45 Quotes & Sayings By Bernie Sanders

Born in Brooklyn, New York City, Bernie Sanders earned an economics degree from the University of Chicago and a law degree from Harvard. He spent the next several years as a community organizer and a member of the Young People's Political Assembly. In 1964, he was elected as a congressman from Vermont's at-large district to the U.S. House of Representatives Read more

He was re-elected 13 times. In 1991, at the age of 40, Bernie Sanders announced his candidacy for mayor of Burlington which led to his selection as mayor in July of that year. In City Hall, Sanders laid the groundwork for the progressive agenda that would make him a household name in Vermont and across the country during his successful two terms as mayor from 1989 to 1991 and again in 1993 to 1997.

1
The corporate media spends a lot of time covering the lifestyles of the rich and the famous, but not all that much time covering the poor and the desperate. To a large degree, these people , the millions of poor people in America, are invisible, living under the radar screen. Their suffering is not seen on our evening news. But it's there. Bernie Sanders
2
The rich and large corporations get richer, the CEOs earn huge compensation packages, and when things get bad, don't worry; Uncle Sam and the American taxpayers are here to bail you out. But when you are in trouble, well, we just can't afford to help you, if you are in the working class or middle class of this country. Bernie Sanders
3
Let us wage a moral and political war against the billionaires and corporate leaders, on Wall Street and elsewhere, whose policies and greed are destroying the middle class of America. Bernie Sanders
4
Let us wage a moral and political war against war itself, so that we can cut military spending and use that money for human needs. Bernie Sanders
5
What some of us believe is that it is possible that if chemicals are related to Gulf War illness that some of the more severe symptoms may not erupt until 10 or 20 years down the line. Bernie Sanders
6
What being a socialist means is... that you hold out... a vision of society where poverty is absolutely unnecessary, where international relations are not based on greed... but on cooperation... where human beings can own the means of production and work together rather than having to work as semi-slaves to other people who can hire and fire. Bernie Sanders
7
Unemployment insurance, abolishing child labor, the 40-hour work week, collective bargaining, strong banking regulations, deposit insurance, and job programs that put millions of people to work were all described, in one way or another, as 'socialist.' Yet, these programs have become the fabric of our nation and the foundation of the middle class. Bernie Sanders
8
For too long, unfunded federal mandates have drained the budgets of states and communities. The strength and vitality of our communities must be restored. Bernie Sanders
9
In cold weather states like Vermont, where the weather can get to 20 below zero, home heating assistance is critically important. In fact, it is a life and death issue. Bernie Sanders
10
If we are serious about moving toward energy independence in a cost-effective way, we should invest in solar energy. If we are serious about cutting air and water pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we should invest in solar energy. Bernie Sanders
11
In 49 countries around the world, including all of Europe, people have the opportunity of knowing whether or not they are eating food which contains genetically engineered ingredients. In the United States, we don't. Bernie Sanders
12
Yes, we become stronger when men and women, young and old, gay and straight, native-born and immigrant fight together to create the kind of country we all know we can become. Bernie Sanders
13
Finally, let us understand that when we stand together, we will always win. When men and women stand together for justice, we win. When black, white and Hispanic people stand together for justice, we win. Bernie Sanders
14
If you ask me about my views on the environment, on women's rights, on gay rights, I am liberal. I don't have a problem with that at all. Some of my best friends are liberal. Bernie Sanders
15
Difficult times often bring out the best in people. Bernie Sanders
16
Of course the Republicans have long wanted to privatize Social Security and destroy it. But Social Security has been the most important and valuable social program in the history of the United States. Bernie Sanders
17
We need leadership in this country, which will improve the lives of working families, the children, the elderly, the sick and the poor. We need leadership which brings our people together and makes us stronger. Bernie Sanders
18
Any objective observer will conclude that - based on her ideas and her leadership - Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States. Bernie Sanders
19
We still have people in the active duty, and if people are feeling ill, if they're experiencing various symptoms and they're still in the active duty, they're less likely to come forward because that could result in their medical discharge. Bernie Sanders
20
In 2009, UnitedHealth, a leading insurance company, paid $350 million to settle lawsuits brought by the American Medical Association and other physician groups for shortchanging consumers and physicians for medical services outside its preferred network. Bernie Sanders
21
Today the biggest problem in caring for those with AIDS is no longer mainly a medical or scientific problem. The crisis is access to affordable drugs. Bernie Sanders
22
Look, if you have somebody who doesn't have health insurance, who doesn't have a doctor or dentist, and in order to deal with their cold or flu or dental problem, they go to an emergency room - in general, that visit will cost ten times more than walking into a community health center. Bernie Sanders
23
The Blunt Amendment would have allowed any employer who provided health insurance, or any insurance company, the right to deny coverage for contraception or any other kind of procedure if the employer had a 'moral' objection to it. Bernie Sanders
24
You go to Scandinavia, and you will find that people have a much higher standard of living, in terms of education, health care and decent paying jobs. Bernie Sanders
25
These are the same people who believe, in some cases, the federal government should not play any role in providing health care to our people or protecting the environment. Bernie Sanders
26
As a single-payer advocate, I believe that at the end of the day, if a state goes forward and passed an effective single-payer program, it will demonstrate that you can provide quality health care to every man, woman and child in a more cost-effective way. Bernie Sanders
27
If the goal of health-care reform is to provide comprehensive, universal health care in a cost-effective way, the only honest approach is a single-payer approach. Bernie Sanders
28
It has become clear that the function of a private health insurance is to make as much money as possible. Every dollar not paid out in claims is another dollar made in profits for the company. Bernie Sanders
29
People don't trust private health insurance companies for all the right reasons. Bernie Sanders
30
At its worst, Washington is a place where name-calling partisan politics too often trumps policy. Bernie Sanders
31
Election days come and go. But the struggle of the people to create a government which represents all of us and not just the one percent - a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice - that struggle continues. Bernie Sanders
32
Every day we are paying more for energy than we should due to poor insulation, inefficient lights, appliances, and heating and cooling equipment - money we could save by investing in energy efficiency. Bernie Sanders
33
The cost of college education today is so high that many young people are giving up their dream of going to college, while many others are graduating deeply in debt. Bernie Sanders
34
It makes a lot more sense for us to be investing in jobs and education rather than jails and incarceration. Bernie Sanders
35
There are very powerful and wealthy special interests who want to privatize or dismember virtually every function that government now performs, whether it is Social Security, Medicare, public education or the Postal Service. Bernie Sanders
36
Every working family in America knows how hard it is today to find affordable childcare or early childhood education. Bernie Sanders
37
I see a future where American companies lead the world in the production of hybrid-plug in cars and electric vehicles. Bernie Sanders
38
While I may not agree with all of President Obama's energy policies, I strongly supported his successful effort to double fuel economy standards for cars and trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Bernie Sanders
39
Good environmental policy is good economic policy. Bernie Sanders
40
Clinton understands that climate change is real, is caused by human activity and is one of the great environmental crises facing our planet. She knows that we must transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and move aggressively to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. Bernie Sanders
41
I think it makes people in the Pentagon kind of nervous to know that chemical agents and environmental factors could cause so much damage in terms of what may happen in the future. Bernie Sanders
42
I see a future where states compete with one another to see which can be the most efficient, and where businesses seek out efficient states in which to locate so they can reap the economic and environmental benefits for their businesses and employees. Bernie Sanders
43
I am a socialist; of course I am a socialist. To hold a vision that society can be fundamentally different, to believe that all people can be equal - that is not a new idea. Bernie Sanders
44
The history of American democracy, to say the least, has been checkered. Our nation was founded at a time when people of African descent were held in bondage. After slavery was abolished, they were forced to endure legal discrimination for another 100 years. Bernie Sanders