Quotes About Civics

My dream of politics all my life has been that it is the common business, that it is something we owe to each other to understand and discuss with absolute frankness.

Our elected officials must understand that we, the American people, expect them to perform the duties of their office, even when that means working with other elected officials from different parties.

If an election doesn't go your way, you don't get to call a do-over. Part of respecting our democracy is respecting the will of the voters.

I begin to feel like I was in the last generation of Americans who took a civics class.

it make no sense to talk about rights without also talking about responsibilities

but it makes no sense to talk about rights without also talking about responsibilities

I'm a civilian, a citizen.

By obliging men to turn their attention to other affairs than their own, it rubs off that private selfishness which is the rust of society.

Avoid any specific discussion of public policy at public meetings.

Don't pretend that you can just be oblivious to politics. You can't. What you never do is break your personal code. Have a code and keep it. You should never compromise what your priorities are.

Politics in a democratic society should not be treated like a baseball game, a game show or a soap opera. The times are too serious for that.

I reject the cynical view that politics is a dirty business.

Politics is a good thing!

If every American school taught the Bill of Rights in a clear and compelling way, if every child knew the fundamental rules that guide the relationships between the individual and the state, then every citizen would eventually feel the reflexive need to resist every violation. We had better begin now, for rights that are not invoked are eventually abandoned.

It is a greater thing to be a good citizen than to be a good Republican or a good Democrat.

A good marriage is really good after serving together in Washington, D.C.

The common good is the notion of shared collective responsibility and reciprocity. It's that that we've lost.

[V]irtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.

Half the states have stopped making civics and government a requirement for high school. Half.

The word "politics" comes from the Greek politeia which had to do with the citizenry, not the government.

I wanted to be what my high-school civics and history teacher thought of as a good American. That automatically involved taking an interest in government.

... in America ... children are instructed in the virtues of the system they live under, as though history had achieved a happy ending in American civics.

The first lesson in civics is that efficient government begins at home.

If Washington continues to fumble issues like taking care of the debt, getting the troops home, and rebuilding our economy, my wife and I may sit down and say, 'These are critical things and maybe we need to get back in the ball.'