Barry Goldwater Quotes

The American flag must not be fired upon …. There is considerable American capital invested in Santo Domingo.

We cannot allow the American flag to be shot at anywhere on earth if we are to retain our respect and prestige.

If a situation were to be forced upon us in which peace could only be preserved by the surrender of the great and beneficent position Britain has won by centuries of heroism and achievement, by allowing Britain to be treated where her interests were vitally affected as if she were of no account in the Cabinet of nations, then I say emphatically that peace at that price would be a humiliation intolerable for a great country like ours to endure. National honor is no party question. The security of our great international trade is no party question; the peace of the world is much more likely to be secured if all nations realize fairly what the conditions of peace must be

We do not consecrate the flag by punishing its desecration, for in doing so we dilute the freedom that this cherished emblem represents.

There can be no such thing as offending national honor. One may offend national pride or injure national interest.

I think we ought to quit sending [help] to countries that burn our flag.

The world's going to respect us again and they don't now. A lot of that has to do with the leader. And a lot of it has to do with leadership. But our country is going to be respected again and we are going to make America great again.

Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, our nation is stronger when we are respected throughout the world.

Behold a republic standing erect while empires all around are bowed beneath the weight of their own armaments - a republic whose flag is loved while other flags are only feared.

The most fundamental purpose of government is defense, not empire.

Judge candidly what a wretched figure the American empire will exhibit in the eye of other nations, without a power to array and support a military force for its own protection.

NATO believes it can pick on a small nation and force us to surrender our independence. And that is where NATO miscalculated. You are not willing to sacrifice lives to achieve our surrender. But we are willing to die to defend our rights as an independent sovereign nation.

A great country worthy of the name does not have any friends.

The more I see, hear, and think in Europe, the more I wish for every measure that can ensure to the United States dignity, power, and public confidence.

Foreign policy - dealing as it does with the most charged political subjects of all, the safety and dignity of the nation - will always be political terrain particularly vulnerable to distortion and demagoguery.

For most of our history, Americans enjoyed both liberty and security from foreign threats.

We cannot avoid facing the fact that we occupied a new place among the people of the world… Our flag is a proud flag, and it stands for liberty and civilization. Where it has once floated, there must be no return to tyranny.

I despise any flag, not just the American flag. It's a symbol of a piece of land that's considered more important than the human lives on it.

The way to preserve the flag's special role is not to punish those who feel differently about these matters. It is to persuade them that they are wrong.... Our decision is a reaffirmation of the principles of freedom and inclusiveness that the flag best reflects, and of the conviction that our toleration of such criticism [flag-burning] is a sign and source of our strength.

It is important that we get our people back, but your greater responsibility is to protect the honor and dignity of our country and its foreign policy interests.

The only alternative is war or national dishonor; and between these two, what American can hesitate.

If it [the American flag] is not defended, it is defamed.

If it [the American flag] is not defended, it is defamed. We can't forget the importance of the flag to the ideals of liberty and honor and freedom. To burn the flag, to dishonor it, is simply wrong.

Menace not intended is an engine which Great Britain could never condescend to employ.

When I disagree with the President on foreign policy, I ought to do it on American soil.