Bill Bennett Quotes

I never considered myself a fall guy. I know what I did. I know why I did it. I'm not ashamed of it.

We can't go out and tell ourselves we've done good if we haven't.

Be your own worst critic. When things go wrong it's tempting to shift the blame. Don't. Accept responsibility. People will appreciate it, and you will find out what you're capable of.

The worst of my actions or conditions seem not so ugly unto me as I find it both ugly and base not to dare to avouch for them.

I stand by every decision I've made throughout my career and my life, good or bad, up or down.

People can judge me for what I've done. And I think when somebody's out in the public eye, that's what they do. So I'm fully comfortable with who I am, what I stand for, and what I've always stood for.

My opinions and principles are subjects of just criticism. I put myself before the public voluntarily.

The issue is not whether or not we can stand with the President. It is whether, at the end of the day, we can stand with ourselves.

I'm not saying I'm perfect. But I'm someone who analyses and reflects on what I do, whether it's in keeping with the ethics that I talk about in public. That's how I've been all my life.

I would be quite content if I myself could be rated fifty-fifty in merits and demerits. But one thing I can say for myself: I have had a clear conscience all my life. Please mark my words: I have made quite a few mistakes, and I have my own share of responsibility for some of the mistakes made by Comrade Mao Zedong. But it can be said that I made my mistake with good intentions. There is nobody who doesn't make mistakes.

If I ever thought I wasn't the right guy for the job, I'd be the first person to fire myself.

I want to be able, as days go by, always to look myself straight in the eye.

Every man is the architect of his own life. He builds it just the way he wants it. However, after he has built what he wants, he sometimes decides that he doesn't like what he has built and looks for someone or something to blame instead of changing himself.

I try to be a good person. I know what my downfalls are, so that's a good thing.

I can't judge the way other people behave. I can only look at myself.

I just try to do my best and make the best judgments I can.

At the end, the key thing is you've got to live with yourself. That's the real test. Everything else is fleeting.

Have I ever made a mistake? I am sure. Do I think I can stand on my record? I do.

My choices were never wrong.

For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

The knowledge that we are responsible for living the life we have is our most powerful tool.

You can be true to the character all you want but you've got to go home with yourself.

I am the result of the good choices I've made and the bad choices.

We are each responsible for all of our experiences.

I'm the kind of person that believes that I would like to be evaluated by my entire career and my entire life, not two words that I would misspeak and then later apologize for.