Home / Authors / George McGovern

George McGovern

George McGovern Quotes

Historian

George McGovern was an American historian renowned for his research on 20th-century American politics and diplomacy. His works delved deeply into the foreign and domestic policies of the United States during the Cold War, shaping the understanding of modern international relations.

Filter quotes by topic

All War World Ifs Country Men Thinking People Vietnam America Campaigns

Famous George McGovern Quotes

“When I was a youngster growing up in South Dakota, we never referred to the national debt, it was always referred to as the war debt because it stemmed from World War I.”

World War Growing Up Growing South Debt War Of The Worlds World War I Youngsters National Debt Dakota South Dakota

Author:George McGovern

“As an American, I want our forces to prevail.”

Author:George McGovern

“At least I have precluded the possibility of peaking too early.”

Possibility Peaking

Author:George McGovern

“Everyone is exposed to economic risks of some kind.”

Kind Risk Economic Exposed

Author:George McGovern

“For 50 years, the Republicans have been accusing the Democrats of being soft on national security.”

Years Has Beens Security Republican Democrat National Security Accusing

Author:George McGovern

“I did frequently refer to my war record in World War II, but not in any flamboyant way.”

World Way War Records War Of The Worlds World War Ii Flamboyant

Author:George McGovern

“I have a very deep concern about President Obama putting in another 21,000 troops into Afghanistan with the promise of more to come.”

President Promise Concern Afghanistan President Obama Troops Very Deep

Author:George McGovern

“I hope I live long enough to see every hungry school child in the world being fed under the so-called McGovern-Dole program.”

World Children Long Enough School Program Hungry Feds

Author:George McGovern

“I seek the presidency because I believe deeply in the American promise and can no longer accept the diminishing of that promise.”

Believe I Believe Accepting Promise Presidency

Book:An American Journey: The Presidential Campaign Speeches of George McGovern

Source: An American Journey: The Presidential Campaign Speeches of George McGovern

“I think it was my study of history that convinced me that the Democratic Party was more on the side of the average American.”

Thinking Sides Party Study Democratic Average Convinced Democratic Party

Author:George McGovern

“I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster, so it was very hard for me to say anything good about it.”

War Hard Disaster Vietnam Say Anything Vietnam War

Author:George McGovern

“I was the guy who was constantly speaking out against the Vietnam War. I have no regrets about that.”

War Guy Regret Vietnam Vietnam War No Regrets Speaking Out Have No Regrets

Author:George McGovern

“I've come to realize that protecting freedom of choice in our everyday lives is essential to maintaining a healthy civil society.”

Life Is Choices Realizing Healthy Essentials Everyday Everyday Life Maintaining Freedom Of Choice Civil Society

Author:George McGovern

“If you're Iran's minister of defense, I think you'd try to develop at least one nuclear weapon to save yourself from what happened to Iraq.”

Ifs Thinking Trying Happened Weapons Iraq Defense Nuclear Ministers Iran Nuclear Weapons Save Yourself

Author:George McGovern

“It's a tough thing, to know what to do about a war that deep in your gut you feel is wrong and yet watch your peers going off to fight in that war.”

Knows Feels War Fighting Watches Tough Guts Peers Tough Things

Author:George McGovern

“It's nice not to have to worry about constituents.”

Worry Nice Constituents

Author:George McGovern

“My dad was a Methodist minister.”

Dad My Dad Ministers Methodists

Author:George McGovern

“My heart does sometimes bleed for those who are hurting in my own country and abroad.”

Heart Doe Country Sometimes Hurt My Own My Heart

Author:George McGovern

“Somehow politicians have become convinced that negative campaigning pays off in elections.”

Pay Politician Negative Election Convinced Campaigning

Author:George McGovern

“The longer the title, the less important the job.”

Important Jobs Political Work Titles Parliament Murphys Law

Author:George McGovern

“Under the guise of protecting us from ourselves, the right and the left are becoming ever more aggressive in regulating behavior.”

Left Becoming Behavior Aggressive Guise

Author:George McGovern

“Well, we ought to be stirred, even to tears, by society's ills.”

Wells Tears Ought

Book:What It Means to Be a Democrat

Source: What It Means to Be a Democrat

“When I was in the war, I was lucky that I was in a plane and never saw the carnage close-up.”

War Saws Lucky Planes Carnage

Author:George McGovern

“You don't run for the presidency out of nostalgia.”

Running Nostalgia Presidency

Author:George McGovern

“The truth is that I oppose the Iraq war, just as I opposed the Vietnam War, because these two conflicts have weakened the U.S. and diminished our standing in the world and our national security.”

World Two War Security Truth Is Conflict Standing Iraq Vietnam National Security Vietnam War Iraq War Invading Iraq

Author:George McGovern

“I flew a full string of 35 combat missions over some of the most heavily defended targets in Europe. We were hitting Hitler's oil refineries, his tank factories, his aircraft factories, his railway yards. Those were our prime targets.”

Europe Missions Oil Strings Target Prime Combat Factories Hitting Yards Tanks Flew Aircraft Railway Refinery

Author:George McGovern

“I hope someday we will be able to proclaim that we have banished hunger in the United States, and that we've been able to bring nutrition and health to the whole world.”

World States Whole Able United United States Hunger Whole World Someday Nutrition World Hunger Health And Nutrition Hunger Awareness

Author:George McGovern

“I wish I had known more firsthand about the concerns and problems of American businesspeople while I was a U.S. senator and later a presidential nominee.”

Made Problem House Wish White Known Concern Worthy Presidential White House Senators Legislators

Author:George McGovern

“I'm constantly meeting people who said that they cast their first vote for me, or that they cut their eye teeth on the 1972 campaign, or that they didn't vote for me but admire my positions.”

People Firsts Said Eye Cutting Position Vote Meetings Casts Campaigns Teeth Admire Vote For Me

Author:George McGovern

“When you start one of these programs, school lunch programs, in a country that heretofore had nothing of that kind, immediately school enrollment jumps dramatically. Girls and boys get to the classroom with the promise of a good meal once a day.”

Kind Country School Girl Boys Promise Program Meals Lunch Classroom Boy And Girl Good Meals School Lunch Enrollment

Author:George McGovern

“Ever since I was a young man, I wanted to run for the presidency in the worst possible way - and I did.”

Men Way Running Wanted Young Politics Worst Young Man Presidency

Author:George McGovern

“So, I think that's the centerpiece of morality: Don't lie. But to do that, you have to go a step further and find out what the truth is.”

Thinking Truth Lying Steps Morality Truth Is Kindness And Compassion Don't Lie Centerpieces

Author:George McGovern

“And this is the time. It is the time for this land to become again a witness to the world for what is noble and just in human affairs. It is the time to live more with faith and less with fear- with an abiding confidence that can sweep away the strongest barriers between us and teach us that we truly are brothers and sisters.”

World Humans Time Justice Teach Land Brother Affair Noble Witness Barriers Strongest Brothers And Sisters Abiding

Book:The Essential America: Our Founders and the Liberal Tradition

Source: The Essential America: Our Founders and the Liberal Tradition

“Pay attention to the hungry, both in this country and around the world. Pay attention to the poor. Pay attention to our responsibilities for world peace. We are our brother's keeper.”

“The earth has enough knowledge and resources to eradicate this ancient scourge. Hunger has plagued the world for thousands of years. But ending it is a greater moral imperative now than ever before, because for the first time humanity has the instruments at hand to defeat this cruel enemy at a very reasonable cost. We have the ability to provide food for all within the next three decades.”

Source: The Third Freedom: Ending Hunger in Our Time

“It would be a good time to replace the drug war with something more constructive. The cure offered the drug war today has probably been more harmful and done more damage than the disease.”

War Done Would Be Today Drug Disease Cures Damage Good Times Users Constructive War On Drugs

Author:George McGovern

“It doesn t require any particular bravery to stand on the floor of the Senate and urge our boys in Vietnam to fight harder and if this war mushrooms into a major conflict and a hundred thousand young Americans are killed it won t be U.S. Senators who die. It will be American soldiers who are too young to qualify for the Senate.”

Ifs War Young Political Dies Fighting Boys Military Particular Thousand Conflict Majors Hundred Harder Bravery Soldier Urges Vietnam Senate Senators Mushrooms American Soldier

Author:George McGovern

“Im sick and tired of old men sitting around in air conditioned rooms here in Washington, dreaming up wars for young men to die in.”

Men War Dream Young Dies Rooms Air Sitting Sick Tired Young Man Old Man Sitting Around

Author:George McGovern

“I always thought of myself as a good old South Dakota boy who grew up here on the prairie.”

Boys Grew Grew Up South Prairie Dakota South Dakota

Author:George McGovern

“A conscientious man would be cautious how he dealt in blood.”

Men Would Be Blood Cautious Be Cautious

Book:The Essential America: Our Founders and the Liberal Tradition

Source: The Essential America: Our Founders and the Liberal Tradition

“Every Senator in this Chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave. This Chamber reeks of blood.”

Young Blood Responsible Graves Senators Chamber

Book:Grassroots: the autobiography of George McGovern

Source: Grassroots: the autobiography of George McGovern

“For a generation and more, the government has sought to meet our needs by multiplying its bureaucracy. Washington has taken too much in taxes from Main Street, and Main Street has received too little in return. It is not necessary to centralize power in order to solve our problems.”

Needs Littles Problem Government Order Taken Too Much Generations Streets Return Taxes Solve Bureaucracy Main Street Multiplying

Author:George McGovern

“The nature of freedom of choice is that some people will misuse their responsibility and hurt themselves in the process. We should do our best to educate them, but without diminishing choice for everyone else.”

People Should Choices Process Hurt Responsibility Educate Freedom Of Choice Misuse

Author:George McGovern

“We seem bent upon saving the Vietnamese from Ho Chi Minh, even if we have to kill them and demolish their country to do it....I do not intend to remain silent in the face of what I regard as a policy of madness which, sooner or later, will envelop my son and American youth by the millions for years to come.”

Ifs Years Country Seems Faces Millions Policy Youth Son Madness Regard Silent Saving My Son Vietnam Sooner Or Later Bent Vietnam War Vietnamese Demolish American Youth

Author:George McGovern

“I would support a Presidential candidate who pledged to take the following steps: ... At the end of the war in the Persian Gulf, press for a comprehensive Middle East settlement and for a 'new world order' based not on Pax Americana but on peace through law with a stronger U.N. and World Court.”

“Come home to the affirmation that we have a dream. Come home to the conviction that we can move our country forward. Come home to the belief that we can seek a newer world. And let us be joyful in the homecoming.”

World Inspirational Country Home Dream America Moving Belief Politician Metaphor Conviction Moving Forward Our Country Usa Coming Home Joyful Affirmation Homecoming

Book:The Essential America: Our Founders and the Liberal Tradition

Source: The Essential America: Our Founders and the Liberal Tradition

“It is simply untrue that all our institutions are evil,... that all politicians are mere opportunists, that all aspects of university life are corrupt. Having discovered an illness, it's not terribly useful to prescribe death as a cure.”

Death Evil Dying Politician Aspect Institutions Mere University Illness Cures Untrue Opportunist

Author:George McGovern

“We have the resources (to end hunger), we know what has to be done, and it's something that can be achieved at a rather modest cost”

Knows Ends Done Cost Resources Hunger Modest

Author:George McGovern

“I didn't used to care about living a long time. Not that I wasn't enjoying life, but I never sat around asking how I'd get to be 100, you know. But now I want to live long enough to see every school child in the world getting a good, nutritious lunch every day.”

Knows World Want Children Long Enough Care School Used Enjoy Long Time Asking Hunger Sat Lunch Enjoy Life Used To Care

Author:George McGovern

“From secrecy and deception in high places; come home, America. From military spending so wasteful that it weakens our nation; come home, America. From the entrenchment of special privileges in tax favoritism; from the waste of idle lands to the joy of useful labor; from the prejudice based on race and sex; from the loneliness of the aging poor and the despair of the neglected sick - come home, America.”

Source: The Essential America: Our Founders and the Liberal Tradition

About the Author

Born: July 19, 1922
Died: October 21, 2012
Known for: Historian
Quotes: 105

Related Topics

War World Ifs Country Men Thinking People Vietnam America Campaigns

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

The Essential America: Our Founders and the Liberal TraditionRelated source material

An American Journey: The Presidential Campaign Speeches of George McGovernRelated source material

Grassroots: the autobiography of George McGovernRelated source material

A time of war, a time of peaceRelated source material

McGovern: the man and his beliefsRelated source material

The Third Freedom: Ending Hunger in Our TimeRelated source material

What It Means to Be a DemocratRelated source material

Similar Authors

Richard M. NixonBrowse related quotes
Dwight D. EisenhowerBrowse related quotes
Ronald ReaganBrowse related quotes
Carl von ClausewitzBrowse related quotes
Napoleon BonaparteBrowse related quotes
William WestmorelandBrowse related quotes
Franklin D. RooseveltBrowse related quotes
John F. KerryBrowse related quotes
Lyndon B. JohnsonBrowse related quotes
John McCainBrowse related quotes