George McGovern Quotes

A collection of quotes by George McGovern.

George McGovern was an American politician and diplomat who was born on July 19, 1922, in Avon, South Dakota, and passed away on October 21, 2012, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was a prominent member of the Democratic Party and spent his career fighting for liberal causes and advocating for social justice.

McGovern served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and flew several combat missions as a B-24 Liberator bomber pilot. After returning from the war, he earned a PhD in History and became a professor at Dakota Wesleyan University.

In 1956, McGovern was elected to the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota's 1st congressional district. He then served three terms in Congress. In the Senate, he became known for his opposition to the Vietnam War and his advocacy for ending hunger and poverty. In 1972, he ran for president as the Democratic nominee but lost to incumbent President Richard Nixon.

After his presidential run, McGovern remained active in politics and international affairs. He served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture under President Jimmy Carter. Later, he co-founded the World Food Prize to recognize individuals who made significant contributions to improving global food security.

George McGovern left a lasting impact on American politics and was highly respected for his progressive ideals and unwavering commitment to justice and equality.

The truth is that I oppose the Iraq war, just as I opposed t

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.

George McGovern

The Establishment center ... has led us into the stupidest a

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.

George McGovern

But it is hazardous and, I believe, counterproductive to bec

But it is hazardous and, I believe, counterproductive to become frozen in time by an obsession with past wrongs and errors.

George McGovern

Inspirational Recovery

I make one pledge above all others - to seek and speak the t

I make one pledge above all others - to seek and speak the truth with all the resources of mind and spirit I command.

George McGovern

I've come to realize that protecting freedom of choice in ou

I've come to realize that protecting freedom of choice in our everyday lives is essential to maintaining a healthy civil society.

George McGovern

Well, we ought to be stirred, even to tears, by society's il

Well, we ought to be stirred, even to tears, by society's ills.

George McGovern

I wish I had known more firsthand about the concerns and pro

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.

George McGovern

I would not plan to base my campaign primarily on opposition

I would not plan to base my campaign primarily on opposition to the war in the Persian Gulf.

George McGovern

When I was in the war, I was lucky that I was in a plane and

When I was in the war, I was lucky that I was in a plane and never saw the carnage close-up.

George McGovern

I think it was my study of history that convinced me that th

I think it was my study of history that convinced me that the Democratic Party was more on the side of the average American.

George McGovern

I always thought of myself as a moderate liberal, a fighter

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.

George McGovern

I was the guy who was constantly speaking out against the Vi

I was the guy who was constantly speaking out against the Vietnam War. I have no regrets about that.

George McGovern

I think the country's getting disgusted with Washington part

I think the country's getting disgusted with Washington partly because of the decline of civility in government.

George McGovern

I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster

I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster, so it was very hard for me to say anything good about it.

George McGovern

It is not patriotic to commit young Americans to war unless

It is not patriotic to commit young Americans to war unless our national security clearly requires it.

George McGovern

From secrecy and deception in high places, come home, Americ

From secrecy and deception in high places, come home, America. From military spending so wasteful that it weakens our nation, come home, America.

George McGovern

I hope someday we will be able to proclaim that we have bani

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.

George McGovern

I seek to call America home to those principles that gave us

I seek to call America home to those principles that gave us birth.

George McGovern

Politics is an act of faith you have to show some kind of co

Politics is an act of faith you have to show some kind of confidence in the intellectual and moral capacity of the public.

George McGovern

It doesn't require any particular bravery to stand on the fl

It doesn't require any particular bravery to stand on the floor of the Senate and urge our boys in Vietnam to fight harder, and if this war mushrooms into a major conflict and a hundred thousand young Americans are killed, it won't be U. S. Senators who die. It will be American soldiers who are too young to qualify for the senate.

George McGovern