Laura Bush Quotes

“Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open.”

— Laura Bush

“The English language lacks the words to mourn an absence. For the loss of a parent, grandparent, spouse, child or friend, we have all manner of words and phrases, some helpful some not. Still we are conditioned to say something, even if it is only "I'm sorry for your loss." But for an absence, for someone who was never there at all, we are wordless to capture that particular emptiness. For those who deeply want children and are denied them, those missing babies hover like silent ephemeral shadows over their lives. Who can describe the feel of a tiny hand that is never held?”

— Laura Bush

“There is nothing political about American literature.”

— Laura Bush

Maybe it is the media that has us divided.

— Laura Bush

“A love of books, of holding a book, turning its pages, looking at its pictures, and living its fascinating stories goes hand-in-hand with a love of learning.”

— Laura Bush

“It's not easy to have the job of president. It's not easy to run for it. And it's not a job for the feint of heart.”

— Laura Bush

“Any first lady can do whatever they want to do. In this country, people expect them to work on whatever they want or to have a career of their own.”

— Laura Bush

“They're great girls. They're very funny, they're very smart, they're fun to be with. They're very lively, as I think people can tell. And you know, they're very confident girls.”

— Laura Bush

“Though my plans at the moment are vague, I can assure you that I'll never run for the Senate in New York.”

— Laura Bush

But you know, it's not easy when your husband runs for president. I mean, it's not easy for me. I'm sure it's not easy for her. There's a lot of scrutiny on families that isn't always wanted.

— Laura Bush

“No one likes to be criticized.”

— Laura Bush

I don't really feel like I have to have a debate with my husband over issues.

— Laura Bush

“I like politics. I like traveling in the United States.”

— Laura Bush

“I mean, it's fun for us to talk about issues. You know, there's no one issue we spend a lot of time on probably, because he gets to do that all day with somebody else who's a lot more expert at issues than I am.”

— Laura Bush

If I'm just at the White House, I have meetings in my office, I sign letters, I plan different things. Late in the afternoon, I'll quit working and wait for my husband to get home.

— Laura Bush

“You know, there are a lot of would-be governors of Texas sitting around today who never took the opportunity to get into a race when the time was right.”

— Laura Bush

“I don't like that, because there are a lot of people whose works I admire as actors or actresses, or musicians. And you know, I've been a big fan of different musicians or actors.”

— Laura Bush

“In fact, I have the privilege of traveling around our country and meeting people all over the country who are making a huge difference in the lives of their neighbors and themselves. That's what I'm really fortunate to be able to do.”

— Laura Bush

“Well, we've faced very difficult decisions and challenges in our country, every one of us have, as we - since September 11th, as we fought the war on terror, all of those decisions that the President had to make to put young men and women in harm's way.”

— Laura Bush

“Jenna's traveled with me; they've both traveled with their dad. This is the only time they've been old enough in all of their dad's campaigns to really be involved in.”

— Laura Bush

“It's really important for people who are HIV positive to reach out to let other people know that they can be tested, they can find out they can still live a life
a positive life, a happy life.”

— Laura Bush

When I heard that heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined - when I heard that, I knew. The other thing that's very important is that heart disease ... is preventable. There are some specific lifestyle changes that women can make: losing weight, not smoking, exercising, eating healthy foods. Knowing the risk factors: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, [being] overweight. And if you have heart disease in your family, you should see your doctor. Because this disease is preventable.

— Laura Bush

“We see all around the world where women's rights are denied, where governments don't believe in educating their girls. There are 800 million people in the world who are illiterate and 75 percent of them are women and girls.”

— Laura Bush

“It's really important, obviously, for people to realize that it is a very small percentage, only 1 percent of our total economy, of our total budget, and I think that's important for people to know. But I also know that Americans are very generous and that many, many Americans are proud that their taxpayer dollar has saved lives in Africa through the president's malaria initiative or through PEPFAR, the emergency relief plan for AIDS.”

— Laura Bush

I think disease and all the things that we treat are tied to national security in a lot of ways that we maybe don't realize or that the American people don't realize. If other countries have a chance to be stable, then that helps us. If there are ways we can prevent if there are ways we can help other countries defeat diseases, we're about to totally eradicate polio. And can you imagine? That would be so terrific.

— Laura Bush

“Any criticism of someone you love is hard to take ...”

— Laura Bush

“When you reach out to others in need, when you reach out to the world, you really do have a satisfying life by helping others.”

— Laura Bush

“Time spent in nature decreases stress and anxiety and improves focus for adults as well as children.”

— Laura Bush

“I think doctors have really come up to speed and understand that more women than men die of heart disease. [But] all the research on heart disease has really been based on men, and needs to be updated with research on women - even very early-stage research is done using male rats!”

— Laura Bush

“If you take the burden of health care, of diseases off the backs of some other countries, it gives them a chance to use their own very limited resources in ways that help their people. And also there's a hopelessness associated with deadly diseases, that if that can be alleviated, people can build their own economies in their own countries and they'll be less reliant on the developed world for help.”

— Laura Bush

“Bluffton is growing. But we must hold on to that small-town character.”

— Laura Bush

“I was so fortunate. My parents lived lives of service. They helped other people, that was their second nature; it came to them so naturally. It wasn't forced. This is their character, and it's a big advantage I have, being raised by people like this, having a secure and stable life, and a lot of love and encouragement.”

— Laura Bush

“We need to alert women everywhere about the seriousness of heart disease.”

— Laura Bush

In almost every single way, George and I share the same values. And if we differ on some issues, it's very, very minor.

— Laura Bush

“In contrast to my husband, I can pronounce the word nuclear.”

— Laura Bush

Books are important. They help you sleep at night.

— Laura Bush

“All people need to know how AIDS is transmitted, and every country has an obligation to educate its citizens. This is why every country must also improve literacy, especially for women and girls, so that they can make wise choices that will keep them healthy and safe.”

— Laura Bush

“I said, 'George, if you really want to end tyranny in this world, you're going to have to stay up later.' Nine o'clock and Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep ...”

— Laura Bush

Education is spreading hope. Millions are now learning to live with HIV/AIDS - instead of waiting to die from it.

— Laura Bush

“Reading will give you lasting pleasure.”

— Laura Bush

“We know how unhealthy it is. I know what happens, though - young women start smoking because they don't think they're really going to keep smoking.”

— Laura Bush

“I turned to books for comfort. (Former First Lady, Laura Bush)”

— Laura Bush

“When you read with your child, you show them that reading is important, but you also show them they're important - that they are so important to you that you will spend 20 minutes a day with your arm around them.”

— Laura Bush

“Research shows us that children who are read to from a very early age are more likely to begin reading themselves at an early age. They're more likely to excell in school. They're more likely to graduate secondary school and go to college.”

— Laura Bush

“I have always admired organizations that help children grow and learn, and organizations that protect and shelter children when no one else does. And I wanted to draw attention to these organizations and recognize the contributions they were making to the country and to our children in particular.”

— Laura Bush

“I've always loved children. When I was working with children as a librarian, I loved being with them and working around them.”

— Laura Bush

“Girls learn how to relate to men from the way their fathers love them. And if their fathers really love them and want the very best for them, then they've seen that kind of good behavior that they'd want in a husband.”

— Laura Bush

“It's really important for boys to have a father around, or a grandfather, or an uncle - a man they can really relate to who loves them, and who they know loves them.”

— Laura Bush

“There's a very close tie between good health and good education.”

— Laura Bush

There are gender health differences, and we need to know what they are.

— Laura Bush