

Ben Carson Quotes

“I think the likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished if the people had been armed… I'm telling you there is a reason these dictatorial people take the guns first.”

Ben Carson

As quoted in "Ben Carson explains Holocaust comments" http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/08/politics/ben-carson-gun-control-2016-election/, CNN, (October 9, 2015)

People , Thinking

“We are still able to grow as long as we are alive.”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 264

“I was confident that something good would come out of yet another difficult and disappointing case.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 35

Disappointment , Confidence

“We'd be Cuba if there were no Fox News.”

Ben Carson

As quoted in "Carson: 'We'd be Cuba if there were no Fox News'" http://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2015/11/06/ben-carson-fox-news-cuba-intv-newday.cnn/video/playlists/ben-carson-on-new-day-november-6/, CNN (November 6, 2015)

“I have sunshine in my heart regardless of conditions around me.”

Ben Carson

Source: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (1990), p. 60

Heart

“Every time I open a child's head and see a brain, I marvel at the mystery: This is what makes every one of us who we are. This is what hold all our memories, all our thoughts, all our dreams. This is what makes us different from each other in millions of ways.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 234

Dreams , Way , Memory , Time

“Often the willingness to think differently about a problem and then risk sharing the idea with others certainly pay off.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 97

Idea , Problem , Thinking

“If there is a God and you believe in him, you know the best is yet to come.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 148

God

“I realized my obligations to others should be greater than my obligations to myself.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 152

“It wasn't that I had to be first in everything, but I should have been number one.”

Ben Carson

Source: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (1990), p. 72

“Putin is a one-horse country.”

Ben Carson
Horse , Country

“I don't consider myself a “religious” person at all. I am, however, a person of enormous faith.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 134

Faith , Personality

“If we set our priority “the removal of all risk”, we'll soon have sterile, stagnant, and unstimulating learning environments.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 120

Learning

“I'm probably never going to be politically correct because I'm not a politician. I don't want to be a politician. Because politicians do what is politically expedient — I want to do what's right.”

Ben Carson

"Ben Carson announces, brings his celebrity to 2016 race" http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/04/politics/ben-carson-2016-presidential-announcement/, CNN (May 4, 2015)

“I thank God for all the people whom God sent into my life, the people who gave their best so that I could learn to give my best.”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 69

Life , God , People , Learning

“If we allow ourselves to dwell on negatives, on hurts, on mistreatments, we will be negative thinkers. So be open to positive thinking, THINK BIG!”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 152

Thinking , Hurt

“I want people to understand that we, the American people, are not each other's enemies. The real enemies are those people who are trying to divide us into every little possible group.”

Ben Carson

"Dr. Ben Carson: ‘We, The American People, Are Not Each Other’s Enemies’" http://www.cnsnews.com/video/newsbusters/dr-ben-carson-we-american-people-are-not-each-other-s-enemies, CNS News (May 21, 2014)

People , Understanding

“Surrendering to fear and allowing ourselves to be paralyzed by peril isn't something most of us can afford to do.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 63

Fear

“Stop thinking about failing.”

Ben Carson

Source: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (1990), p. 75

Thinking

“Give your best. Settle for nothing less than doing your best for yourself and for others.”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 87

“I learned that with great responsibility often come great honor and opportunity.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 85

Learning

“I always pray before any of the operations.”

Ben Carson

Source: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (1990), p. 194

“The PC police are out in force at all times. … We've reached the point where people are afraid to actually talk about what they want to say.”

Ben Carson

Introduction
One Nation (2014)

People , Time

“The greatest and most valuable resources we have for making crucial decision are knowledge and the amazing brainpower God gave human beings when he created us. That's certainly true for deciding our best response to any risk we ever face.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 64

God , Knowledge , Decision

“Nobody can hinder you from doing what you want, if that's what you set your mind to. You can always find a hook to hang excuses on, but they're only excuses. You don't have anyone to blame but yourself. Nobody else makes you fail.”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 50

“Whenever I face a hard decision or a risky situation in life (personally or professionally), all my thinking, all my analysis, all my planning can be boiled down to four simple questions:
1. What is the best thing that can happen if I do this?
2. What is the worst thing that can happen if I do this?
3. What is the best thing that can happen if I don't do it?
4. What is the worst thing that can happen if I don't do it?”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 21

Life , Question , Thinking , Decision

“Creativity requires risk. So do exploration and innovation. Anyone who thinks outside of the box is taking a risk. Leadership brings many risk. Courage is exercised in the face of risk. Invest involve risk. Decision-making always mean a certain degree of risk.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 161

Exercises , Courage , Thinking , Decision

“I'm convinced that we all harvest the fruits of our labors.”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 167

“The Bible is a seemingly inexhaustible source of practical wisdom that could serve as a valuable resource for everyday living.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 81

Wisdom

“We cannot allow ourselves to be prejudiced against a subject, based upon what someone else has said or just upon the difficulty we encounter in learning.”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 239

Learning

“Always give your best and try to figure out how to do an even better job.”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 90

“Anyone with a normal brain has the capacity to do almost anything, but when one has special gifts or talents (and everyone has) and takes advantage of and develops these talents – that person is likely to excel.”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 160

Personality

“Be nice to every-body. You meet the same people going up as you meet going down.”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 196

People

“We have no time for excuses.”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 80

Time

“That learning process has been likened to the challenge of having someone open a fire hydrant and expect you to swallow it all.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 94

Learning

“The truth is that everything is risky; life itself is risky.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 51

Life , Truth

“We do not have to compare our achievements with those of others. We need only to ask ourselves one question: Have I given my best?”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 265

Question

“Although we all make mistakes in life, the problems occur when we try to hide our mistakes, to cover them up rather than to learn from them and allow other people to learn from them.”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 175

Life , People , Problem , Learning

“There's only two paragraphs in there about George Washington … little or nothing about Martin Luther King, a whole section on slavery and how evil we are, a whole section on Japanese internment camps and how we slaughtered millions of Japanese with our bombs… I think most people when they finish that course, they'd be ready to go sign up for ISIS … We have got to stop this silliness crucifying ourselves.”

Ben Carson

As quoted in "Fox News' Ben Carson Thinks New AP U.S. History Course Will Make Students Join ISIS" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/01/ben-carson-ap-us-history_n_5910982.html, The Huffington Post (January 10, 2014)

People , Thinking , Evil

“Education is a fundamental principle of what made America a success. We can't afford to throw any young people away.”

Ben Carson

As quoted in "Carson at CPAC: How to destroy America in 4 steps" http://humanevents.com/2013/03/17/dr-ben-carson-at-cpac-2013-how-to-destroy-america-in-four-easy-steps/, Human Events (March 17, 2013)

People , Education , Success

“What a wonderful thing is to be able to contribute to the restoration of someone's health. It's not only a feeling that I'm worth something, but that I have something to contribute.”

Ben Carson

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 165

Health , Feeling

“If your priority is to look good in front of people, your life will take a different direction than if your priority is to use the talents that God has given you to make a positive difference in the world.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 118

Life , God , People , World

“My own personal theory is that Joseph built the pyramids to store grain. Now all the archaeologists think that they were made for the pharaohs’ graves. But, you know, it would have to be something awfully big if you stop and think about it. And I don’t think it’d just disappear over the course of time to store that much grain.
And when you look at the way that the pyramids are made, with many chambers that are hermetically sealed, they’d have to be that way for a reason. And various scientists have said, “Well, you know there were alien beings that came down and they have special knowledge and that’s how they were”—you know, it doesn’t require an alien being when God is with you.”

Ben Carson

Stated in 1998 during his commencement address at Andrews University, as quoted in "Aliens, Pyramids, and Granaries? What on Earth Was Ben Carson Thinking?" http://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2015/11/aliens-pyramids-and-granaries-what-on-earth-was-ben-carson-thinking/414301/, The Atlantic, (November 4, 2015)

God , Way , Knowledge , Thinking

“I am sensitive to the fact that other people may have different beliefs.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 132

People

“You can sense their anger before they even say a word.”

Ben Carson

Source: Take The Risk (2008), p. 77

Sense , Anger

“We don't necessarily have to play by the strict rules if we can find a way that works better, as long as it's reasonable and doesn't hurt anybody.”

Ben Carson

Source: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (1990), p. 84

Way , Hurt

“I can provide one living example of someone who made it and who came from what we now call a disadvantaged background: me.”

Ben Carson

Source: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (1990), p. 125