Quotes from George W. Bush

Golf is something I love. It's been a part of my family's history.

I'm also combining my love of outdoors with my desire to help others.

The Ambassador and the General were briefing me on the....the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice.

There seems to be a lot of name-calling going on, but I want to remind you what our good dad told me one time. Labels are for soup cans.

America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people.

I sent American troops to Iraq to make its people free, not to make them American. Iraqis will write their own history and find their own way.

People make suggestions on what to say all the time. I'll give you an example; I don't read what's handed to me. People say, 'Here, here's your speech, or here's an idea for a speech.' They're changed. Trust me.

There is a huge trust. I see it all the time when people come up to me and say, 'I don't want you to let me down again.' - Boston, Mass., Oct. 3, 2000

I fully understand it's important to maintain the separation of church and state. We don't want the state to become the church, nor do we want the church to become the state.

Politics comes and goes, but your principles don't. And everybody wants to be loved -- not everybody. ... You never heard anybody say, 'I want to be despised, I'm running for office.'

I said you were a man of peace. I want you to know I took immense crap for that.

I want him [Saddam Hussein]. I want - I want justice. There is an old poster seen out west. As I recall, it said, Wanted Dead or Alive.

I have zero desire, just so you know, to be in the limelight. I don't think it's good for the country to have a former president criticize his successor. You're not going to see me giving my opinions in the public arena, until I start selling my book. I'm going to emerge then submerge.

People forget... that we structured it so that the government, or the people, would be repaid with a really good rate of return. And as it turns out, that aspect of TARP, that's what happened.

The great thing about America is, you don't have to listen unless you want to.

I believe in open government. I've always believed in open government. I don't e-mail, however. And there's a reason: I don't want you reading my personal stuff.

Nobody really likes to be lectured a lot. And, therefore, if you want to be an effective person, what you don't do is scold the person publicly all the time.

These people are trying to shake the will of the Iraqi citizens, and they want us to leave...I think the world would be better off if we did leave.

If you've got somebody in harm's way, you want the president being -- making advice, not -- be given advice by the military, and not making decisions based upon the latest Gallup poll or focus group.

You know, I guess I'm like any other political figure: Everybody wants to be loved.

All of us in America want there to be fairness when it comes to justice.

And one thing we want during this war on terror is for people to feel like their life's moving on, that they're able to make a living and send their kids to college and put more money on the table.

If there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. If the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of.

And I am an optimistic person. I guess if you want to try to find something to be pessimistic about, you can find it, no matter how hard you look, you know?