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George W. Bush Quotes
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George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was also the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. After graduating from Yale University in 1968 and Harvard Business School in 1975, he worked in the oil industry. Bush married Laura Welch in 1977 and ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives shortly thereafter. He later co-owned the Texas Rangers baseball team before defeating Ann Richards in the 1994 Texas gubernatorial election. Bush was elected president in 2000 after a close and controversial win over Democratic rival Al Gore, becoming the fourth president to be elected while receiving fewer popular votes than his opponent.

From a prominent political family, he is the eldest son of Barbara and George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, making him only the second president to assume the nation's highest office after his father, following the lead of John Quincy Adams. His brother, Jeb Bush, a former Governor of Florida, was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 presidential election. His paternal grandfather, Prescott Bush, was a United States Senator from Connecticut.

The September 11 terrorist attacks occurred eight months into Bush's first term as president. Bush responded with what became known as the Bush Doctrine: launching a "War on Terror", an international military campaign that included the war in Afghanistan in 2001 and the Iraq War in 2003. He also promoted policies on the economy, health care, education, Social Security reform, and amending the Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. He signed into law broad tax cuts, the Patriot Act, the No Child Left Behind Act, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, Medicare prescription drug benefits for seniors, and funding for the AIDS relief program known as PEPFAR. His tenure included national debates on immigration, Social Security, electronic surveillance, and torture.

In the 2004 Presidential race, Bush defeated Democratic Senator John Kerry in another relatively close election. After his re-election, Bush received increasingly heated criticism from across the political spectrum for his handling of the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, and other challenges. Amid this criticism, the Democratic Party regained control of Congress in the 2006 elections. In December 2007, the United States entered its longest post-World War II recession, often referred to as the "Great Recession", prompting the Bush administration to obtain congressional passage of multiple economic programs intended to preserve the country's financial system. Nationally, Bush was both one of the most popular and unpopular presidents in history, having received the highest recorded presidential approval ratings in the wake of the September 11 attacks, as well as one of the lowest approval ratings during the 2008 financial crisis.

Bush left office in 2009, returning to Texas where he purchased a home in Dallas. In 2010, he published his memoir, Decision Points. His presidential library was opened in 2013. His presidency has been ranked among the worst in historians' polls published in the late 2000s and 2010s.

✵ 6. July 1946   •   Other names George Walker Bush, Джордж Буш
George W. Bush photo
George W. Bush: 675   quotes 11   likes

George W. Bush Quotes

“One of the principles that I've tried to live my life on, sometimes successfully, sometimes not as successfully, is 'to whom much is given much is required.”

George W. Bush

2010s, 2011, Speech at the Gerald R. Ford Foundation (2011)

Life

“May God bless our country and all who defend her.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2003, Invasion of Iraq (March 2003)

God , Country

“Good afternoon. Yesterday, December the 13th, at around 8:30 p. m. Baghdad time, United States military forces captured Saddam Hussein alive. He was found near a farmhouse outside the city of Tikrit, in a swift raid conducted without casualties. And now the former dictator of Iraq will face the justice he denied to millions.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2003, Remarks on the Capture of Saddam Hussein (December 2003)

Justice , Time

“I believe in the universality of freedom.”

George W. Bush

2010s, 2011, Speech at the Gerald R. Ford Foundation (2011)

Freedom , Universe

“I know the American people understand the stakes in Iraq. They want to win. They will support the war as long as they see a path to victory. Americans can have confidence that we will prevail because thousands of smart, dedicated military and civilian personnel are risking their lives and are working around the clock to ensure our success.”

George W. Bush

Press Conference http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061025.html (October 25, 2006)
2000s, 2006

War , People , Confidence , Understanding

“The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2005, Second Inaugural Address (January 2005)

World , Peace , Hope , Freedom

“No device of man can remove the tragedy from war, yet it is a great advance when the guilty have far more to fear from war than the innocent.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2003, Mission Accomplished (May 2003)

War , Fear

“The advance of liberty is the path to both a safer and better world.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2004, Speech to United Nations General Assembly (September 2004)

World

“As every generation of Americans has believed, the future belongs to the free. In a time of war, we reassert the essential values and beliefs of our country. In the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln pointed toward a new birth of freedom. Leading America into global war, Franklin D. Roosevelt defined the four freedoms: freedom of speech and religion, freedom from fear and want. Whenever America fights for the security of our country, we also fight for the values of our country. In our time, we will defend the land we love and we will act on the ideals that gave it birth.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2002, Compassionate Conservatism (April 2002)

Love , War , Fear , Religion

“I want to reassure the American people that the full resources of the federal government are working to assist local authorities to save lives and to help the victims of these attacks. Make no mistake: The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts.
I've been in regular contact with the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, the national security team and my Cabinet. We have taken all appropriate security precautions to protect the American people. Our military at home and around the world is on high alert status, and we have taken the necessary security precautions to continue the functions of your government.
We have been in touch with the leaders of Congress and with world leaders to assure them that we will do whatever is necessary to protect America and Americans.
I ask the American people to join me in saying a thanks for all the folks who have been fighting hard to rescue our fellow citizens and to join me in saying a prayer for the victims and their families.”

George W. Bush

Remarks Upon Arrival at Barksdale Air Force Base https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Remarks_Upon_Arrival_at_Barksdale_Air_Force_Base (11 September, 2001)
2000s, 2001

People , World , Family , Home

“In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty and for the peace of the world. Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment, yet it is you, the members of the United States military, who achieved it. Your courage, your willingness to face danger for your country and for each other made this day possible. Because of you our nation is more secure. Because of you the tyrant has fallen and Iraq is free.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2003, Mission Accomplished (May 2003)

World , Peace , Courage , Country

“In any conflict, your fate will depend on your action. Do not destroy oil wells, a source of wealth that belongs to the Iraqi people. Do not obey any command to use weapons of mass destruction against anyone, including the Iraqi people. War crimes will be prosecuted. War criminals will be punished. And it will be no defense to say, "I was just following orders."”

George W. Bush

Ultimatum to Iraq (17 March 2003) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/mar/18/iraq.usa1
2000s, 2003

Fate , War , People , Dependency

“[W]e're creating… an ownership society in this country, where more Americans than ever will be able to open up their door where they live and say, welcome to my house, welcome to my piece of property.”

George W. Bush

Remarks to the National Association of Home Builders, Columbus, Ohio, October 2, 2004 http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/10/20041002-7.html
2000s, 2004

Housing , Country

“The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September the 11th, 2001 and still goes on. That terrible morning, 19 evil men, the shock troops of a hateful ideology, gave America and the civilized world a glimpse of their ambitions. They imagined, in the words of one terrorist, that September the 11th would be the beginning of the end of America. By seeking to turn our cities into killing fields, terrorists and their allies believed that they could destroy this nation's resolve and force our retreat from the world. They have failed.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2003, Mission Accomplished (May 2003)

Men , Hate , War , World

“Women are going to lead the democracy movement, mark my words.”

George W. Bush

2010s, 2011, Speech at the Gerald R. Ford Foundation (2011)

Women , Democracy

“It's impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering. Those whose lives were taken did nothing to deserve their fate. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now they're gone -- and they leave behind grieving families, and grieving classmates, and a grieving nation.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2007, Virginia Tech Prayer Vigil (April 2007)

Fate , Family , Sense , Suffering

“While our nation is safer than it was seven years ago, the gravest threat to our people remains another terrorist attack. Our enemies are patient and determined to strike again. America did nothing to seek or deserve this conflict. But we have been given solemn responsibilities, and we must meet them. We must resist complacency. We must keep our resolve. And we must never let down our guard. At the same time, we must continue to engage the world with confidence and clear purpose. In the face of threats from abroad, it can be tempting to seek comfort by turning inward. But we must reject isolationism and its companion, protectionism. Retreating behind our borders would only invite danger. In the 21st century, security and prosperity at home depend on the expansion of liberty abroad. If America does not lead the cause of freedom, that cause will not be led.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2009, Farewell speech to the nation (January 2009)

People , World , Home , Confidence

“None of us would ever wish the evil that was done on September the 11th. Yet after America was attacked, it was as if our entire country looked into a mirror and saw our better selves. We were reminded that we are citizens, with obligations to each other, to our country, and to history. We began to think less of the goods we can accumulate, and more about the good we can do.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2002, State of the Union address (January 2002)

History , Thinking , Evil , Country

“I believe that I benefit as a person and so do you, when you live under that call.”

George W. Bush

2010s, 2011, Speech at the Gerald R. Ford Foundation (2011)

Personality

“If the terriers and barriffs are torn down, this economy will grow.”

George W. Bush

Campaign speech http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfRoesb33ic (7 January 2000), Rochester, New York.
2000s, 2000

“In order to win this war, we need to understand that the terrorists and extremists are opportunists. They will grab onto any cause to incite hatred and to justify the killing of innocent men, women and children. If we weren't in Iraq, they would be using our relationship and friendship with Israel as a reason to recruit, or the Crusades, or cartoons as a reason to commit murder. They recruit based upon lies and excuses. And they murder because of their raw desire for power. They hope to impose their dominion over the broader Middle East and establish a radical Islamic empire where millions are ruled according to their hateful ideology. We know this because al-Qaeda has told us. The terrorist Zawahiri, number two man in the al-Qaeda team, al-Qaeda network, he said, we'll proceed with several incremental goals. The first stage is to expel the Americans from Iraq; the second stage is to establish an Islamic authority, then develop it and support it until it achieves the level of caliphate; the third stage, extend the jihad wave to secular countries neighboring Iraq; and the fourth stage, the clash with Israel. This is the words of the enemy. The President of the United States and the Congress must listen carefully to what the enemy says in order to be able to protect you. It makes sense for us to take their words seriously if our most important job is the security of the United States. Mister Zawahiri has laid out their plan. That's why they attacked us on September the 11th. That's why they fight us in Iraq today. And that is why they must be defeated.”

George W. Bush

As quoted in "FLASHBACK 2006: Media Elites Slam Bush For Predicting Rise Of Islamic Caliphate In Iraq" http://dailycaller.com/2016/05/24/flashback-2006-media-elites-slam-bush-for-predicting-rise-of-islamic-caliphate-in-iraq/ (24 May 2016), The Daily Caller
2000s, 2006, Remarks at Bob Riley for Governor Luncheon (2006)

Women , Men , Hate , Friendship

“A year ago my approval rating was in the 30s, my nominee for the Supreme Court had just withdrawn, and my vice president had shot someone. Ah, those were the good ol' days.”

George W. Bush

Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner, March 28, 2007
Bush delivers punch lines, Associated Press (via MSNBC.com), March 29, 2007, 2007-03-31 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17846185/,
2000s, 2007

“Goodbye, from the world's biggest polluter.”

George W. Bush

Concluding a private address at the Tokyo G8 summit; July 12, 2008; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/2277298/President-George-Bush-'Goodbye-from-the-world's-biggest-polluter'.html
2000s, 2008

World

“Our military has put the terror training camps of Afghanistan out of business, yet camps still exist in at least a dozen countries. A terrorist underworld — including groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Jaish-i-Mohammed — operates in remote jungles and deserts, and hides in the centers of large cities.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2002, State of the Union address (January 2002)

Business , Training , Country

“I want to be the peace president.”

George W. Bush

21 July 2004 http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=550630&section=news
2000s, 2004

Peace

“It was amazing I won. I was running against peace and prosperity and incumbency.”

George W. Bush

June 14, 2001, to Göran Persson, unaware he was still on live TV, as quoted in "The President in Europe: The President; Plain-Talking Bush Is Using His Charm On European Stage" by Frank Bruni in The New York Times (16 June 2001) http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A00EEDE1531F935A25755C0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all.
2000s, 2001

Peace

“Every nation that wants peace will share the benefits of a freer world. And every nation that seeks peace has an obligation to help build that world.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2004, Speech to United Nations General Assembly (September 2004)

World , Peace , Help

“The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him.”

George W. Bush

Alleged to have been made in a September 13, 2001 press conference. This wording has not been confirmed.
Attributed, Misquotations

“Disease can be defeated, and people with AIDS refuse to be defeated.”

George W. Bush

2010s, 2014, U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Spousal Program (August 2014)

People , Disease

“Our country also needs citizens working to rebuild our communities. We need mentors to love children, especially children whose parents are in prison. And we need more talented teachers in troubled schools. USA Freedom Corps will expand and improve the good efforts of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps to recruit more than 200,000 new volunteers.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2002, State of the Union address (January 2002)

Love , Children , School , Communication

“We are no longer fighting a great enemy, we are asserting a great principle: that the talents and dreams of average people — their warm human hopes and loves — should be rewarded by freedom and protected by peace. We are defending the nobility of normal lives, lived in obedience to God and conscience, not to government.”

George W. Bush

1990s, A Distinctly American Internationalism (November 1999)

Love , God , People , Peace

“Well, no question decisions have made things unstable. But the question is can we succeed. And I believe we can. Listen, I'd like to see stability and a unified Iraq. A young democracy will provide the stability we look for. I will tell you that if we just isolate ourselves from the Middle East and hope for the best, we will not address the conditions that had led young suiciders to get on airplanes to come and attack us in the first place.”

George W. Bush

60 Minutes interview http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/14/60minutes/main2359119.shtml in response to the question “But wasn't it your administration that created the instability in Iraq?” (January 14, 2007)
2000s, 2007

Hope , Democracy , Question , Decision

“From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2005, Second Inaugural Address (January 2005)

Question , Freedom , Country

“Given the goals of rogue states and terrorists, the United States can no longer solely rely on a reactive posture as we have in the past. The inability to deter a potential attacker, the immediacy of today’s threats, and the magnitude of potential harm that could be caused by our adversaries’ choice of weapons, do not permit that option. We cannot let our enemies strike first.”

George W. Bush

From the document “ The National Security Strategy of the United States of America http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/nsc/nss5.html,” (June 1, 2002)
2000s, 2002

Past

“The prosperity, and social vitality and technological progress of a people are directly determined by the extent of their liberty. Freedom honors and unleashes human creativity — and creativity determines the strength and wealth of nations. Liberty is both the plan of Heaven for humanity, and the best hope for progress here on Earth.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2003, Address to the National Endowment for Democracy (November 2003)

People , Hope , Freedom , Wealth

“Just remember the guy who slit Danny Pearl's throat is in Gitmo, and now they're doing it on TV… In order to be an effective president… when you say something you have to mean it… You've got to kill them.”

George W. Bush

"George W. Bush Bashes Obama on Middle East" http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-27/george-w-bush-bashes-obama-on-middle-east, by Josh Rogin, Bloomberg View (26 April 2015)
2010s, 2015

Guy

“It sounded far-fetched, but democracy transformed an enemy to an ally. I know it seems far-fetched for some to believe people want to be free in the Middle East and that freedom will take hold, I think it will. Because I happen to believe freedom is universal. I believe that deep in everybody's soul is a desire to be free.”

George W. Bush

2010s, 2011, Speech at the Gerald R. Ford Foundation (2011)

People , Democracy , Soul , Thinking

“We will work closely with our coalition to deny terrorists and their state sponsors the materials, technology, and expertise to make and deliver weapons of mass destruction. We will develop and deploy effective missile defenses to protect America and our allies from sudden attack. And all nations should know: America will do what is necessary to ensure our nation's security.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2002, State of the Union address (January 2002)

“There was no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the attack of 9/11, I've never said that and never made that case prior to going into Iraq.”

George W. Bush

Reuters, December 2005, quoted in Steve Coffman, Founders v. Bush (2007)
2000s, 2005

“September the 11th brought out the best in America, and the best in this Congress. And I join the American people in applauding your unity and resolve. Now Americans deserve to have this same spirit directed toward addressing problems here at home. I'm a proud member of my party — yet as we act to win the war, protect our people, and create jobs in America, we must act, first and foremost, not as Republicans, not as Democrats, but as Americans.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2002, State of the Union address (January 2002)

War , People , Home , Problem

“Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires — a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.”

George W. Bush

"Information Sharing, Patriot Act Vital to Homeland Security" http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040420-2.html speech at Kleinshans Music Hall, Buffalo, New York, 20 April 2004; whitehouse.gov (accessed 2006-05-18)
2000s, 2004

Way , Understanding , Thinking , Change

“As Iraqi forces gain experience and the political process advances, we will be able to decrease our troop level in Iraq without losing our capability to defeat the terrorists. These decisions about troop levels will be driven by the conditions on the ground in Iraq and the good judgment of our commanders, not by artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington.”

George W. Bush

during address to the United States Naval Academy, November 30, 2005. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10253079/
2000s, 2005

Decision

“People living with AIDS should not be dying from preventable and treatable diseases.”

George W. Bush

2010s, 2014, U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Spousal Program (August 2014)

People , Disease

“Sometimes we must fight terror with tyranny.”

George W. Bush

This quote actually comes from Maureen Dowd's self-described "imaged text" for Bush's second inaugural revised speech titled "Bush's do-over speech" http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1683&dat=20071109&id=qycqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tkUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6193,5362144, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (9 November 2007).
Attributed, Misattributed

Fight

“Because the — all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those — changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be — or closer delivered to what has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the — like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate — the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those — if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.”

George W. Bush

4 February 2005
http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/muddled.asp
2000s, 2005

Idea , Sense , Change , Help

“An artist using statistics as a brush could paint two very different pictures of our country. One would have warning signs: increasing layoffs, rising energy prices, too many failing schools, persistent poverty, the stubborn vestiges of racism. Another picture would be full of blessings: a balanced budget, big surpluses, a military that is second to none, a country at peace with its neighbors, technology that is revolutionizing the world, and our greatest strength, concerned citizens who care for our country and care for each other.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2001, Address to Joint Session of Congress on Administration Goals (February 2001)

World , School , Peace , Painting

“Gog and Magog are at work in the Middle East. The biblical prophecies are being fulfilled. This confrontation is willed by God who wants this conflict to erase his people's enemies before a new age begins.”

George W. Bush

Former French president Jacques Chirac claimed in late 2009 that Bush made these statements to him at some point prior the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 while "appealing to him as a Christian" and attempting to convince him to have France join the invasion. The Independent, 2 January 2010 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-ingramsrsquos-week-blair-must-be-quizzed-over-bushs-biblical-crusade-1855418.html
Attributed, Private/attributed

God , People , Age

“Now that I've got the will of the people at my back, I'm going to start enforcing the one-question rule. That was three questions.”

George W. Bush

News conference (4 November 2004) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27833-2004Nov5.html
2000s, 2004

People , Question

“But we will not allow this enemy to win the war by changing our way of life or restricting our freedoms. This morning, I am sending to Congress a request for emergency funding authority, so that we are prepared to spend whatever it takes to rescue victims, to help the citizens of New York City and Washington, D. C. respond to this tragedy, and to protect our national security.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2001, Freedom and Democracy Are Under Attack (September 2001)

Life , War , Way , Freedom

“The advance of freedom is the calling of our time; it is the calling of our country. From the Fourteen Points to the Four Freedoms, to the Speech at Westminster, America has put our power at the service of principle. We believe that liberty is the design of nature; we believe that liberty is the direction of history. We believe that human fulfillment and excellence come in the responsible exercise of liberty. And we believe that freedom — the freedom we prize — is not for us alone, it is the right and the capacity of all mankind.”

George W. Bush

2000s, 2003, Address to the National Endowment for Democracy (November 2003)

Exercises , History , Nature , Freedom