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Grover Norquist

Grover Norquist Quotes

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Grover Norquist is an American political activist known for his advocacy of small government, low taxes, and free-market policies. Born in October 1956, he is the founder of Americans for Tax Reform, an organization dedicated to limiting government spending and taxes.

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All Government Taxes People Want Party Republican Democrat Ifs Size States

Famous Grover Norquist Quotes

“People are an asset, not a liability. The United States is the most immigrant-friendly nation in the world and the richest country in the world. This is not a coincidence. Those voices that would make us less immigrant-friendly would make us less successful, less prosperous and certainly less American.”

People World Country States Nations Voice United United States Successful Immigrants Friendly Assets Coincidence Prosperous Liability

Author:Grover Norquist

“No Republican could expect to win the GOP nod after betraying his party's rank and file.”

Winning Party Republican Betrayal Betray Files Gop

Author:Grover Norquist

“The statists want to control the economy.”

Author:Grover Norquist

“The Democratic Party might be called the Takings Coalition, made up of groups that want the government to take from American citizens -- usually cash -- and keep it for itself.”

Want Made Government Might Party Groups Citizens Democratic Cash Democratic Party Coalitions American Citizens

Author:Grover Norquist

“They tax when you earn a dollar, they tax you when you save it, they tax you when you invest it. If you earn a dividend, they tax it again, and if you're stupid enough to die, they steal up to half.”

Ifs Enough Dies Half Stupid Taxes Dollars Stealing Dividends You Re Stupid

Author:Grover Norquist

“It's the Democrats whose position is that the only problem in Washington, D.C., is the peasants aren't sending enough cash in for the king to spend.”

Enough Position Kings Democrat Cash Peasants

Author:Grover Norquist

“Spending is not caring. Spending is what politicians do instead of caring. Spending more does not guarantee success. Politicians like to measure spending because it is easier than measuring actual metrics of accomplishment.”

Doe Politician Easier Caring Spending Accomplishment Guarantees Measuring Not Caring Metrics

Author:Grover Norquist

“Government should enforce rule of law. It should enforce contracts, it should protect people bodily from being attacked by criminals. And when the government does those things, it is facilitating liberty. When it goes beyond those things, it becomes destructive to both human happiness and human liberty.”

People Should Humans Doe Government Law Liberty Protect Criminals Destructive Contracts Rule Of Law Human Happiness

Author:Grover Norquist

“The goal is to reduce the size and scope of government spending, not to focus on the deficit. The deficit is the symptom of the disease.”

Government Goal Focus Disease Size Spending Symptoms Scope Deficit Government Spending

Author:Grover Norquist

“I was an anti-communist before I was political in other ways.”

Way Political Communist Anti Communist

Author:Grover Norquist

“The future of the Republican Party, all the different folks looking to lead the Republican Party at the national level in the future, recognize we should do immigration reform.”

Should Different Levels Party Republican Folks Immigration Reform Republican Party Immigration Reform

Author:Grover Norquist

“Less government, less regulation, lower taxes.”

Government Taxes Regulation

Author:Grover Norquist

“I'm for tax reform, not tax increases.”

Taxes Increase Reform Tax Reform Tax Increases

Author:Grover Norquist

“We don't need someone who can think. We need someone with enough digits to hold a pen.”

Thinking Needs Enough Pens

Author:Grover Norquist

“There are a number of people who won't be president in 2009, and Mark Warner is one of them.”

People President Numbers Mark

Author:Grover Norquist

“Well, certainly the Democrats have been arguing to raise the capital gains tax on all Americans. Obama says he wants to do that. That would slow down economic growth. It's not necessarily helpful to the economy. Every time we've cut the capital gains tax, the economy has grown. Whenever we raise the capital gains tax, it's been damaged.”

Want Wells Has Beens Growth Economy Cutting Economic Taxes Gains Raises Democrat Arguing Helpful Slow Down Economic Growth Capital Gains Capital Gains Tax

Author:Grover Norquist

“What Mae West said about sex is true about taxes. All tax cuts are good tax cuts; even bad tax cuts are good tax cuts.”

Said Sex Cutting Taxes West Tax Cuts Mae

Author:Grover Norquist

“We want [government] down to the size to where it would fit in a bathtub, and then it could worry about what we were up to.”

Want Government Father Politics Money Worry Democracy Policy Fit Taxes Constitution Size Ideology Free Speech Bathtubs

Author:Grover Norquist

“Home schoolers do not wish to force other parents to home school. Gun owners do not insist that others buy guns, or that hunting be promoted as an alternative lifestyle. It is not the National Rifle Association out lobbying to have government schools read books entitled 'Heather Has Two Hunters' to preschoolers. It is, in fact, the Left that now strives to use state power to impose its morality by forcing all taxpayers to pay for abortions and public "art" that mocks people of faith. It is the Left that forces parents to pay for government schools where they do not wish to send their children.”

“Taxes are the killing fields of Democrats.”

Fields Taxes Democrat Killing

Author:Grover Norquist

“Democrats are people who raise your taxes and spend your money on weird stuff. They steal your guns, and they spit on your faith.”

People Stuff Taxes Gun Raises Democrat Stealing Spit Weird Stuff

Author:Grover Norquist

“One of the reasons some of the advocates of ever larger government and more government intrusiveness get nervous about discussions of the actual cost of government is that they fear if the people had a discussion about what government costs, the true cost of taxes, that they might not want as much government as they are presently getting.”

People Ifs Want Reason Government Might Cost Taxes Nervous Discussion

Author:Grover Norquist

“My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.”

Years Government Goal Half Five Cutting Twenties Size Five Years Twenty Five Bathtubs

Author:Grover Norquist

“Every time you cut programs, you take away a person who has a vested interest in high taxes and you put him on the tax rolls and make him a taxpayer. A farmer on subsidies is part welfare bum, whereas a free-market farmer is a small businessman with a gun.”

Persons Interest Cutting Taxes Gun Program Welfare Farmers Businessman Free Market Taxpayers Subsidies Vested Interests High Taxes

Author:Grover Norquist

“This always confuses liberals, that conservatives like the military and don't like the bureaucracy. That's because the military has their guns pointed out and the bureaucracy has them pointed in.”

Military Gun Bureaucracy Government Bureaucracy

Author:Grover Norquist

“If the Republican Party works with the Hispanic community, the immigrant community, they're natural allies. People who came to this country are more freedom-loving and more American than people who just happened to be born here.”

People Ifs Country Born Community Natural Party Happened Republican Immigrants Allies Republican Party Hispanic

Author:Grover Norquist

“I know the activists I deal with, we sort of try and check each other to make sure that we haven't gone native, that you come to Washington thinking it's a cesspool, you don't want to end up thinking it's really a hot tub and getting used to it. So that's something one has to keep an eye on all the time.”

Thinking Knows Want Trying Ends Eye Used Deals Gone Havens Hot Checks Native Activist Tubs Hot Tub

Author:Grover Norquist

“I run a taxpayer group - the most powerful guy in D.C., nonsense. OK? There are buildings with thousands of people in them, all lobbying for more spending and higher levels of spending and more government commitments. And there are a handful - a handful of groups that fight for less spending.”

People Government Running Guy Fighting Levels Powerful Groups Building Higher Commitment Spending Nonsense Most Powerful Handful Taxpayers Higher Level Lobbying

Author:Grover Norquist

“I think it's very important to always make sure that you're talking to the entire coalition and to as many Americans as possible; not to go chasing after one little group or another. The Democrats would bring new groups into their party and not notice that larger groups are going out the back door.”

Thinking Littles Important Party Talking Doors Groups Democrat Going Out Chasing Coalitions Back Doors

Author:Grover Norquist

“Look, the center right coalition in American politics today is best understood as a coalition of groups and individuals that on the issue that brings them to politics what they want from the government is to be left alone.”

Want Looks Government Today Individual Left Issues Groups Understood American Politics Coalitions Left Alone Politics Today Groups And Individuals

Author:Grover Norquist

“Obama has been perhaps the most partisan President since Truman. He hasn't learned to be civil - note his insulting speech to Paul Ryan, who did us the courtesy of scoring a budget. The president has to talk to Republicans when it comes to the debt ceiling. He has reached the debt ceiling before anyone expected.”

Has Beens President Republican Speech Notes Debt Expected Budgets Courtesy Ceilings Insulting Partisans Truman Debt Ceiling

Author:Grover Norquist

“Obama wants to take the individual small business tax to 44 percent, and the corporate rate - he says - down to 28 percent or whatever. But that really damages the small businesses. And it doesn't make us competitive. You got to take them both down to 20, because state and local corporate taxes are 5 percent.”

Want States Individual Taxes Percent Rate Locals Corporate Damage Small Business

Author:Grover Norquist

“The question is: How do we reduce spending from 25% of GDP, which is where Obama put us? The focus is on total government spending. Can we bring it down, in a reasonable and politically acceptable way? That's what the Paul Ryan plan does. It puts us on a gradual reform path to reducing the size of government.”

Way Doe Government Path Focus Plans Size Spending Reform Reasonable Acceptable Reducing Gdp Government Spending Size Of Government

Author:Grover Norquist

“The tax issue is the most powerful issue in American politics going back to the Tea Party. People say, 'Oh, Grover Norquist has power.' No. Grover Norquist and Americans for Tax Reform focus on the tax issue. The tax issue is a powerful issue.”

People Powerful Party Issues Focus Taxes Reform Tea Most Powerful American Politics Tea Party Grover Tax Reform

Author:Grover Norquist

“Twenty-five years ago, I created the Taxpayer Protection Pledge at the federal level. Then I brought it to the state and local level. About 97 percent of the Republicans in the House and 85 percent in the Senate have signed on, and the number of candidates who have taken the pledge is even higher. It's become a party position.”

Years States House Levels Party Numbers Taken Five Position Higher Republican Percent Years Ago Twenties Protection Locals Candidates Five Years Senate Taxpayers Pledge Twenty Five

Author:Grover Norquist

“We plan to pick up another five seats in the Senate and hold the House through redistricting through 2012. And rather than negotiate with the teachers’ unions and the trial lawyers and the various leftist interest groups, we intend to break them.”

House Interest Break Five Teacher Plans Groups Picks Unions Various Lawyer Trials Seats Senate Leftists Interest Groups Teachers Unions Trial Lawyers Redistricting

Author:Grover Norquist

“The RNC has made a concerted effort to work with their allies with a real focus on what we can do to equip candidates with the resources to win in 2014 and beyond. There isn't a week that goes by that I don't see someone from the RNC at our weekly coalition meeting. Keep up the good work.”

Made Real Opportunity Winning Growth Can Do Effort Focus Week Resources Meetings Candidates Allies Good Work Coalitions Keep Up The Good Work

Author:Grover Norquist

“My ideal citizen is the self-employed, homeschooling, IRA-owning guy with a concealed-carry permit. Because that person doesn't need the goddamn government for anything.”

Needs Persons Self Government Guy Citizens Ideals Permit Employed Concealed Homeschooling Ira Concealed Carry

Author:Grover Norquist

“I read murder mysteries. I exercise 40 minutes a day. I watch videotapes while I exercise. I listen to audiotapes when I am in my car. And I try to stay in three different centuries.”

Trying Different Three Watches Mystery Minutes Century Car Exercise Murder Murder Mysteries

Author:Grover Norquist

“This thought-provoking novel portrays the absurdity of our overbearing government bureaucracy with a story that is entertaining and fast-paced. The Taxman Cometh will become part of our national dialogue about taxes and freedom. And it’s funny as hell. Author Jim Greenfield is a cross between Ayn Rand and Monty Python. If enough people read this hilarious ‘man versus state’ book, the IRS will be put out of business, which is okay with me.”

“I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

Want I Can Government Size Drag Bathroom Abolish Bathtubs

Author:Grover Norquist

“Clinton and Obama practice this politics known quaintly as the Richard Speck strategy: if you cannot take on everyone in the room at once, take them out of the room one at a time.”

Ifs Rooms Known Practice Strategy Clinton Usa Specks

Author:Grover Norquist

“I want to reduce the size of government in half as a percentage of GNP - gross national product - over the next 25 years. We want to reduce the number of people depending on government so there is more autonomy and more free citizens.”

People Want Years Government Next Numbers Half Products Citizens Size Autonomy Gross Percentages Size Of Government

Author:Grover Norquist

“Once the minority of House and Senate are comfortable in their minority status, they will have no problem socializing with the Republicans. Any farmer will tell you that certain animals run around and are unpleasant, but when they've been fixed, then they are happy and sedate. They are contented and cheerful. They don't go around peeing on the furniture and such.”

Problem Running Certain House Animal Republican Comfortable Fixed Minorities Farmers Senate Cheerful No Problem Furniture Socializing

Author:Grover Norquist

“All we have to do is replace Obama. ... We are not auditioning for fearless leader. We don't need a president to tell us in what direction to go. We know what direction to go. We want the Ryan budget. ... We just need a president to sign this stuff. We don't need someone to think it up or design it. The leadership now for the modern conservative movement for the next 20 years will be coming out of the House and the Senate.”

Thinking Knows Want Needs Years Next House Stuff President Leader Modern Design Movement Conservative Fearless Budgets Coming Out Senate

Author:Grover Norquist

“Alexander Hamilton has been on the $10 since 1928, he's been well honored by the country, he was a great Secretary of the Treasury. But of all the people on the currency, the only one who isn't a president.”

People Wells Has Beens Country President Currency Secretary Honored Treasury Hamilton

Author:Grover Norquist

“When I became 21, I decided that nobody learned anything about politics after the age of 21.”

Author:Grover Norquist

“Which idiot put the GOP convention the same time as 'Burning Man' in Nevada? Is there time to change this?”

Men Burning Idiot Conventions Gop Nevada Burning Man

Author:Grover Norquist

“Being married is kind of like being a Ken-doll; you don't get to dress yourself anymore.”

Kind Married Dresses Being Married Dolls

Author:Grover Norquist

“Obsessions turn people off.”

People Turns Obsession

Author:Grover Norquist

About the Author

Born: October 19, 1956
Known for: Author
Quotes: 54

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