76 George W. Bush Quotes on Leadership

George W. Bush quotes on leadership

3. Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is.

5. I'm a uniter, not a divider.

6. The important question is, how many hands have I shaked?

14. The state can do what they want to do. Don't try to trap me in this state's issue like you're trying to get me into.

16. I understand small business growth. I was one.

24. I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together.

26. Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness.

28. We can do better in Washington D.C. We can have new leadership in Washington D.C., leadership that will lift this country's spirits and raise our sights. George P. knows what thousands of other youngsters know, that just because the White House has let us down in the past, that doesn't mean it's going to happen in the future. George P. joins us in a campaign that's going to restore honor and dignity to the White House.

33. We need to send a message to terrorists that there is going to be a price to pay. If you mess with the United States and kill our citizens, there will be a serious price to pay. I will decide what that consequence is when I'm the president.

37. They misunderestimated me.

38. I told all four [congressional leaders] that I felt like this election happened for a reason; that it pointed out - the delay in the outcome should make it clear to all of us - that we can come together to heal whatever wounds may exist, whatever residuals there may be. And I really look forward to the opportunity. I hope they've got my sense of optimism about the possible, and enthusiasm about the job. I told all four that there are going to be some times where we don't agree with each other, but that's okay. If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier... [Bush laughs out loud, audience laughs out loud] ...just so long as I'm the dictator [more laughter].

41. I want everybody to hear loud and clear that I'm going to be the president of everybody.

44. I think there is some methodology in my travels.

49. There's no question that the minute I got elected, the storm clouds on the horizon were getting nearly directly overhead.

53. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country.

55. It's my honor to speak to you as the leader of your country. And the great thing about America is you don't have to listen unless you want to.

57. I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe- I believe what I believe is right.

77. The world must know that this administration will not blink in the face of danger, and will not tire when it comes to completing the missions that we said we would do.

83. I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them.

93. I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. Now watch this drive.

104. I'm an optimist because I believe that I'm right. I'm a person at peace with myself. It was our turn to face a serious threat to peace.

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

112. I'm the master of low expectations... I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things.

117. I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it.

143. My meetings with [Ahmed Chalabi] were very brief. I mean, I think I met with him at the State of the Union and just kind of working through the rope line, and he might have come with a group of leaders. But I haven't had any extensive conversations with him.

144. I want to be the peace president

154. I think it's very important for the American president to mean what he says. That's why I understand that the enemy could misread what I say. That's why I try to be as clearly as I can.

157. I believe it is the job of a President to confront problems, not pass them on to future Presidents and future generations.

165. A political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts is not a person you want as your commander in chief.

166. Now that I've got the will of the people at my back, I'm going to start enforcing the one-question rule. That was three questions.

170. I have earned capitol, and I intend to spend it.

176. To Poland's President Aleksander Kwasniewski: I want to thank you for your leadership on that issue, Mr Prime Minister. (10 February 2005) [62]

189. My thoughts are, we're going to get somebody who knows what they're talking about when it comes to rebuilding cities.

190. Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job.

191. What I intend to do is lead an investigation to find out what went right and what went wrong.... I think one of the things that people want us to do here is to play a blame game. We've got to solve problems. We're problem-solvers. There will be ample time for people to figure out what went right and what went wrong. What I'm interested in is helping save lives. That's what I want to do.

192. I understand not everybody agrees with the decisions I've made, but that's not unique to Central or South America. Truth of the matter is, there's people who disagree with the decisions I've made all over the world. But that's what happens when you make decisions.

195. As Iraqi forces gain experience and the political process advances, we will be able to decrease our troop level in Iraq without losing our capability to defeat the terrorists. These decisions about troop levels will be driven by the conditions on the ground in Iraq and the good judgment of our commanders, not by artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington.

204. I say I listen to all voices, but mine's the final decision. And Don Rumsfeld is doing a fine job. He's not only transforming the military, he's fighting a war on terror. He's helping us fight a war on terror. I have strong confidence in Don Rumsfeld. I hear the voices, and I read the front page, and I know the speculation. But I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the Secretary of Defense.

226. You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war President. No President wants to be a war President, but I am one.

227. Both those men are doing fantastic jobs and I strongly support them.

230. Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die.

233. ...I believe that we're going to win; I believe that -- and by the way, if I didn't think that, I wouldn't have our troops there. That's what you got to know. We're going to succeed.

241. ...One of the things I have discovered is, in Washington, D.C. most people understand the consequences of failure. And if failure is not an option, then it's up to the president to come up with a plan that is more likely to succeed.

242. One of the things I've found in Congress is that most people recognize that failure would be a disaster for the United States. And in that I'm the decision maker, I had to come up with a way forward that precluded disaster. In other words, I had to think about what's likely to work. And so I worked with our military and I worked with Secretary Gates to come up with a plan that is likely to succeed. And the implementor of that plan is going to be General Petraeus. And my call to the Congress is, is that I know there is skepticism and pessimism, and that they are -- some are condemning a plan before it's even had a chance to work. And they have an obligation and a serious responsibility, therefore, to put up their own plan as to what would work. I've listened a lot to members of Congress. I've listened carefully to their suggestions. I have picked the plan that I think is most likely to succeed, because I understand, like many in Congress understand, success is very important for the security of the country.

253. Wisdom and strength, and my family, is what I'd like you to pray for.

257. If you want to kill the bill, if you don't want to do what's right for America, you can pick one little aspect out of it, you can use it to frighten people. Or you can show leadership and solve this problem once and for all, so the people who wear the uniform in this crowd can do the job we expect them to do.

260. I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that.

265. (Speaking to military in Afghanistan) (He) ... said he'd like to be there but 'One, I'm too old to be out there, and two, they would notice me.'

266. I thought an interesting comment was made when somebody said to me, I heard somebody say, where's Mandela? Well, Mandela is dead, because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas.

280. I think anybody who doesn't think I'm smart enough to handle the job is misunderestimating.

282. Dick Cheney and I do not want this nation to be in a recession. We want anybody who can find work to be able to find work.

292. One has a stronger hand when there's more people playing your same cards.

301. In the late 1930s, as Britain refused to adapt to the new realities of war, Winston Churchill observed, 'The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences.'

336. We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation - the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right.

349. In Iraq, there is no peace without victory. We will keep our nerve and we will win that victory.

352. To retreat before victory would be an act of recklessness and dishonor and I will not allow it.

353. In a complex and challenging time, the road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting - yet it ends in danger and decline. The only way to protect our people ... the only way to secure the peace ... the only way to control our destiny is by our leadership - so the United States of America will continue to lead.

359. Members of Congress: however we feel about the decisions and debates of the past, our nation has only one option: We must keep our word, defeat our enemies, and stand behind the American military in its vital mission.

361. Our own generation is in a long war against a determined enemy - a war that will be fought by presidents of both parties, who will need steady bipartisan support from the Congress. And tonight I ask for yours. Together, let us protect our country, support the men and women who defend us, and lead this world toward freedom.

365. Fellow citizens, we have been called to leadership in a period of consequence. We have entered a great ideological conflict we did nothing to invite. We see great changes in science and commerce that will influence all our lives. And sometimes it can seem that history is turning in a wide arc, toward an unknown shore. Yet the destination of history is determined by human action, and every great movement of history comes to a point of choosing.

366. Today, having come far in our own historical journey, we must decide: Will we turn back, or finish well? Before history is written down in books, it is written in courage. Like Americans before us, we will show that courage and we will finish well. We will lead freedom's advance. We will compete and excel in the global economy. We will renew the defining moral commitments of this land. And so we move forward - optimistic about our country, faithful to its cause, and confident of victories to come.

369. I don't know where he [Osama Bin Laden] is. I have no idea and I really don't care.

370. The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him.

381. I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn't do my job.

392. I think if you know what you believe, it makes it a lot easier to answer questions. I can't answer your question.

395. The resolve of our great nation is being tested. But make no mistake: We will show the world that we will pass this test. God bless.

410. We'll do everything in our power to save America one soul at a time.

416. America has spoken, and I'm humbled by the trust and the confidence of my fellow citizens.

421. It is complex

424. I would like this to end as quickly as possible so we know the facts and if someone committed a crime they will no longer work in my administration.

426. I'm trying to figure out what else I can say that you - I didn't say yesterday that sounds profound to you without - without actually answering your question.

429. Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government, and to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility.

437. You know, Vince Lombardi once said that success is not about strength, it's not about knowledge, but it's about will. And that's the leadership that President George W. Bush has provided. Thank you, Mr. President.

439. Who will demand accountability for the failure of our national political leadership involved in the management of this war? They have unquestionably been derelict in the performance of their duty. In my profession, these types of leaders would immediately be relieved or court martialed.

441. US President Bush is a great leader, great friend of Israel and a source of inspiration.

443. As I have heard Bush say, only a wartime president is likely to achieve greatness, in part because the epochal upheavals of war provide the opportunity for transformative change of the kind Bush hoped to achieve. In Iraq, Bush saw his opportunity to create a legacy of greatness.

     Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.