Quotes from Decision Points

George W. Bush ·  497 pages

Rating: (32.6K votes)


“I introduced Putin to our Scottish terrier, Barney. He wasn't very impressed. On my next trip to Russia, Vladimir asked if I wanted to meet his dog, Koni. Sure, I said. As we walked the birch-lined grounds of his dacha, a big black Labrador came charging across the lawn. With a twinkle in his eye, Vladimir said, "Bigger, stronger, and faster than Barney." Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada [said], "You're lucky he only showed you his dog.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“Adoption was such a positive alternative to abortion, a way to save one life and brighten two more: those of the adoptive parents.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“I will not forget this wound to our country or those who inflicted it. I will not yield; I will not rest; I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“In my first meeting with Vladimir Putin in the spring of 2001, he complained that Russia was burdened by Soviet-era debt. At that point, oil ws selling for $26 per barrel. By the time I saw Putin at the APEC summit in Sydney in September 2007 oil had reached $71--on its way to $137 in the summer of 2008. He leaned back in his chair and asked how were Russia's mortgage-backed securities doing.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“But the truth is that I never had to search for a role model. I was the son of George Bush.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points



“At that point in my life, I was not looking for a career. I viewed my first decade after college as a time to explore. I didn't want anchors to hold me down. If something caught my attention, I would try it. If not, I would move on.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“Lincoln discovered Generals Grant and Sherman. Roosevelt had Eisenhower and Bradley. I found David Petraeus and Ray Odierno.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“Every American who served in Iraq helped to make our nation safer, gave twenty-five million people the chance to live in freedom, and changed the direction of the Middle East for generations to come. There are things we got wrong in Iraq, but that cause is eternally right.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“The nature of the presidency is that sometimes you don't choose which challenges come to your desk. You do decide how to respond.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“Barney spotted our neighbor's lawn, where he promptly took care of his business. There I was, the former president of the United States, with a plastic bag on my hand, picking up that which I had been dodging for the past eight years.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points



“When you know you have unconditional love, there is no point in rebellion and no need to fear failure.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“I sent letters to the families of every service member who laid down his or her life in the war on terror. By the end of my presidency, I had written to almost five thousand families.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“Delivering the speech was a surreal experience. The delegates sat silent, almost frozen in place. It was like speaking to a wax museum.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“When I saw Barbara and Jenna on the sonogram for the first time, there was no doubt in my mind that they were distinct and alive. The fact that they could not speak for themselves only enhanced society's duty to defend them.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“What are you doing to stop the next attack?” I asked. People nervously”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points



“Professor Osterweis taught us how to structure a speech: introduction, three main points, peroration, and conclusion.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“We were a perfect match. I’m a talker; Laura is a listener. I am restless; she is calm. I can get a little carried away; she is practical and down-to-earth. Above all, she is genuine and natural. There is no phoniness about her. Her appeal was immediate and constant. In August, I went to visit my family in Kennebunkport, planning to stay for a week. After one night, I flew back to Texas to be with Laura.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“I was falling hard for Laura. I was not much of a cat person, but I knew our relationship was solid when I bonded with her black-and-white shorthair, Dewey, named for the decimal system.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“The struggle in the Holy Land is no longer Palestinian versus Israeli, or Muslim versus Jew. It is between those who seek peace and extremists who promote terror.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“I told [Hu Jintao] I stayed awake worrying about another terrorist attack on America. He quickly replied that his biggest concern was creating twenty-five million new jobs a year. I found his answer fascinating, It was honest. It showed he worried about the impact of disaffected, unemployed masses. It explained his government's policies in resource-rich places like Iran and Africa. And it was a signal that he was a practical leader focused inward, not an ideologue likely to stir up trouble abroad.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points



“I made international news by giving Misty [May-Treanor] a playful slap on the back--a little north of the traditional target.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“My problem was not only drinking; it was selfishness. The booze was leading me to put myself ahead of others, especially my family. I loved Laura and the girls too much to let that happen. Faith showed me a way out.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“Whatever the verdict on my presidency, I’m comfortable with the fact that I won’t be around to hear it. That’s a decision point only history will reach.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“When my time is up,” I would tell friends, “my dance card is going to be full.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“Those were comfortable, carefree years. The word I’d use now is idyllic. On Friday nights, we cheered on the Bulldogs of Midland High. On Sunday mornings, we went to church. Nobody locked their doors. Years later, when I would speak about the American Dream, it was Midland I had in mind.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points



“I had taken office during a raging intifada, with Yasser Arafat running the Palestinian Authority, Israeli leaders committed to a Greater Israel policy, and Arab nations complaining from the sidelines. By the time I left, the Palestinians had a president and prime minister who rejected terrorism. The Israelis had withdrawn from some settlements and supported a two-state solution. And Arab nations were playing an active role in the peace process.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“My parents never projected their dreams onto me. If they hoped I would be a great pitcher, or political figure, or artist (no chance), they never told me about it. Their view of parenting was to offer love and encourage me to chart my own path.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“[TARP] The strategy was a breakthrough intervention in the free market.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“Those who based decisions on principle, not some snapshot of public opinion, were often vindicated over time.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


About the author

George W. Bush
Born place: in New Haven, Connecticut, The United States
Born date July 6, 1946
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“She wished to find out about this hazardous business of “passing,” this breaking away from all that was familiar and friendly to take one’s chance in another environment, not entirely strange, perhaps, but certainly not entirely friendly.”
― Nella Larsen, quote from Passing


“If you have a significant layer of fat around your waist, it means you have regularly consumed food in response to toxic hunger or have eaten recreationally. The body does not store large amounts of fat when fed a wholesome natural diet and given only the amount of food demanded by true hunger.”
― quote from Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss


“Asa-zisa „psihologie pentru mase” bate intr-una moneda pe „asumarea responsabilitatii”, dar nu sunt decat vorbe goale: este extraordinar de greu, ba chiar terifiant, sa accepti ideea ca tu si numai tu esti acela care iti construiesti viata, felul in care o traiesti. Ca urmare, problema in psihoterapie consta intotdeauna in a sti cum sa treci de la o apreciere in plan intelectual, care se dovedeste ineficace, a unui adevar despre tine insuti la un mod saul altul de a-l simti in plan emotional. Abia din clipa in care terapia mobilizeaza emotii profunde, incepe sa devina o forta redutabila in favoarea schimbarii.”
― Irvin D. Yalom, quote from Love's Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy


“این رویاها نظر فروید را در این باره که عملکرد اولیه رویاها حفظ خواب است اثبات می کرد. در این نمونه، فکر وحشتناک سوزاندن جسد به چیزی ملایم تر و دلپذیرتر تبدیل شده است: چهره دوست داشتنی و جذاب خرس آتش نشان. ولی این رویاها تنها تا حدودی موفق بود: هرچند باعث شده بود که ارنست خوابش را ادامه دهد اضطراب مرگ کل رویایش را در ترس فروبرد.”
― Irvin D. Yalom, quote from Lying on the Couch


“You belong,” he told her. “You belong just as much as I do, or, who, or Bitsy or … It’s just like Christmas. We all think the others belong more.”
― Anne Tyler, quote from Digging to America


Interesting books

Where There's a Wolf, There's a Way
(3.6K)
Where There's a Wolf...
by Lisi Harrison
It Was Me All Along
(10.4K)
It Was Me All Along
by Andie Mitchell
Now You See Me
(12.8K)
Now You See Me
by Sharon J. Bolton
The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help
(24K)
The Art of Asking; o...
by Amanda Palmer
The Hidden Kingdom
(8.2K)
The Hidden Kingdom
by Tui T. Sutherland
Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman
(634)

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.