Arlen Specter's Quotes

'Never give in' was my mindset.

Pennsylvania is a very tough state; people don't last long in Pennsylvania politics.

People in government and public life are being kicked around at a high rate of speed.

Stability means respecting precedents.

The American people do not care which Party solves the problems confronting our nation.

The best way to reduce the cost of medical care is to reduce the illness.

The extremists took over the primary process.

The solicitor general is sometimes referred to as the 10th Supreme Court justice - a pretty important position.

There are conspiracies all over the Senate floor on any day!

There is no doubt that our nation's security and defeating terrorism trump all other priorities.

There's a great public disinclination toward politicians.

Voting is fundamental in our democracy. It has yielded enormous returns.

Well, I believe that when you are confirming a United States Supreme Court Justice, that it really isn't Democratic or Republican; it's American.

Whatever my party affiliation, I will continue to be guided by President Kennedy's statement that sometimes party asks too much.

When I supported the stimulus package, I knew that it would not be popular with the Republican Party.

When I'm asked about legacy, I say it's too early to talk about legacy.

When Pat Robertson says there is no constitutional doctrine of separation of church and state, I say he is wrong.

When the 14th Amendment, equal protection clause was enacted, the galleries in the Senate were segregated. Now we have integration.

When the students are occupied, they're not juvenile delinquents. I believe that education is a capital investment.

You know, a statesman is a dead politician.

Americans' addiction to sports, with the NFL at the top, is based on the excitement generated by the potential for the unexpected great play which can only happen with honest competition from great athletes.

As a matter of traditional and sound constitutional doctrine, an amendment to the Constitution should be the last resort when all other measures have proved inadequate.

As I think through the issue of funding the rebuilding of Iraq, I think about the analogy of a bankruptcy proceeding. There is no doubt that Iraq as a country is bankrupt.

As the Republican Party has moved farther and farther to the right, I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party.

I have not taken a position on that nuclear option. My view is I'm not going to do anything until I come to that bridge. I'm not going to jump off the bridge until I come to it.

If we had pursued what President Nixon declared in 1970 as the war on cancer, we would have cured many strains. I think Jack Kemp would be alive today. And that research has saved or prolonged many lives, including mine.

If you are going to have to play defense all the time, you cannot have the kind of ingenuity, assertiveness, independence, and intelligence which is what has made our country strong.

My father was an immigrant who literally walked across Europe to get out of Russia. He fought in World War I. He was wounded in action. My father was a great success even though he never had money. He was a very determined man, a great role model.

Separation of power says the judiciary committee is supposed to confirm qualified judges and then what the Supreme Court does, that is their function, not my function.

Strong advocacy for education, health care and worker safety will be indispensable if they are to get their fair share of President Bush's austere budget for the next fiscal year.

The Supreme Court has a very light backlog. They leave a lot of splits among the circuits, a lot of uncertainty. And I think they ought to work a lot harder.

There's nothing in the First Amendment that even remotely talks about spending money for political contests, and to say that an individual can spend as much of his or her own money as he or she wants constitutionally without any limitation, I think is just absurd.

We are not utilizing the Iraqi oil for U.S. purposes. We are not asking that the Iraqi oil be used to pay our military expenses. We are asking only that the Iraqi oil be used to rebuild Iraq - that is, to rebuild Iraq for the Iraqi people.

I'm battling cancer. It's another battle I intend to win.

It's inspirational to see someone who is dying smile.

Heart disease continues to be the number one killer; cancer, the number 2 killer, not far behind. The tragic aspect of these deadly diseases is that they could all be cured, I do believe, if we had sufficient funding.

There's nothing more important than our good health - that's our principal capital asset.

There is no higher value in our society than integrity.

I think it's scandalous that we haven't done more to cure cancer.

The fundamental purpose of government is to protect its citizens.

I beat a brain tumor.

Big money is ruining the political system.

But one way or another, judges perform a very vital function in our society. They have a risky job and they are entitled to security.

Effective security measures do not come cheap.

I am opposed to anybody making a decision for you or me or anybody else about what health care plan we should have.

I am very much opposed to abortion personally. But I don't think it is the government's rule.

The essence of a democracy is a free electorate.

The First Amendment freedom of religion is as important today as when the Bill of Rights was first written.

We don't need holy wars. What we need is tolerance and brotherhood and simple humanity.

African-Americans are underrepresented.

Beating the tea party gang is more important than who does the beating.

Cannibals are devouring senators.

Fundraising is very, very time-consuming.

I do not represent the Republican Party.

I don't expect people to agree with all my votes.

I don't like labels. I think they conceal more than they reveal, sort of like a bikini.