Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,269 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
EnglishItalianoPolskiעבריתFrançaisPortuguêsفارسیEspañol中文РусскийDeutschالعربيةहिन्दी日本語ΕλληνικάLatina
Bernie Sanders
297 quotes
“If somebody commits a serious crime – sexual assault, murder – they're going to be punished. They may be in jail for 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, their whole lives. That's what happens when you commit a serious crime. But I think the right to vote is inherent to our democracy. Yes, even for terrible people, because once you start chipping away and you say, 'Well, that guy committed a terrible crime; not going to let him vote. You're running down a slippery slope.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Takeaways from Bernie Sanders' CNN town hall, Eric Bradner and Maeve Reston (April 22, 2019) speech at CNN Town Hall, Manchester, NH
“What I fear is going on in the House now is an effort to target Congresswoman Omar as a way of stifling that debate. That’s wrong Anti-Semitism is a hateful and dangerous ideology which must be vigorously opposed in the United States and around the world We must not, however, equate anti-Semitism with legitimate criticism of the right-wing, Netanyahu government in Israel.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 7 March 2019 referencing Ilhan Omar and Benjamin Netanyahu
“We are going to transform this country and finally create an economy and a government which works for all of us, not just the 1 percent. The underlying principles of our government will not be greed, hatred and lies. It will not be racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia and religious bigotry. This campaign will be based on justice—on economic justice, on social justice, on racial justice, on environmental justice.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, when the three richest Americans own more wealth than 160 million Americans, it is literally beyond belief that the Republican leadership wants to provide hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks to the top 0.2 percent...”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Our bill does what the American people want by substantially increasing the estate tax on the wealthiest families in this country and dramatically reducing wealth inequality. From a moral, economic, and political perspective our nation will not thrive when so few have so much and so many have so little.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In America today, we have more wealth and income inequality than any other major country on Earth and it is worse now than at any other time since the 1920s. Unbelievably, while millions of American workers are forced to work two or three jobs to pay the bills and over half of our people live paycheck to paycheck, the three wealthiest families in our country now own more wealth than the bottom half of Americans – 160 million people.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We need to take a step back and rethink what we are doing, both in Iran and in the broader Middle East. In the nearly two decades since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States has made a series of costly blunders that have not only weakened our democracy but also undermined our leadership. We need a foreign policy that focuses on core U.S. interests, clarifies our commitment to democratic values both at home and abroad, and privileges diplomacy and working collectively with allies to address shared security concerns.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Climate change is a clear example of an issue on which American leadership can make a difference—and from which our endless entanglements in the Middle East have diverted crucial resources and attention. Europe cannot address this problem alone. Nor can China. Nor can the United States. This crisis calls out for strong international cooperation if we are to leave our children and grandchildren a planet that is healthy and habitable. American leadership—and the economic and scientific advantages that only America can offer—can and must facilitate this effort.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The difficulty that we have, and I don't mean to be rude here, is that we have a president who is a pathological liar. So, could it be true? I guess it could be. Is it likely to be true? Probably not. And I think what happens in our own country and around the world, people don't believe much of what Trump says, and when you lie all the time, the problem is sometimes when you're telling the truth that people are not gonna believe you.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The difference between my socialism and Trump's socialism is, I believe the government should help working families, not billionaires.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is ludicrous to believe that at the same meeting where Elizabeth Warren told me she was going to run for president, I would tell her that a woman couldn't win. It's sad that, three weeks before the Iowa caucus and a year after that private conversation, staff who weren't in the room are lying about what happened. What I did say that night was that Donald Trump is a sexist, a racist and a liar who would weaponize whatever he could. Do I believe a woman can win in 2020? Of course! After all, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 3 million votes in 2016.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If there is going to be class warfare in this country, it’s time that the working class of this country won that war and not just the corporate elite. (Senator Sanders was speaking to the Iowa AFL-CIO convention summer 2019)”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted by Norman Solomon in The Escalating Class War Against Bernie Sanders (18 Feb 2020)
“Occasionally, it might be a good idea to be honest about American foreign policy.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: South Carolina democratic debate (25 February 2020), as quoted in CNN
“Donald Trump is the most dangerous president in the modern history of our country and he must be defeated. Tragically, we have a president today who is a pathological liar and who is running a corrupt administration. He clearly does not understand the Constitution of the United States and thinks that he is a president who is above the law. In my view, he is a racist, a sexist, a homophobe, a xenophobe and a religious bigot, and he must be defeated, and I will do everything in my power to make that happen.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Read Bernie Sanders’s Full Speech About Staying in the Race" by Isabella Grullón Paz, The New York Times (11 March 2020)
“The pharmaceutical industry must be told in no uncertain terms that the medicines that they manufacture for this crisis will be sold at cost. This is not the time for profiteering or price gouging.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Here is the bottom line. When we are dealing with this crisis, we need to listen to the scientists, to the researchers, to the medical folks, not politicians. We need an emergency response to this crisis and we need it now.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Let's be clear, the lack of health care and affordable medicine does not only threaten the health and well-being of the uninsured, it impacts everyone who comes in contact with them. In fact, what this crisis is beginning to teach us is that we are only as safe as the least insured person in America.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sanders: You have to stop with this. I'm dealing with a fucking global crisis. You know? We're dealing with it and you're asking me these questions.Manu Raju (CNN): You're running for president, so...Sanders: Well right now I'm running. Right now I'm trying to do my best to make sure that we don't have an economic meltdown and that people don't die. Is that enough to you? To keep you busy for today?”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Trump was saying that the only way he could lose the election is if there was — let me get the exact quote — "the only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election." Now he is making that statement at a time when virtually every national poll has him behind.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Sanders: America must be prepared for when Trump refuses to leave office" by Holly Otterbein, POLITICO (4 September 2020)
“I think it is fair to say that in many ways the Democratic Party has become a party of the coastal elites, folks who have a lot of money, upper-middle-class people who are good people, who believe in social justice in many respects.... But I think for many, many years the Democratic Party has not paid the kind of attention to working-class needs that they should've.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Bernie Sanders Says Democratic Party Has Become a 'Party of Coastal Elites', Newsweek（30 October 2020)
“O'DONNELL: Senator Sanders, we haven't had a national unemployment rate this low for this long in 50 years. Here in South Carolina, the unemployment rate is even lower. How will you convince voters that a Democratic socialist can do better than President Trump with the economy?”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“O'DONNELL: Mayor Bloomberg, I'll let you respond to that. Do you think Senator Sanders' economy would be better for America than President Trump's?”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“SANDERS: I wonder why. And maybe, you know, Pete mentions what the American people want. I will tell you, Pete, what the American people want, and, Joe, what the American people want. They don't want candidates to be running to billionaires for huge amounts of funding.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“O'DONNELL: I want to allow Senator Sanders to respond because you've gone after the insurance industry. You've taken on pharmaceutical companies. And you've taken on big tech. Why did you vote repeatedly to give gun manufacturers a pass?”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“SANDERS: Thirty years ago, I supported a ban on assault weapons. Mike Bloomberg has started a very good organization, Moms Demand Actions. Congratulations.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Can I respond? Amy used the word alienating. Hey, Amy, my favorability nationally I believe are the highest up here, as a matter of fact. All right. But the point is -- the point is the way we are going to beat Trump, which is what everybody up here wants, is we need a campaign of energy and excitement. We need to have the largest voter turnout in the history of the United States. We need to bring working people back in to the Democratic Party. We need to get young people voting in a way they have never done before. That is what our campaign is about.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“TAPPER: Senator Sanders, this morning, Dr. Anthony Fauci acknowledged that it's possible that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Americans, could die from coronavirus in a worst-case scenario. If you were president right now, what's the most important thing you would do tonight to try to save American lives?”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“BASH: Thank you. Thank you. Senator Sanders, your response?”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“BIDEN: That has nothing to do when you're in a national crisis. The national crisis says, we're responding. It's all free. You don't have to pay for a thing. That has nothing to do with whether or not you have an insurance policy. This is a crisis. We're at war with the virus. We're at war with the virus. It has nothing to do with co-pays or anything. We just pass a law saying that you do not have to pay for any of this, period.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“CALDERON: Many believe those spending bills were a crucial part of stabilizing the economy back then. Would you support bailouts for industries that are being crushed by the coronavirus outbreak now?”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“BASH: Senator Sanders, Senator Sanders, let me just follow up with you about an issue that you're having. For the second consecutive presidential election, you're struggling to gain wide support from African-Americans. Why is your message not resonating with African- American voters?”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are in a moment in American history where two guys — Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos — own more wealth than the bottom 40% of people in this country. That level of greed and inequality is not only immoral. It is unsustainable.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Tweet from 18 Mar 2021
“Let Mr. Barrasso go to the folks in Wyoming and ask them whether they think it's a good idea that they should be paying a third of their income in child care. Ask elderly people who don't have any teeth in their mouth whether they should be able to get dentures through Medicare. Ask the scientific community whether the time is now in a big way to deal with climate. Ask the ordinary American consumer whether we should take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry, which charges us the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Sanders: GOP ‘nervous’ about ‘overdue’ progressive policies in budget, infrastructure bill, PBS Newshour (20 July 2021)
“This is an unprecedented moment in American history. The Democrats in Congress must move forward boldly, protecting the working families of our country and restoring faith in government. Yes, the future of the country is at stake. And that is why I’m prepared to do everything in my power as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee to enact a reconciliation bill that reflects the main tenets of President Joe Biden’s transformational agenda, an agenda that millions of Americans want and need in these difficult times. If not now, when?”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Democrats will not win in 2022 with a demoralized base. There must be energy and excitement. Today, in these difficult times, the American people want to know that their elected officials have the courage to take on the powerful special interests and fight for their needs. And, when we do that, the fundamental differences between the two parties will become crystal clear. That’s how you win elections.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Right now, despite the reality that 55 percent of seniors are trying to survive on less than $25,000 a year, leading Republicans in the House and Senate are proposing to cut Social Security benefits, raise the retirement age to 70 or reduce cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for seniors by adopting a less generous formula. Most Democrats believe that we must expand Social Security benefits so that everyone in America can retire with dignity. Not a single Republican in Washington agrees.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The United States pays, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. I believe, and many Democrats believe, that we need to cut the price of prescription drugs in half by requiring Medicare to pay no more than the Veterans Administration does. Not a single Republican in Washington is prepared to stand up to the pharmaceutical industry and substantially lower the cost of prescription drugs. Almost every Republican in Washington voted against capping the price of insulin at no more than $35 a month.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Today, over 70 percent of the American people support unions. Most Democrats believe that if we are going to expand the middle class we must make it easier for workers to join unions and end the heavy-handed corporate tactics that make it hard for workers to unionize. Not a single Republican in Washington supports legislation to make it easier for workers to join unions.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“At a time when inflation is a worldwide phenomenon (European Union- 10.1 percent, Germany-10 percent, UK-9.7 percent, Canada-7%, etc.), corporations are using the war in Ukraine, the supply chain crisis and the ongoing pandemic to jack up the price of gas, food, and just about everything the American people need. Many Democrats believe that we should enact a windfall profits tax on large, greedy corporations. Not a single Republican in Washington agrees.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“During the pandemic, while the billionaire class saw a $2 trillion increase in their wealth some of the largest corporations and wealthiest people in America did not pay a nickel in federal income taxes. Democrats voted to end that absurdity and begin the process of moving to a fairer tax system. Not one Republican voted to support that effort. In fact, at a time of massive wealth and income inequality, Republicans have proposed trillions of dollars in tax breaks for the most profitable corporations and wealthiest people in America.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In conclusion, let me say that it is no secret that many Americans are discouraged by what’s going on in Washington and are unhappy with both major parties. I got that. The answer, however, is not to make a bad situation worse by supporting candidates who will cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and give huge tax breaks to the rich. If we have any chance to create an economy that works for all of us, not just the 1 percent, we must expand the Democratic majority in Congress and continue to push them to represent the needs of the working class, not the billionaire class.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think in this particular time, this particular moment in American history, when we're taking on somebody — the former President, who in fact does not believe in democracy — he is an authoritarian, and a very, very dangerous person — I think at this moment there has to be a unification of progressive people in general all over this country — people who are prepared to make sure that women control their own body, that we deal with climate change, that we represent the needs of the working class of this country, and take on the billionaire classes.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Meet the Press (27 August 2023) · transcript
“We are living in an unprecedented moment in American history. Donald Trump is not only a pathological liar, has not only helped wage an insurrection … to prevent President Biden from taking office. Not only is denying American democracy — moving against the American democracy. So I think at this moment … we have got to bring the progressive community together to say, you know what, we're gonna fight for a progressive agenda. But we cannot have four more years of Donald Trump in the White House.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Face the Nation (3 September 2023)
“At a time when too many Americans are giving up on democracy, now is the time to attempt to restore faith in our government. Now is the time for Congress to have the courage to take on the lobbyists and powerful special interests and show the American people that our government can work for them, and not just the 1%. Let’s do it.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[A]nyone who wants to talk about foreign policy or, for that matter, anything that goes on in Congress, without recognizing the corrupt political system that we have and the impact that money has over what we do, really doesn't know very much about what's going on.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Look, at this particular moment in history, and perhaps at any moment in history, despair is not an option.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The struggle is not whether AI is good or bad. It's who controls it and who benefits from it. That is really the the fundamental issue in my view.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Bernie Sanders Talks Worst Fears And Best Promises Of Artificial Intelligence With ‘Godfather Of AI’, 19 November 2025.
“I came away from these Wallace [supporter] interviews with two basic feelings. First, that democracy in America (in any sense of the word) just might not make it. My mind flashed to scenes of Germany in the late 1920's. Confusion, rebellion, frustration, economic instability, a wounded national pride, ineffectual political leadership — and the desire for a strong man who would do something, who would bring order out of the chaos. Could it happen here? With the inability of the national leadership to solve the real problems facing this country, could the blacks, long-hairs, "welfare chiselers", and political dissidents become the Jews and Communists of the Nazi experience? Could it happen here? I see no reason why it couldn't.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What has to be understood is the economic problems of Nicaragua are not unique in Central America or in the third world. In fact, as poor as Nicaragua is, one of the nice things that I saw is that as a result of government policy, direct government policy in terms of the distribution of food, people are not hungry, by and large. I think it’s fair to say. You know, it's funny, sometimes American journalists talk about how bad a country is, that people are lining up for food. That is a good thing! In other countries people don't line up for food: the rich get the food and the poor starve to death.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 1985 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speaking to Vermont journalists after his trip to Nicaragua (24 July 1985)
“At least as I see it, and I’m not an expert on this, but this is how I see it. Number one, you want to guarantee that all people have access to healthcare as you do in Canada, but I think what we understand is that unless we change the funding system and the control mechanisms in this country to do that. For example, if we expanded Medicaid, if everybody had Medicaid [inaudible] we would be spending such an astronomical sum of money that we would bankrupt the nation. So maybe you want to talk a bit about that – why in Canada, under their national health system, you can have access for all people and yet per capita, it is less expensive than the United States.”
Bernie Sanders (born 1941) first seen 1987 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speaking with Dr. Milton Terris, former president of the American Public Health Association, about the Canadian healthcare system (2 October 1987)