Al Gore Quotes

Former Vice President of the United States

Former U.S. Vice President, climate advocate, and politician. Al Gore served as the Vice President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to the fight against climate change.

Filter quotes by topic

All Climate Change People Crisis Climate Global Warming World Environment Energy Ifs Thinking

Famous Al Gore Quotes

“The presidency is more than a popularity contest.”

Author:Al Gore

“There are skeptics who do not come to their view because they have a source of income from carbon polluters.”

Views Source Income Carbon Skeptic

Author:Al Gore

“If you want your energy bills to go up, you should support an ever greater dependence on foreign oil, because the rate of new discoveries is declining as demand in China and India is growing, and the price of oil and thus the price of coal will go sky high.”

Ifs Want Should Energy Support Greater Growing Sky Demand Discovery India Bills Rate China Oil Dependence Coal Gore New Discoveries Foreign Oil China And India Sky High

Author:Al Gore

“Today we're dumping 70 million tons of global-warming pollution into the environment, and tomorrow we will dump more, and there is no effective worldwide response. Until we start sharply reducing global-warming pollution, I will feel that I have failed.”

Feels Today Millions Environment Tomorrow Response Global Warming Pollution Reducing Gore Dump Environmental Pollution Air Quality

Author:Al Gore

“America's political system has evolved over the last 50 years in ways that have enhanced the power of business lobbies.”

Way Years Lasts America Political Political Systems

Author:Al Gore

“Consider a clock thermostat, and set it so that you're not using energy when you don't need it, when you're out of your house.”

Needs House Energy Clock

Author:Al Gore

“How could this Y2K be a problem in a country where we have Intel and Microsoft?”

Country Problem Microsoft

Author:Al Gore

“I am Al Gore, and I used to be the next president of the United States of America.”

States America Used Next President United United States Used To Be Als United States Of America Gore Inconvenient Truth

Author:Al Gore

“I flew on Air Force Two for eight years, and now I have to take off my shoes to get on an aeroplane.”

Years Two Force Air Shoes Eight Flew Aeroplanes Air Force

Author:Al Gore

“I have absolutely no plans and no expectations of ever being a candidate again.”

Plans Expectations Candidates

Author:Al Gore

“I have always been fascinated with those who try to look over the horizon and see things that are coming at us.”

Trying Looks Horizon Fascinated

Author:Al Gore

“I pledge to you today that as president, in my first budget, I will introduce the largest increase in special education ever.”

Firsts Today President Special Increase Budgets Introducing Pledge Special Education

Author:Al Gore

“I see myself in the mold of Rin Tin Tin. It didn't go to his head either.”

Mold Tin Tin Tin

Author:Al Gore

“I wrote newspaper articles professionally for seven years, and I love newspapers.”

Years Seven Newspapers Articles Seven Years

Author:Al Gore

“I'm naturally an optimist, but my basis for hope is rooted in my understanding of human nature.”

Humans Understanding Human Nature Bases Rooted Optimist

Author:Al Gore

“I'm old enough to know that a red carpet's just a rug, and I've been able to enjoy the pageantry without letting it go to my head.”

Knows Enough Able Enjoy Red Carpet Let It Go Red Carpet Pageantry

Author:Al Gore

“In digital era, privacy must be a priority. Is it just me, or is secret blanket surveillance obscenely outrageous?”

Secret Security Priorities Eras Privacy Digital Blanket Surveillance Outrageous

Author:Al Gore

“It's a blessing to have work that feels fulfilling.”

Feels Blessing Fulfilling

Author:Al Gore

“It's not unusual to find big political shifts that take place beneath the surface before they're visible above the surface.”

Bigs Political Surface Visible Unusual Beneath The Surface

Author:Al Gore

“Our world faces a true planetary emergency. I know the phrase sounds shrill, and I know it's a challenge to the moral imagination.”

Knows World Faces Sound Imagination Challenges Moral Environmental Climate Change Phrases Our World Emergencies Gore

Author:Al Gore

“The golden thread of reason that used to be stretched taut to mark the boundary between the known and the unknown is now routinely disrespected.”

Reason Used Known Mark Boundaries Golden Used To Be Thread Disrespected

Book:Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis

Source: Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis

“There are many who would much prefer that the word 'climate' never be mentioned and that the issue be eliminated from our national conversation.”

Issues Conversation Climate

Author:Al Gore

“We need to remake the Democratic party. We need to remake America.”

Needs America Party Democratic Democratic Party Remakes

Author:Al Gore

“You know the old saying: you win some, you lose some... and then there's that little-known third category.”

Knows Littles Winning Loses Known Thirds Categories Gore Old Saying

Author:Al Gore

“CO2 is the exhaling breath of our civilization, literally... Changing that pattern requires a scope, a scale, a speed of change that is beyond what we have done in the past.”

Done Past Civilization Breaths Patterns Speed Activism Scales Global Warming Scope Gore Co2 Exhaling

Author:Al Gore

“I think it's harder for people than it should be. But as more and more of us become carbon neutral and change the patterns in our lives to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem, we are now beginning to see the changes in policy that are needed.”

People Thinking Should Problem Our Lives Policy Needed Solutions Harder Patterns Carbon

Author:Al Gore

“Our democracy, our constitutional framework is really a kind of software for harnessing the creativity and political imagination for all of our people. The American democratic system was an early political version of Napster.”

People Kind Political Politics Imagination Creativity Democracy Internet Capitalism Democratic Versions Software Framework Napster

Author:Al Gore

“The heart of the security agenda is protecting lives, and we now know that the number of people who will die of AIDS in the first decade of the 21st Century will rival the number that died in all the wars in all the decades of the 20th century.”

People Knows Firsts Heart War Dies Numbers Century Security Died Decades Aids Agendas 21st Century 20th Century Rivals Hiv Hiv Aids

Author:Al Gore

“The signs that the world is spinning out of kilter are increasingly difficult to misinterpret. The question is how to convince enough people to join a critical mass of urgent opinion, in the U.S. and the rest of the world.”

People World Enough Difficult Opinion Mass Critical Convince Urgent Spinning Critical Mass

Author:Al Gore

“Civil disobedience has an honourable history, and when the urgency and moral clarity cross a certain threshold, then I think that civil disobedience is quite understandable, and it has a role to play.”

Thinking Play Certain Moral Roles Crosses Clarity Disobedience Urgency Threshold Civil Disobedience

Author:Al Gore

“For a free country to continue thriving, there have to be regular reforms, because any society, any economy that stays in place, you're going to see repeated attempts to exploit the openings for twisting policy to the advantage of those who already have wealth and power.”

Country Wealth Economy Policy Advantage Opening Reform Exploits Free Country

Author:Al Gore

“I did very extensive diligence on Al Jazeera English, the network from which Al Jazeera America is going to be derived, and it's really very clear that they have long since established a reputation for excellence and integrity and objectivity.”

Long America Clear Integrity Excellence Reputation Als Objectivity Diligence

Author:Al Gore

“I do genuinely believe that the political system is not linear. When it reaches a tipping point fashioned by a critical mass of opinion, the slow pace of change we're used to will no longer be the norm. I see a lot of signs every day that we're moving closer and closer to that tipping point.”

Believe Moving Political Used Opinion Mass Critical Pace Norm Political Systems Linear Tipping Tipping Point Critical Mass Pace Of Change Moving Closer

Author:Al Gore

“I drive a hybrid, and we've changed our light bulbs and windows and installed solar panels and geothermal ground source heat pumps and most everything else.”

Light Changed Source Window Heat Pumps Hybrid Bulbs Light Bulb Solar Panels Geothermal

Author:Al Gore

“I think that more diversity is a good thing, and fresh points of view articulated by people who are committed to excellence in journalism is a beneficial change in the American media landscape.”

People Thinking Views Media Diversity Good Things Excellence Committed Point Of View Journalism Landscape Beneficial Good Journalism American Media

Author:Al Gore

“I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth, environmental protection, improvements in our educational system.”

“I was in elective politics for 24 years. I've made four national races, two for president, two for vice president. I have found there are other ways to serve, and I'm enjoying them.”

Way Years Made Two Found Enjoy President Race Four Vices Vice President

Author:Al Gore

“Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power.”

Should Long Impossible Weapons Mass Destruction Assuming Democratic Democrat Iraq Proven Saddam Lied Weapons Of Mass Destruction Mass Destruction Iraq War Wmd Gulf War Wmds In Iraq Persian Gulf

Author:Al Gore

“Population growth is straining the Earth's resources to the breaking point, and educating girls is the single most important factor in stabilizing that. That, plus helping women gain political and economic power and safeguarding their reproductive rights.”

“Science has a culture that is inherently cautious and that is normally not a bad thing. You could even say conservative, because of the peer review process and because the scientific method prizes uncertainty and penalises anyone who goes out on any sort of a limb that is not held in place by abundant and well-documented evidence.”

Wells Culture Process Evidence Method Conservative Uncertainty Prize Bad Things Reviews Peers Limbs Cautious Gore Scientific Method Peer Review

Author:Al Gore

“Surveillance technologies now available - including the monitoring of virtually all digital information - have advanced to the point where much of the essential apparatus of a police state is already in place.”

States Technology Information Essentials Police Including Available Digital Surveillance Police State Monitoring

Author:Al Gore

“The ability of big money to shape perceptions - where you have four anti-climate lobbyists for every single member of the House and Senate - is a big factor.”

Bigs House Ability Four Shapes Members Perception Climate Factors Senate Lobbyists

Author:Al Gore

“The Congress is virtually incapable of passing any reforms unless they first get permission from the powerful special interests who are most affected by the proposal.”

Firsts Interest Powerful Special Congress Passing Passings Reform Affected Permission Incapable Proposal Special Interests

Author:Al Gore

“The dominance of short-term perspectives has led to routine decisions in the markets that sacrifice the long-term buildup of genuine value in pursuit of artificial, short-term gains.”

Long Values Term Decision Sacrifice Perspective Gains Pursuit Genuine Long Term Routine Artificial Short Term Dominance

Author:Al Gore

“The entire North Polar ice cap is disappearing before our very eyes. It's been the size of the continental United States for the last 3 million years and now 40 percent is gone and the rest of it is going.”

Years States Eye Lasts United Millions United States Gone Percent Size Disappear Ice Caps Gore Continental

Author:Al Gore

“The science linking the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather to the climate crisis has matured tremendously in the last couple of years.”

Years Lasts Couple Crisis Climate Extremes Weather Frequency Severity Matured Extreme Weather

Author:Al Gore

“The struggle against poverty in the world and the challenge of cutting wealthy country emissions all has a single, very simple solution... Here it is: Put a price on carbon.”

World Country Challenges Simple Poverty Struggle Cutting Solutions Activism Wealthy Carbon Emissions Simple Solutions

Author:Al Gore

“When people flirt with despair about the future, they are less likely to take the actions necessary to safeguard it, focusing instead on the short-term.”

People Action Term Despair Flirting Short Term

Author:Al Gore

“Winston Churchill aroused this nation in heroic fashion to save civilisation in World War Two. We have everything we need except political will, but political will is a renewable resource.”

World Needs Two War Political Nations Sea Fashion Resources War Of The Worlds Heroic Civilisation Political Will World War Two Renewable Resources

Author:Al Gore

“My plan to put Social Security in an ironclad lockbox has gotten a lot of attention recently, and I'm glad about that. But I'm afraid that it's overshadowing some vitally important proposals. For instance, I'll put Medicaid in a walk-in closet. I'll put the Community Reinvestment Act in a secured gym locker. I'll put NASA funding in a hermetically sealed Ziploc bag.”

Important Social Community Walks Attention Plans Security Glad Instance Bags Gym Closets Social Security Proposal Funding Nasa Secured Lockers Medicaid Ironclads Overshadowing

Author:Al Gore

About the Author

Born: March 31, 1948
Known for: Former Vice President of the United States
Quotes: 427

Books & Sources

Earth in the Balance: Forging a New Common PurposeRelated source material

An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About ItRelated source material

The Assault on Reason: How the Politics of Blind Faith Subvert Wise Decision-MakingRelated source material

Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate CrisisRelated source material

The Assault on ReasonRelated source material

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power: Your Action Handbook to Learn the Science, Find Your Voice, and Help Solve the Climate CrisisRelated source material

The Assault on Reason: Our Information Ecosystem, from the Age of Print to the Era of TrumpRelated source material

Similar Authors

Rajendra K. PachauriBrowse related quotes
James HansenBrowse related quotes
Mike HulmeBrowse related quotes
Bill McKibbenBrowse related quotes
Roy SpencerBrowse related quotes
Nicholas SternBrowse related quotes
Richard LindzenBrowse related quotes
Katharine HayhoeBrowse related quotes
Margaret D. KleinBrowse related quotes
Peter SissonsBrowse related quotes