“I always thought of myself as a moderate liberal, a fighter for peace and justice. I never thought of myself as being all that far out.”
Peace
“The Establishment center... has led us into the stupidest and cruelest war in all history. That war is a moral and political disaster - a terrible cancer eating away at the soul of our nation.”
HistoryAll Quotes by George McGovern
“I did frequently refer to my war record in World War II, but not in any flamboyant way.”
War“I hope someday we will be able to proclaim that we have banished hunger in the United States, and that we've been able to bring nutrition and health to the whole world.”
Health“When I was a youngster growing up in South Dakota, we never referred to the national debt, it was always referred to as the war debt because it stemmed from World War I.”
War“It is not patriotic to commit young Americans to war unless our national security clearly requires it.”
War“There is a strong tendency in the United States to rally round the flag and their troops, no matter how mistaken the war.”
War“I think the country's getting disgusted with Washington partly because of the decline of civility in government.”
Government“Politics is an act of faith you have to show some kind of confidence in the intellectual and moral capacity of the public.”
Faith“I would not plan to base my campaign primarily on opposition to the war in the Persian Gulf.”
War“I was the guy who was constantly speaking out against the Vietnam War. I have no regrets about that.”
War“The truth is that I oppose the Iraq war, just as I opposed the Vietnam War, because these two conflicts have weakened the U.S. and diminished our standing in the world and our national security.”
Truth“My dad was a Methodist minister.”
Dad“Well, we ought to be stirred, even to tears, by society's ills.”
Society“I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster, so it was very hard for me to say anything good about it.”
War“I make one pledge above all others - to seek and speak the truth with all the resources of mind and spirit I command.”
Truth“I wish I had known more firsthand about the concerns and problems of American businesspeople while I was a U.S. senator and later a presidential nominee. That knowledge would have made me a better legislator and a more worthy aspirant to the White House.”
Knowledge“I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.”
Men“I hope I live long enough to see every hungry school child in the world being fed under the so-called McGovern-Dole program.”
Hope“The Establishment center... has led us into the stupidest and cruelest war in all history. That war is a moral and political disaster - a terrible cancer eating away at the soul of our nation.”
History“The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough to call her to a higher plain.”
Love