George H.W. Bush in his own words

On America: "America is never wholly herself unless she is engaged in high moral principle. We as a people have such a purpose today. It is to make kinder the face of the nation and gentler the face of the world."

On history: "No generation can escape history."

On trade: "We don't want an America that is closed to the world. What we want is a world that is open to America."

On his politics: "I am a conservative, but I'm not a nut about it."

On bipartisanship: "Don't confuse being 'soft' with seeing the other guy's point of view."

On wealth, class: "Freedom and the power to choose should not be the privilege of wealth. They are the birthright of every American."

On end of cold war: "In a world where we are the only remaining superpower, it is the role of the United States to marshal its moral and material resources to promote a democratic peace. It is our responsibility, it is our opportunity to lead. There is no one else."

On broccoli: "I do not like broccoli and I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli.''

On diversity: "We are a nation of communities … a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky."

On bigotry: "America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms. As we pray for Charlottesville, we are reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city's most prominent citizen in the Declaration of Independence: We are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights.''

On supply side theory: "It just isn't going to work, and it's very interesting that the man who invented this type of what I call a voodoo economic policy is Art Laffer, a California economist."

On the Gulf War: "This will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait.''

On his wife: "I have climbed perhaps the highest mountain in the world, but even that cannot hold a candle to being Barbara's husband."

On his lost daughter: "She is still with us. We need her, and yet we have her. We can't touch her, and yet we can feel her. We hope she'll stay in our house for a long, long time.''

On being shot down: "For a while there, I thought I was done."

On his socks: "I like a colorful sock. I'm a sock man."

On aging: "Old guys can still have fun and still do stuff."