Quotes by George W. Bush

"There's no bigger task than protecting the homeland of our country."

"I would like to be remembered as a guy who had a set of priorities, and was willing to live by those priorities. In terms of accomplishments, my biggest accomplishment is that I kept the country safe amidst a real danger."

"To those of you who received honours, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you, too, can be president of the United States."

"We will not waver; we will not tire; we will not falter, and we will not fail. Peace and Freedom will prevail."

"With those attacks, the terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States. And war is what they got."

"This was not an act of terrorism, but it was an act of war."

"The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States - and war is what they got."

"If you're sick and tired of the politics of cynicism and polls and principles, come and join this campaign."

"Look, when you're the president, there's all kinds of things said about us. I mean, it's just the nature of the job."

"Our Nation must defend the sanctity of marriage."

"People forget... that we structured it so that the government, or the people, would be repaid with a really good rate of return. And as it turns out, that aspect of TARP, that's what happened."

"I know it's going to be the private sector that leads this country out of the current economic times we're in. You can spend your money better than the government can spend your money."

"Any government that supports, protects or harbours terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and equally guilty of terrorist crimes."

"We will not waver we will not tire we will not falter, and we will not fail. Peace and Freedom will prevail."

"The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them."

"Today we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation's promise through civility, courage, compassion and character."

"Great tragedy has come to us, and we are meeting it with the best that is in our country, with courage and concern for others because this is America. This is who we are."

"So, I'm lying on the couch and Laura walks in and I say, 'Free at last,' and she says 'You're free all right, you're free to do the dishes.' So I say, 'You're talking to the former president, baby,' and she said, 'consider this your new domestic policy agenda.'"

"I sent American troops to Iraq to make its people free, not to make them American. Iraqis will write their own history and find their own way."

"For all who love freedom and peace, the world without Saddam Hussein's regime is a better and safer place."

"You can't put democracy and freedom back into a box."

"The wisest use of American strength is to advance freedom."

"Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and freedom will be defended."

"The men and women of Afghanistan are building a nation that is free, and proud, and fighting terror - and America is honored to be their friend."

"Some have argued that confronting the threat from Iraq could detract from the war against terror. To the contrary, confronting the threat posed by Iraq is crucial to winning the war on terror."

"The deliberate and deadly attacks which were carried out yesterday against our country were more than acts of terror. They were acts of war."

"Everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear."

"We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace."

"We've climbed the mighty mountain. I see the valley below, and it's a valley of peace."

"I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace."

"I believe in the transformational power of liberty. I believe that the free Iraq is in this nation's interests. I believe a free Afghanistan is in this nation's interest."

"The California crunch really is the result of not enough power-generating plants and then not enough power to power the power of generating plants."

"Use power to help people. For we are given power not to advance our own purposes nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power and it is to serve people."

"The action we take and the decisions we make in this decade will have consequences far into this century. If America shows weakness and uncertainty, the world will drift toward tragedy. That will not happen on my watch."

"Now, there are some who would like to rewrite history - revisionist historians is what I like to call them."

"Do I think faith will be an important part of being a good president? Yes, I do."

"The momentum of freedom in our world is unmistakable - and it is not carried forward by our power alone. We can trust in that greater power Who guides the unfolding of the years. And in all that is to come, we can know that His purposes are just and true."

"I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together."

"Government does not create wealth. The major role for the government is to create an environment where people take risks to expand the job rate in the United States."

"When you turn your heart and your life over to Christ, when you accept Christ as the savior, it changes your heart."

"I believe that God has planted in every heart the desire to live in freedom."

"On September 11 2001, America felt its vulnerability even to threats that gather on the other side of the Earth. We resolved then, and we are resolved today, to confront every threat from any source that could bring sudden terror and suffering to America."

"Natural gas is hemispheric. I like to call it hemispheric in nature because it is a product that we can find in our neighborhoods."

"America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud."

"I think you can judge from somebody's actions a kind of a stability and sense of purpose perhaps created by strong religious roots. I mean, there's a certain patience, a certain discipline, I think, that religion helps you achieve."

"We will stand up for our friends in the world. And one of the most important friends is the State of Israel. My administration will be steadfast in support Israel against terrorism and violence, and in seeking the peace for which all Israelis pray."

"Faith crosses every border and touches every heart in every nation."

"After the chaos and carnage of September 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers."

"The true history of my administration will be written 50 years from now, and you and I will not be around to see it."

"I told you I'm not going to criticize my successor. I'll just tell you that there are people at Gitmo that will kill American people at a drop of a hat and I don't believe that persuasion isn't going to work. Therapy isn't going to cause terrorists to change their mind."

"Leadership to me means duty, honor, country. It means character, and it means listening from time to time."

"Every nation in every region now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."

"The terrorists are fighting freedom with all their cunning and cruelty because freedom is their greatest fear - and they should be afraid, because freedom is on the march."

"Only a liberal senator from Massachusetts would say that a 49 percent increase in funding for education was not enough."

"Americans are rising to the tasks of history, and they expect the same of us."

"The United States of America will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins. The killers will fail, and the Iraqi people will live in freedom."

"The financial crisis should not become an excuse to raise taxes, which would only undermine the economic growth required to regain our strength."

"America is a friend to the people of Iraq. Our demands are directed only at the regime that enslaves them and threatens us. When these demands are met, the first and greatest benefit will come to Iraqi men, women and children."

"I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to come and witness my hanging."

"I believe a marriage is between a man and a woman."

"America is the land of the second chance - and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life."

"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve."

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test."

"One of my proudest moments is I didn't sell my soul for the sake of popularity."

"I think we ought to raise the age at which juveniles can have a gun."

"America is a Nation with a mission - and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire. Our aim is a democratic peace - a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman."

"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."

"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."

"Hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure."

"Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called 'walking.'"