“We believe in a government strong enough to use words like “love” and “compassion” and smart enough to convert our noblest aspirations into practical realities. ”

“There is simply no question that we have it within us to meet this challenge as we have met so many others. It takes only willingness to believe, to work, to give... together.”

“Outrage is easy, cheap, and oversold. The nation needs less anger and more thoughtful reflection, less shouting and more listening, less dissembling and more honesty.”

“There are few things more amusing in the world of politics than watching moderate Republicans charging to the right in pursuit of greater glory.

”

“It is not a government’s obligation to provide services, but to see that they are provided. ”

“You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose. ”

“There are only two rules for being successful; one, figure out exactly what you want to do, and two, do it.”

“For as long as I have understood our history, I have been consoled by the notion that we are born to a legacy of achievement - to a people who have proven themselves worthiest when the challenges were most severe.”

“The price of seeking to force our beliefs on others is that someday they might force their beliefs on us.

”

“ I know that I might not be able to suppress my anger or put down a desire for revenge, but I also know this society should strive for something better than what it feels at its weakest moments.”

“We believe in a government that is characterized by fairness and reasonableness, a reasonableness that goes beyond labels, that doesn’t distort or promise to do things that we know we can’t do. ”

“The game is lost only when we stop trying.
”

“I love immigrants. Legal, illegal - they’re not to be despised.

”

“Democracy is not meant to be efficient, it is meant to be fair. ”