Al Franken Quotes

United States Senator

Browse famous quotes by Al Franken.

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Famous Al Franken Quotes

“In my first week as a U.S. senator, I had the privilege of participating in the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Judge Sonia Sotomayor.”

Firsts Week Judging Court Privilege Hearing Supreme Senators Supreme Court Participating Confirmation

Author:Al Franken

“It's the Power of the Almighty, the Splendor of Nature, and then you.”

Comedy Almighty Splendor

Author:Al Franken

“Let's keep the Internet weird. Let's keep the Internet free.”

Internet

Author:Al Franken

“Let's not let the government sell us out. Let's fight for net neutrality.”

Government Fighting Sells Neutrality Net Neutrality

Author:Al Franken

“Liberals like me love America. We just love America in a different way.”

Way Different America Like Me Different Ways

Author:Al Franken

“Minnesota has a proud tradition of having two Senators on the Ag committee - a tradition I'd like very much to continue.”

Two Proud Tradition Senators Committees Minnesota

Author:Al Franken

“Minnesotans know the difference between the job of satirist and the job of senator. And so do I.”

Knows Jobs Differences Senators Satirist Minnesotans

Author:Al Franken

“My dad loved comedians, especially George Jessel, and he loved Henny Youngman and Buddy Hackett.”

Dad My Dad Comedian Buddy

Author:Al Franken

“My dad was a terrible businessman.”

Dad Terrible My Dad Businessman

Author:Al Franken

“Net neutrality has been in place since the very beginning of the Internet.”

Has Beens Internet Neutrality Net Neutrality

Author:Al Franken

“Net neutrality isn't a government takeover of the Internet, as many of my Republican colleagues have alleged.”

Government Internet Republican Colleagues Neutrality Takeovers Net Neutrality Government Takeover

Author:Al Franken

“No one is more sensitive to the issue of overeating than the creator of Stuart Smalley.”

Issues Creator Sensitive Overeating

Author:Al Franken

“Progressives, in a way, are the new conservatives. We want to conserve what we fought to build.”

Way Want

Author:Al Franken

“Service dogs raise their masters' sense of well-being.”

Wells Dog Masters Raises Well Being

Author:Al Franken

“Teen pregnancy went way down in the '90s, and 75 percent of it was because of increased use of contraception.”

Way Use Percent Pregnancy Contraception Teen Pregnancy

Author:Al Franken

“Terrorism, to me, is the use of terror for political purpose, and terror is indiscriminate murder of civilians to make a political point.”

Use Political Purpose Murder Terror Terrorism Civilians

Author:Al Franken

“The Fourth Amendment doesn't apply to corporations.”

Corporations Amendments Fourth Fourth Amendment

Author:Al Franken

“The nature of the Internet and the importance of net neutrality is that innovation can come from everyone.”

Internet Importance Innovation Neutrality Net Neutrality

Author:Al Franken

“There is - I mean - I found early in life that righteous indignation is a little off-putting, and so I try to couch it with humor.”

Trying Mean Littles Found Righteous Couches Indignation Righteous Indignation

Author:Al Franken

“There's plenty of room for humor in politics, God knows, but it's a serious business.”

Knows Rooms Serious Plenty God Knows Serious Business

Author:Al Franken

“What you see on the campaign trail is me. It's easy being me.”

Easy Campaigns Trails Being Me

Author:Al Franken

“When the Constitution was written, the founders had no way of anticipating the new technologies that would evolve in the coming centuries.”

Way Technology Written Century Constitution Evolve Founders New Technology

Author:Al Franken

“When the president during the campaign said he was against nation building, I didn't realize he meant our nation.”

Said Nations President Realizing Comedy Building Campaigns Nation Building

Author:Al Franken

“When you win an election, what you really win is a chance to go to work for working families who need a voice in Minnesota.”

Needs Winning Voice Chance Election Minnesota

Author:Al Franken

“Why don't we focus on what Afghan women can do? They can cook, bear children, and pray. As I recall, that was fine for our grandmothers.”

Children Can Do Focus Fine Bears Praying Cooks Grandmother Recalls Afghan

Author:Al Franken

“My spiritual life is... sometimes I have access to it and sometimes I don't. When I do have access to it, it's usually a sense of my understanding what the best course of action or the best thing for me to do. By best, I mean when I have a real sense of doing the right thing and doing good for people and the connected universe of everybody.”

People Mean Real Sometimes Action Spiritual Life Is Universe Courses Understanding Connected Access Best Things Right Thing Spiritual Life Doing Good Doing The Right Thing

Author:Al Franken

“When people talked about protecting their privacy when I was growing up, they were talking about protecting it from the government. They talked about unreasonable searches and seizures, about keeping the government out of their bedrooms.”

People Government Talking Growing Up Growing Privacy Bedroom Unreasonable Seizures Unreasonable Searches Unreasonable Search And Seizures

Author:Al Franken

“But in the right-wing media, they do have a right-wing bias. And they also have an agenda. So their agenda is: we're an adjunct of the Republican Party, and we're going push that agenda every day, and, as you say, brand these stories that help further the right-wing cause.”

Helping Stories Causes Party Media Republican Prejudice Wings Brands Agendas Bias Republican Party Right Wing

Author:Al Franken

“The right wing has had a radio apparatus for years and years, so they've had minor leagues - they've had local rightwing guys who've become national rightwing guys, and who build slowly, and that's how it goes. We haven't had that. It isn't like we have a farm team.”

Years Guy Comedy Team Havens Wings Radio Locals League Farms Minors Right Wing

Author:Al Franken

“You have to love your country like an adult loves somebody, not like a child loves its Mommy. And right-wing Republicans tend to love America like a child loves its Mommy, where everything Mommy does is okay. But adult love means you’re not in denial, and you want the loved one to be the best they can be.”

Want Mean Children Doe Country America Republican Adults Okay Wings Denial Being The Best Loved Ones Right Wing Children Love Love Means

Author:Al Franken

“Armed with nothing more than a Facebook user's phone number and home address, anyone with an Internet connection and a few dollars can obtain personal information they should never have access to, including a user's date of birth, e-mail address, or estimated income.”

Should Home Numbers Information Birth Internet Connections Dollars Including Phones Access Income Addresses Mail Users Phone Numbers Personal Information Internet Connection

Author:Al Franken

“As a source of innovation, an engine of our economy, and a forum for our political discourse, the Internet can only work if it's a truly level playing field. Small businesses should have the same ability to reach customers as powerful corporations. A blogger should have the same ability to find an audience as a media conglomerate.”

“As someone who's spent time with our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan on USO tours and met wounded warriors at Walter Reed and Bethesda, I feel a deep obligation to the men and women who have risked life and limb on our behalf.”

Men Feels Mets Men And Women Iraq Obligation Warrior Afghanistan Troops Wounded Behalf Limbs Reeds Our Troops Wounded Warrior Troops In Iraq

Author:Al Franken

“Call-time has renewed my faith in the need for public financing of elections. Call-time is where I as the candidate, sit in a room with my “call-time manager,” and a phone. Then I call people and ask them for money. For hours. Apparently, I’m really good at it.”

People Needs Asks Hours Rooms Election Phones Managers Candidates Financing

Author:Al Franken

“Changing technologies, changing marketplaces, and even changing trends in anti-competitive practices have all presented challenges to antitrust enforcement.”

Challenges Practice Technology Trends Enforcement Marketplace Antitrust

Author:Al Franken

“Comedy to the Senate? Well, there certainly hasn't been a satirist or a political satirist who's done that. So, that really was uncharted territory during the campaign. But I think it's a good thing. Some people thought that it was an odd career arc, but to me it made absolute sense.”

People Thinking Wells Made Done Political Careers Comedy Absolutes Good Things Campaigns Odd Territory Senate Arcs Satirist Uncharted Uncharted Territory

Author:Al Franken

“During Vietnam, I was in college, enjoying my student deferment. The government wisely felt that, in my case, military service was less important than completing my studies to prepare me for my chosen career: comedian.”

Important Government Felt Enjoy Careers Cases Study Military Students College Chosen Comedian Vietnam Completing Military Service

Book:The Truth (with jokes)

Source: The Truth (with jokes)

“For 35 years I was a writer. I wrote a lot of jokes. Some of them weren’t funny. Some of them weren’t appropriate. Some of them were downright offensive. I understand that.”

Years Jokes Appropriate Offensive

Author:Al Franken

“Google's screen for privacy settings does give you more options for what you share than Apple's does. But it's not a complete list, and people aren't aware of whether or not that information will go to a third party.”

People Giving Doe Party Share Information Thirds Screens Lists Setting Settings Apples Privacy Google Third Parties

Author:Al Franken

“Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad and helping your loved one grow. Love takes attention and work and is the best thing in the world.”

World Mean Helping Grows Understanding Attention Best Things Loved Ones What You Love Love Means

Book:Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them

Source: Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them

“Harvard's Kennedy School of Government asked me to serve as a fellow at its Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy. After my varied and celebrated career in television, movies, publishing, and the lucrative world of corporate speaking, being a fellow at Harvard seemed, frankly, like a step down.”

World Government School Steps Careers Policy Television Fellows Presses Corporate Publishing Harvard Public Policy

Book:Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them

Source: Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them

“I also focus on Bush and his administration - who do a lot of lying - and how a right-wing media has allowed them to get away with a lot of stuff that, in a different media environment, they probably wouldn't be able to get away with.”

Different Able Lying Stuff Environment Comedy Focus Media Wings Administration Get Away Right Wing

Author:Al Franken

“I am a Minnesotan, and not just because I root for the Vikings and the Twins. I like the Minnesota-nice sensibility. I like the liberal tradition; I like the Hubert Humphrey tradition fighting for civil rights.”

Fighting Nice Rights Tradition Roots Civil Rights Twins Sensibility Vikings Minnesota Minnesotans

Author:Al Franken

“I don't consider myself an artist necessarily, but craftsmen or people in the arts, their spiritualism is sort of when you're writing well or performing well or doing whatever you do well, there's an element of that that's either God-given, a talent that you're not necessarily responsible for.”

People Writing Wells Art Artist Given Talent Elements Responsible Performing Craftsman Spiritualism Writing Well Performing Well

Author:Al Franken

“I don't think I'm an angry person. I think I'm a person who's angry. I'm angry at the Bush administration; I'm angry at the right wing media. And by that I don't mean the media is right wing. I mean, there is a part of the media that's not the mainstream media. That's Fox, that is 'The Wall Street Journal' editorial page.”

Thinking Mean Persons Streets Media Wall Pages Angry Wings Administration Mainstream Journal Foxes Right Wing Editorials Mainstream Media Wall Street Journal Angry Person

Author:Al Franken

“I felt like the luckiest kid in the world. And I was. I was growing up middle-class in a time when growing up middle-class in America meant there would be jobs for my parents, good schools for me to prepare myself for a career, and, if I worked hard and played by the rules, a chance for me to do anything I wanted.”

Ifs World Hard Would Be Kids Wanted School Jobs America Felt Parent Chance Class Careers Growing Up Growing Middle Middle Class Good School

Author:Al Franken

“I know that it's probably not a good idea for a comedian, especially a satirist, to support a public policy group or a politician. This is something I learned only too well years ago when I did a fundraiser for Pol Pot. A few years later I saw 'The Killing Fields,' and I've got to tell you, I just felt like a schmuck.”

Knows Years Wells Ideas Felt Support Saws Groups Policy Fields Politician Years Ago Killing Comedian Pot Good Ideas Public Policy Satirist Fundraiser Schmucks

Author:Al Franken

“I once asked the most fabulous couple I know, Madonna and Guy Ritchie, how they kept things fresh despite having been married for almost seven months. 'It's a job, Al,' Guy told me. 'We work at it every day.'”

Knows Jobs Guy Months Couple Married Seven Despite Als Fabulous Seven Months

Book:Oh, the Things I Know!

Source: Oh, the Things I Know!

“I think Clinton fatigue was a real thing. It's just hard to get comfortable with Gore - it was hard for him to project who he is, the person people know in private.”

People Thinking Knows Persons Real Hard Comfortable Projects Clinton Fatigue Real Things Gore

Author:Al Franken

“I think the Internet has developed at this incredibly rapid pace because of net neutrality, because of the free nature of it, because a YouTube can start the way YouTube started.”

Thinking Way Internet Pace Rapids Youtube Neutrality Net Neutrality

Author:Al Franken

About the Author

Born: May 21, 1951
Known for: United States Senator
Quotes: 189

Books & Sources

Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell ThemRelated source material

Oh, the Things I Know!Related source material

Al Franken, Giant of the SenateRelated source material

The Truth (with jokes)Related source material

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