Top 60 Rick Perry Quotes

But if you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they’ve been brought there by no fault of their own, I don’t think you have a heart. We need to be educating these children, because they will become a drag on our society.

Conservatives are winning offices, and champions of big government are cleaning out their desks right now.

Our shared conservative values, our belief in the individual is the great hope of our nation.

As Americans, we realize that there is no taxpayer money that wasn’t first earned through the sweat and toil of one of our citizens.

Let’s stand up. Let’s speak with pride about our morals and our values and redouble our effort to elect more conservative Republicans.

I learned that not everyone values life like we do in America, or the rights that are endowed to every human being by a loving God.

It’s time to believe again in the potential of private enterprise set free from the shackles of over-bearing federal government.

Reforming public education, cutting property taxes, fixing adult and child protective services and funding our budget can all occur when Democrats and Republicans engage in consensus and cooperation – not cynicism and combat.

I have no question that Newt Gingrich has the heart of a conservative reformer, the ability to rally and captivate the conservative movement.

When I make a vow to God, then I would suggest to you that’s even stronger than a handshake in Texas.

We do not have to accept our current circumstances. We will change them. We are Americans. That’s what we do.

Texas created more jobs in 2008 than the rest of the states – combined.

We can’t have deficit spending in Texas. You have to balance your budget every two years.

I’ve always believed the mission is greater than the man.

Every life is precious.

I’m all about job creation. That’s what I’ve done for ten years as the governor of Texas, and that’s what I’m focused on.

I happily cling to my guns and my God, even if President Obama thinks that that is a simpleminded thing in his elitist heart.

And I have a message for the liberals and the defenders of the status quo: we’re just getting started.

Those jobs flee other states because of factors like excessive taxation, punitive regulation and frivolous lawsuits.

The God we serve does not seek out the perfect, but instead uses our imperfections and our shortcomings for his greater good. I am humbled by my own limitations. But where I am weak, He is strong.

Under Obama, our federal tax dollars can now be used to fund abortion all over the world. With the stroke of a pen, abortion essentially became a U.S. foreign export.

I didn’t say I was running, did I?

You see, as Americans we’re not defined by class, and we will never be told our place. What makes our nation exceptional is that anyone, from any background, can climb the highest of heights.

I stand before you today as a disciplined conservative Texan, a committed Republican and a proud American, united with you to restoring our nation and revive the American dream.

Our party cannot be all things to all people. It can’t be. Our loudest opponents on the left are never going to like us so let’s stop trying to curry favor with them.

Page one of any economic plan to get America working is to give a pink slip to the current resident in the White House.

There is evil prowling in the world – it shows up in our movies, video games and online fascinations, and finds its way into vulnerable hearts and minds.

Here is what we know after more than a decade of Republican rule: Texas works. Even ‘The New York Times’ let it slip into its pages that, ‘Texas is the future.’

What I learned growing up on the farm was a way of life that was centered on hard work, and on faith and on thrift. Those values have stuck with me my whole life.

I think you need to have a tax system that basically is flat, fair and simple. And – that you can put on a post card. I mean, even Timothy Geithner could do this one and get it on time.

It is time to let America be America again. To return freedom to the people. To stand on our founding principles and reject the cynical politics of the Nanny State.

The fact is there is forgiveness for those who seek God. And I believe in the power of redemption.

According to a study by Achieve Incorporated, Texas is the first state to make a college-prep curriculum the standard coursework in high school, starting with this year’s ninth grade class.

We want taxpayers, not tax wasters.

It’s time to bring tough medicine to Washington. No longer will policy be set by K Street, it will be dictated by Main Street.

Who can be against progress, after all? But it’s a fraudulent use of the word – because for the Progressive, progress is marked not be how free you are, but how much government can ‘do’ for you.

I’m worried about that man or woman sitting around – the coffee table tonight or in their kitchen talking about how are we going to get to work. How are we going to have the dignity to take care of our family.

Let’s stop this American downward spiral.

Aggies have a really interesting way of admitting defeat. We’ve never been outscored. We just ran out of time.

America’s greatness is not found in the size of its government. America’s greatness resides in the hearts and the minds of the people.

But it wasn’t until I graduated from Texas A & M University and joined the United States Air Force, flying C-130’s all around the globe, that I truly appreciated the blessings of freedom.

To make sure that votes are never canceled out by illegal votes, we instituted a photo ID requirement. And don’t you think it’s fair to apply at least the same standard required to get a library card or to board an airpane?

Armed and law-abiding citizens are a greater deterrent to violent crime than 1,000 laws passed by Congress.

I disagree with the concept that somehow or another we’re going to pack up 10, to 12, to 15 million people and ship them back to the country of origin. That’s not going to happen.

We need to stop apologizing for celebrating life. We need to stop apologizing for wanting to protect an individual’s right to build a business.

Our best days are in front of us. We can reform those entitlements, we can change that corporate tax code and lower it. We can put America back on track on a growth level and a growth rate that we’ve never seen in the history of this country.

There’s places where a secure fence will work, and that strategic type fencing will work. But the idea that people can easily just stand up and say ‘let’s just build a fence’ and be done with it and wipe our hands, and it’s going to secure the border, that’s not reality.

Our goal is to displace the entrenched powers in Washington, restore the rightful balance between the state and federal government.

I don’t want to look like Connecticut, no offense, I don’t want to look like Oklahoma, I don’t want to look like California. I want to be uniquely Texas. And that’s not to diss anybody else.

I know something. America is not broken, Washington, D.C. is broken.

I grew up in a house with no running water, 16 miles from the closest place that had a post office. I had a very parochial view of the world.

Democracy functions best when we have an active citizenry.

We are a resilient country. We’ve been through a Civil War; we’ve been through two World Wars. We’ve been through a Great Depression; we even made it through Jimmy Carter! We will make it through the Obama years!

I am also the product of a place called Paint Creek. Doesn’t have a zip code. It’s too small to be called a town along the rolling plains of Texas. We grew dryland cotton and wheat, and when I wasn’t farming or attending Paint Creek Rural School, I was generally over at Troop 48 working on my Eagle Scout award.

Americans want government that is leaner, more efficient, and less intrusive into their personal lives.

The Obama administration is an affront to every freedom-loving American, and a threat to every private sector job in this country.

The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we inhabit are not only critical elements in the quality of life we enjoy – they are a reflection of the majesty of our Creator.

Somebody has to tell the E.P.A. that we don’t need you monkeying around and fiddling around and getting in our business with every kind of regulation you can dream up. You’re doing nothing more than killing jobs. It’s a cemetery for jobs at the E.P.A.

Vladimir Putin uses energy to hold our allies hostage. If energy is going to be used as a weapon, I say America must have the largest arsenal.

Guns require a finger to pull the trigger.