Mo Udall Quotations

Lord, give us the wisdom to utter words that are gentle and tender, for tomorrow we may have to eat them.

I have learned the difference between a cactus and a caucus. On a cactus, the pricks are on the outside.

For those of you who don't understand Reaganomics, it's based on the principle that the rich and the poor will get the same amount of ice. In Reaganomics, however, the poor get all of theirs in winter.

The more we exploit nature, The more our options are reduced, until we have only one: to fight for survival.

One puts on black robes to scare the hell out of white people, while the other puts on white robes to scare the hell out of blacks.

If you can find something everyone agrees on, it's wrong.

The ability to change one's views without losing one's seat is the mark of a great politician.

Good politics are often inextricably intertwined.

In terms of wilderness preservation, Alaska is the last frontier. This time, given one great final chance, let us strive to do it right. Not in our generation, nor ever again, will we have a land and wildlife opportunity approaching the scope and importance of this one.

I think politicians sometimes badly underestimate the true feelings that Americans have for the land.

Many respected economists and statesmen believe our national debt is neither unwieldy nor a dangerous burden on the country. The trouble is that a vast majority of the American people think otherwise.... It violates basic American ideas of thrift and money management. These strong public feelings cannot be ignored forever.

Any change or reform you make is going to have consequence you don't like.

Let's turn inflation over to the post office. That'll slow it down.

I've been through legislation creating a dozen national parks, and there's always the same pattern. When you first propose a park, and you visit the area and present the case to the local people, they threaten to hang you. You go back in five years and they think it's the greatest thing that ever happened.

If nominated, I shall run to Mexico. If elected, I shall fight extradition.