Quotes from Steven Ford

When you look at the Nixon pardon, the short-term gain would have been never to pardon him.

I've really been blessed to have these roles in movies that will last forever.

Our dad was just a congressman for 27 years, and if you live in Washington, D.C., everybody's dad works for the government. We grew up just like everyone else.

Politics is a lot like acting. You have to be on all the time.

It's bad enough on a first date trying not to say something dumb without having three Secret Service guys with you.

Dad lived his life in a way that it was his character, not his circumstances, that dictated what his life looked like.

I thought food and drink were just part of the perks of living at the White House. The next day, I got a call from his secretary saying my dad wanted to see me in the Oval Office, and when I got there, dad was waving this little pink receipt. I didn't know it came out of his salary.

Dad knew how to disagree without being disagreeable or rude.

I remember telling Mom, 'I can't go to the Betty Ford Center. That's like going to the high school where your mom is the principal.' But maybe I could have gotten the family rate.

Not all films are going to go down in history.

When you're part of the first family, your life tends to get played out in front of the whole nation.

When Dad made a decision, whether it was about family or his own career, the majority of the time, it was for the long term, not the short term.

It takes a good actor to sound excited every time.

I had my share of rejections.

I think the issue that is really going to hurt the Republican Party is the right-to-life issue. I think they have painted themselves into a real corner.

Dad had great people investing in his life at a young age. His mother, his stepfather, his Boy Scout leader, his football coach. That's where integrity is planted, like seeds that are harvested later.

I just kind of fell into acting.

Spreading manure is a great way of bringing yourself down to earth.

As I get older and more tuned in to a community or an area, I see myself getting more involved. Not that I see myself running for office, but more involved in local issues.

Truly, what the Secret Service did for us is that they saved my dad's life twice.

My dad wasn't the best speaker like a Bill Clinton, or a Henry Kissinger, but he had character.

Character is not created on the spot.