Shirley Chisholm Quotes

Too often government responds to the whispers of lobbyists before the cries of the people.

Everyone else is represented in Washington by a powerful lobby ... But there is no lobby for the people.

It is said that every people has the Government it deserves. It is more to the point that every Government has the electorate it deserves; for the orator of the front bench can edify or debauch an ignorant electorate at will.

People have tremendous power, more than the average person understands, and certainly more than even I understood before I came to Congress. When any of my constituents writes me a letter, I promise you, we're listening.

There’s a real fundamental need for us. You think we have a bad system now? Without us lobbyists, just see what kind of government we would have them

When I have to choose between voting for the people or voting for the special interests, I always stick with the special interests. They remember. The people forget.

We enjoy bashing Congress because they are us.

When it comes to listening to my constituents or to the governor's staff, who are more interested in their pet projects and their government cars, I'll vote for my constituents every time.

Every senator needs to stand up and represent their constituents - not big business, not the ACLU, not activist groups, not political interests, but the American interests, the workers' interests.

Members of Congress are people too.

I want to be the kind of elected official who not only pays attention but who acts on behalf of people - just average people. Fancy lobbyists get to tell their story, but the average person doesn't.

We need a Congress that cares more about doing the people's business than their own.

In Ohio, we must put fairness to people and their families first, ahead of powerful special interests.

The people of New Jersey sent me to Congress because they are tired of partisan gridlock. They want to see our Congress get to work on legislation that will make people's lives better.

Our government works best when it represents the needs of the American people, not special interests.

We've had enough career politicians in Helena who think the people are here to serve them. It's supposed to be the other way around.

I have never used my office for anything other than the purpose in which I hold it - to represent the people who sent me to Washington.

Political books are so often written from the perspective of the politicians, not from the point of view of the people.

Having been in Congress, you know that's part of our responsibility the constituent has a problem, We're supposed to write back and say, 'Well I can't do anything' That's not what they elect you for.

The people are responsible for the character of their Congress.

Inequality also distorts our democracy. It gives an outsized voice to the few who can afford high-priced lobbyists and unlimited campaign contributions, and runs the risk of selling out our democracy to the highest bidder. And it leaves everyone else rightly suspicious that the system in Washington is rigged against them - that our elected representatives aren't looking out for the interests of most Americans.

One of the fundamental necessities in a representative government such as ours is to make certain that the men to whom the people delegate their power shall serve the people by whom they are elected, and not the special interests. I believe that every national officer, elected or appointed, should be forbidden to perform any service or receive any compensation, directly or indirectly, from interstate corporations; and a similar provision could not fail to be useful within the States.

There aren’t many honest men or women in Washington anymore. Politicians get where they are by the sheer force of their egos, not their convictions. And you know what? It’s our fault as voters. We don’t demand better candidates, so we end up getting what we deserve—on both sides of the aisle.

The trouble with government as it is, is that it doesn't represent the people. It controls them.

In the 1960s, various parts of the population became energized and began to enter the public arena to call for the rights of women, students, young people, old people, farmers and workers. What are called "special interests" - meaning the whole population - they began to press to enter the public arena. And they said that puts too much pressure on the state and therefore we have to have more moderation in democracy and they should go back and be quiet and obedient.