Quotessence
Home / Authors / William J. Clinton
William J. Clinton

William J. Clinton Quotes

42nd U.S. President

Filter quotes by topic

AllPeopleIfsWorldAmericaPresidentThinkingShouldCountryKnowsYearsStupidWantGovernmentHumorousBelieveWayNationsChildrenCenturyGiving

Famous William J. Clinton Quotes

“The community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists. If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow.”

IfsKindMayStatesUseTodayNationsCommunityFailingReadyTomorrowWeaponsMassDestructionThreatIraqTerroristPatrioticSaddamFootstepsWeapons Of Mass DestructionMass DestructionRoguesWmdWmds In Iraq
Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1998
Create image

“We know there are billions of stars and planets literally out there, and the universe is getting bigger. We know from our fancy telescopes that just in the last two years more than 20 planets have been identified outside our solar system that seem to be far enough away from their suns - - and dense enough - - that they might be able to support some form of life. So it makes it increasing less likely that we're alone. But if we were visited someday, I wouldn't be surprised.”

IfsKnowsInspirationalYearsHas BeensTwoEnoughSeemsMightMotivationalAbleLastsFormUniverseStarsSupportSunPlanetsHealthyBiggerSuicideBillionsWell BeingFancySomedayTwo YearsTelescopesDenseSuicidal ThoughtsSolar SystemStars And Planets
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“Literacy is not a luxury, it is a right and a responsibility. If our world is to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century we must harness the energy and creativity of all our citizens.”

IfsWorldFirstsEnergyChallengesEducationResponsibilityCreativityCenturyCitizensTwentiesEducationalLuxuryOur WorldCitizenshipLiteracyHarnessEducation And LiteracyReading And LiteracyEducation For All
Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1994
Create image

“The secret to living a full life with no regrets and to staying young is to figure out what you believe in and fight for it. If you lose, don't give up. If you win, raise the bar, and then rare back and do something else. And remember that, with the accumulation of years, our responsibilities to the future grow greater, not less.”

IfsGivingYearsBelieveRememberSuccessYoungFightingWinningGrowsLosesSecretResponsibilityGreaterFiguresRegretGiving UpRaisesAgingBarsStayingAccumulationDon't Give UpNo RegretsFull LifeStaying YoungRaising The Bar
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“...More important than the deficit, more important then healthcare-more important than anything-we have got to do something about our energy strategy. Because if we permit the climate to continue to warm at an unsustainable rate, and if we keep on doing what we're doing until we're out of oil and we haven't made the transition, then it's inconceivable to me that our children and grandchildren will be able to maintain the American way of life and that the world won't be much fuller of resource-based wars of all kinds.”

IfsWorldWayKindChildrenMadeImportantWarAbleEnergyHavensResourcesOur ChildrenStrategyClimateRateWarmOilAll KindsTransitionPermitHealthcareGrandchildrenDeficitChildren And GrandchildrenAmerican Way Of LifePeak Oil
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“The new rage is to say that the government is the cause of all our problems, and if only we had no government, we'd have no problems. I can tell you, that contradicts evidence, history, and common sense.”

IfsI CanProblemGovernmentPoliticalPoliticsCausesCommonEvidenceRageCommon SenseNo Problem
Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, William J. Clinton, 1995, Bk. 1, January 1 to June 30, 1995
Create image

“My fellow Americans, all of us in this grand hall and everybody watching at home, when we vote in this election, we'll be deciding what kind of country we want to live in. If you want a winner-take-all, you're-on-your-own society, you should support the Republican ticket. But if you want a country of shared opportunities and shared responsibility, a we're-all-in-this-together society, you should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.”

IfsWantShouldKindCountryTogetherOpportunityResponsibilitySupportRepublicanVoteFellowsBarackWinnerTicketsBidenShared Responsibility
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“If you want a future of shared prosperity, where the middle class is growing and poverty is declining, where the American Dream really is alive and well again, and where the United States remains the leading force for peace and justice and prosperity in a highly competitive world, you have to vote for Barack Obama.”

IfsWorldWantShouldWellsStatesDreamForceUnitedClassPovertyUnited StatesAliveGrowingMiddleVoteRemainsProsperityBarackMiddle ClassAmerican Dream
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“When some Republican governors asked to try new ways to put people on welfare back to work, the Obama Administration said they would only do it if they had a credible plan to increase employment by 20%. You hear that? More work. So the claim that President Obama weakened welfare reform's work requirement is just not true.”

PeopleIfsWayTryingSaidPresidentPlansRepublicanClaimsIncreaseEmploymentAdministrationReformWelfarePresident ObamaGovernorsNew WaysRequirementsCredibleBack To WorkWelfare Reform
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“You know, there was a recent poll which said that young people in the generation of the students here felt it was far more likely that they would see a UFO than that they would draw Social Security... It's very important you understand this. Once you understand this, you realize this is not an episode from the X Files, and you're not more likely to see a UFO if you do certain specific things.”

PeopleIfsKnowsSaidImportantYoungCertainSocialFeltRealizingGenerationsSecurityStudentsDrawsEpisodesSocial SecurityPollsFilesUfoX Files
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“I did attempt to find out if there were any secret government documents that revealed things. If there were, they were concealed from me too. And if there were, well I wouldn't be the first American president that underlings have lied to, or that career bureaucrats have waited out. But there may be some career person sitting around somewhere, hiding these dark secrets, even from elected presidents. But if so, they successfully eluded me...and I'm almost embarrassed to tell you I did (chuckling) try to find out.”

IfsTryingFirstsWellsMayPersonsGovernmentPresidentDarkSecretCareersSittingHidingDocumentsEmbarrassedLiedUfoConcealedBureaucratsSitting AroundAmerican PresidentDark Secrets
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“I got a letter from 13-year-old Ryan from Belfast. Now, Ryan, if you're out in the crowd tonight, here's the answer to your question. No, as far as I know, an alien spacecraft did not crash in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. And, Ryan, if the United States Air Force did recover alien bodies, they didn't tell me about it, either, and I want to know.”

IfsKnowsWantYearsStatesBodyForceAnswersUnitedUnited StatesAirLettersCrowdsAliensTonightMexicoCrashUfoAir ForceNew MexicoSpacecraftBelfast
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“Hillary's opponent, in his entire campaign, every two or three weeks has said for months and months and months, beginning in Nevada, that really there wasn't much difference in how America did when I was president and how America's done under President Bush. Now, if you believe that, you should probably vote for him, but you get a very bad grade in history.”

IfsShouldBelieveSaidTwoDoneAmericaThreePresidentDifferencesWeekMonthsVoteCampaignsOpponentsGradesIf You BelievePresident BushNevadaBad Grades
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“I think the country could be spared a lot of agony and the government could worry about inflation and a lot of other problems if [Nixon would] go on and resign. [There is] no question that an admission of making false statements to government officials and interfering with the FBI and the CIA is an impeachable offense.”

IfsThinkingCountryProblemGovernmentWorryGoes OnStatementsOfficialsAgonyInterfereOffenseInflationCiaFbiAdmissionImpeachmentGovernment Officials
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“On the Glass-Steagall thing, like I said, if you could demonstrate to me that it was a mistake, I'd be glad to look at the evidence. But I can't blame [the Republicans]. This wasn't something they forced me into. I really believed that given the level of oversight of banks and their ability to have more patient capital, if you made it possible for [banks] to go into the investment banking business as continental European investment banks could always do, that it might give us a more stable source of long-term investment.”

IfsGivingLooksLongMadeSaidI CanMightGivenTermAbilityLevelsMistakeSourceRepublicanEvidenceBlameInvestmentPatientGlassesGladMade ItLong TermStableBankingOversightContinentalInvestment Banking
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“I think the Democrats are going to have to be willing to give up, maybe, some short-term political gain by whipping up fears on some of these things - if it's a reasonable Social Security proposal, a reasonable Medicare proposal. We've got to deal with these things. You cannot have health care devour the economy.”

IfsThinkingGivingCarePoliticalSocialTermDealsEconomySecurityWillingGiving UpGainsDemocratHealth CareReasonableSocial SecurityShort TermProposalMedicareWhipping
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“This is a huge problem. If we don't deal with this within just a few years, you will have island nations flooded; you will have the agricultural balance of most countries completely changed; you will have a dramatic increase in the number of severe, unmanageable weather events... And the good news is that we can now deal with this problem - and strengthen our economic growth, not weaken it.”

IfsYearsCountryProblemNationsGrowthDealsNumbersEconomicEventsChangedHugeBalanceNewsIncreaseClimateWeatherDramaticIslandsSevereGood NewsEconomic Growth
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“My father left me with the feeling that I had to live for two people, and that if I did it well enough, somehow I could make up for the life he should have had. And his memory infused me, at a younger age than most, with a sense of my own mortality. The knowledge that I, too, could die young drove me both to try to drain the most out of every moment of life and to get on with the next big challenge. Even when I wasn't sure where I was going, I was always in a hurry.”

PeopleIfsShouldTryingWellsTwoEnoughMomentsFeelingsBigsAgeYoungDiesNextFatherLeftChallengesMemoriesMy OwnShould HaveMortalityDrainsDie YoungMoments Of LifeBig Challenges
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“New information and communications technologies can improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, but only if such technologies are designed from the beginning so that everyone can use them. Given the explosive growth in the use of the World Wide Web for publishing, electronic commerce, lifelong learning and the delivery of government services, it is vital that the Web be accessible to everyone.”

PeopleIfsWorldUseGovernmentGivenGrowthQualityTechnologyInformationCommunicationWideDisabilityPublishingCommerceLifelongQuality Of LifeDeliveryExplosivesLifelong LearningNew InformationWorld Wide WebPeople With DisabilitiesLearning DisabilityCommunication TechnologyGovernment ServiceInformation And CommunicationBetter Quality Of Life
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image

“Heavy as they are, the costs of action must be weighed against the price of inaction. If Saddam defies the world and we fail to respond, we will face a far greater threat in the future. Saddam will strike again at his neighbors; he will make war on his own people. And mark my words, he will develop weapons of mass destruction. He will deploy them, and he will use them.”

PeopleIfsWorldWarUseActionFacesGreaterFailingCostWeaponsMassDestructionMarkThreatIraqHeavyStrikesNeighborSaddamInactionWeapons Of Mass DestructionMass DestructionIraq War
Author:William J. Clinton
Create image