With all due respect, I am against dumb.
My mind doesn't work, my memories don't work like a computer file where I can just retrieve them and, boy, there it is. My mind is selective in terms of memories. When I try to think back to college or high school, there are gaps. I try to fill them in. But I can't tell you it's always the truth.
The Iranians have shot down drones. They tried to destroy the Saudi oil fields. They tried to storm our embassy. So, when my Democratic friends say we need appeasement, well appeasement hasn't worked. And I think that we've learned, with respect to Iran, that weakness invites the wolves.
Power does not change you, it unmasks you.
Life is precious.
Well, I have great respect for Senator Hirono.
My Democratic friends just can't accept the fact that the American people chose Donald Trump to be president - it's called democracy. My advice to them, and I say this gently: Fill out a 'Hurt Feelings Report' and let's move on.
I trust Russia and China and Iran and North Korea like I trust a Jussie Smollett police report.
Nobody's indispensable.
When you meet with someone and you try to assess whether they're telling you the truth or not, there's several things you can do. You judge demeanor and credibility. You look at corroboration.
I mean Facebook is no longer a company, it's a country. 2 billion users. It can influence what we think, what we believe, how we vote, what we buy, even how we feel.
I love being in the United States Senate.
Our rights are not absolute. Our rights can be curtailed in the interest of public safety.
I don't think President Trump is a racist.
I supported Donald Trump.
I like policy. It's why I decided to enter government. The other thing I like about government - you have good days, you have bad days, but you never have a boring day, and that's important to me.
I looked the people of Louisiana in the eye and told them exactly what I thought in terms that normal people use.
Sometimes I'll jot a clever turn of phrase down. Sometimes I'll just remember it.
Sometimes the majority just means all the fools are on the same side.
I read a lot. I enjoy reading a lot.
I like policy - call me a nerd.
People see things differently and remember things differently. It's why if somebody robs a liquor store and there are four witnesses they'll often disagree.
As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I'm concerned about the recklessness of public policy that endangers people's lives, especially in minority communities, where crime often is such a scourge.
I don't like to be bored.
You know people talk about federal money as if it falls from heaven. You know we thank heaven for it, but it came out of people's pockets - and I've driven all over Washington, D.C., I cannot find the money tree.
I think, under President Obama, who was a really bright guy - I didn't agree with a lot of his politics - but we got to the point internationally where our friends didn't trust us. They were confused. And our enemies didn't quite respect us.
I don't think anybody in America ought to be scared.
There's some jerks. There's some big egos. There are a few that think they're one of the Founding Fathers... in both parties.
I've always appreciated a turn of phrase.
Treat your children like the blessings they are or don't have them at all.
I'm interested in two things. I'm interested in truth and I'm interested in fairness.
I'm not interested in more political or cultural combat.
I would remind you the lesser of two socialists is still a socialist.
The truth of the matter is that Iran is a cancer.
Everybody who makes any kind of policy needs to substitute teach. But you've got to be a real teacher. You can't just go to a couple of classes with the regular teacher there. It is an incredibly hard job.
Too many people treat parenting like it's the 20th item on their to-do list.
Teachers are expected to be teachers, psychiatrists, nurses, sociologists, psychologists, surrogate moms or dads, as the case may be.
There are some members of the House leadership whose only mission in life is to demonize the president.
I have a reputation for taking on governors a lot more powerful than me.
I think the American people, with some justification, think that most politicians live in la-la land.
I do not believe we will have a war with Iran.
I just think you ought to talk straight with your people.
Louisiana's spicy, colorful politics have saddled our state with a reputation for tolerating lax ethical standards in government.
I try to speak in a way that people can understand.
