Wilhelm von Humboldt Quotes

Every step and every movement of the multitude, even in what are termed enlightened ages, are made with equal blindness to the future; and nations stumble upon establishments, which are indeed the result of human action, but not the execution of any human design.

I happened to have the privilege of serving in Congress. It will be 16 years at the end of this term. And I think I made a difference here on important issues.

The world is not going to be saved by legislation.

Since I joined Congress, I've been shocked at how many times we were forced to vote on 1,000-plus-page bills without ample time to read or review what was in the final legislation. It's no wonder Congress doesn't enact good policy.

Speaker Newt Gingrich has appointed a task force, which I'm on, and over the next couple months the task force is going to try to come up with legislation that does what we're all trying to do. I feel pretty good about the members that are on the task force.

I'm a progressive. The progression has to be manifested in a new direction in policies and legislation.

A boycott is directed against a policy and the institutions which support that policy either actively or tacitly. Its aim is not to reject, but to bring about change.

And, as you recall, last year, people were asking us, don't vote on the bill until you read every part of the bill. So, as a good attorney and as a good legislator, I think it's my responsibility to read the amendments.

Reform is not for the short-winded. I'm committed to making sure the Senate is more than just a graveyard for good ideas.

The only way to improve the GOP brand and make good public policy is to fix the process. This requires transforming the way Congress does business.

Stasis ... is the norm in American social policy, and innovations ... are the exceptions.

When you pass a law you don't solve the problem. You state the problem.

This is not just our battle. It is an issue for opinion makers outside the government, it is a battle for the Congress—to keep making the distinction between the immediate and the important.

Public policies in our democracy are eventually a reflection of public opinion," so public opinion must be reshaped if we are to avoid disaster.

If I could solve these problems with passing laws in the Congress, I would do so.

I love the 'Daily Show,' and I think Jon Stewart is hysterical. But literally, the answer to every single problem is, 'Congress should pass a new law.' It's this unbelievably optimistic view of, 'We can pass a law, and then everybody will get along.'

If you can't legislate, you can't deal with problems.

I'm not a legislator. I've never been a lobbyist. I've never worked a session before, but based on my conversations with leadership in the Senate and the House, I get the general sense that people want to work together to make things happen.

Lawmakers need to be better stewards of policy and update it, not just keep adding on top of old laws.

I think that policy matters. I'm a policy guy.

Bringing in timely laws that are the need of the hour requires nimbleness to get through the necessary legislative processes.

When you change media, perception is changed and then policy is changed.

I'm always going to have a strong preference for things that can actually pass into legislation. We can talk about big issues and have big goals while also working on pragmatic things.

If the white folks feel America is great for everybody, I don't want to change what they love. All I want is to bring my love and respect in the areas of law, policy, business, and banking. That's what I do when I do my extremely rare lectures at universities.

Protest is, at its core, designed to move policy.