top of page
.png){kind=small}
Debate Quotes
"You have your ideology and I have mine."
134
"It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it."
70
"Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate."
61
"We've become more tolerant because we're tired of the debate."
58
"I heard Dennis Kucinich say in a debate, 'When I'm president... and I just wanted to stop him and say, 'Dude.'"
53
"There is zero debate about whether the world is getting warmer. That is a fact, a measured fact. There is some debate, although not much anymore, about what's causing the world to get warmer. And the consensus, by far is that it's us."
50
"But the reporter has the responsibility to determine, number one, whether that is true, and number two, to make a judgment as to whether it's in the public interest and whether or not it should be part of the debate."
50
"I enjoyed debate on the floor but it's not really debate in the same way."
48
"I take the debate on the method of promoting democracy seriously."
47
"Every candidate goes into every debate hoping that they can own a particular moment."
46
"What we have to do... is to find a way to celebrate our diversity and debate our differences without fracturing our communities."
45
"One can always debate questions back and forth."
44
"Political debate with liberals is basically impossible in America today because liberals are calling names while conservatives are trying to make arguments."
44
"And yet, will we ever come to an end of discussion and talk if we think we must always reply to replies? For replies come from those who either cannot understand what is said to them, or are so stubborn and contentious that they refuse to give in even if they do understand."
44
"Debates should always move in the direction of understanding."
44
"The national debate on Social Security has been cheapened by demagoguery on all sides."
42
"After Nashville sushi and a long debate on Bob Dylan, we went into Woodland Studios at 10 pm that night for a look around, and jammed for 5 hours solid."
42
"When I am in the Scottish Parliament chamber, I often feel the need to sit for the entire debate. It's only courteous to listen to what everyone has to say, although I often find myself desperate to say something but too scared to stand up in case I regret it."
41
"What passes for real debate in Washington often seems more like an echo chamber, with politicians talking at politicians."
41
"Information, usually seen as the precondition of debate, is better understood as its by-product."
41
"There's a bit of debate about that; some say it was really Matthew, but the popular consensus is that Mark was the first one, so that's why I did that one first. And I was planning on doing all four."
41
"Another example of the educational inequality is the current debate over publicly financed school vouchers which will provide educational opportunities to a privileged handful, but deprive public schools of desperately needed resources."
40
"There is an ongoing debate about the reform of the U.N. system."
39
"But, also, before I even go on the Medicare prescription drug debate, I always tell the folks in rural Illinois, and I represent 30 counties south of Springfield down to Indiana and Kentucky, that in this bill is the best rural package for hospitals ever passed."
39
"If we don't believe in moral absolutes and then we get into a cultural-political debate, how are we going to win?"
39
"I can assure you we are all strong-willed, forceful personalities and the president encourages vigorous debate."
38
"Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled."
38
"When every one of your arguments is characterized an attempt to bring back slavery or resegregate lunch counters, it's a little hard to have any sort of productive debate."
38
"We should not use special budget procedures to jam through legislation to drill in the Arctic Refuge. This topic is too important to the public to address it in such a back-door manner. We should be having a full, open discussion of the issue during an energy debate."
38
"The job of the press is to encourage debate, not to supply the public with information."
37
"Let's leave behind the predictable and stale debate between liberals and conservatives. Let's take the resources that we have, and prioritize, and manage, and focus our energy on just doing things that count - on real results."
37
"Open debate and full discourse on the topic of torture is a double-edged sword."
36
"Defining the terms of the debate generally dictates who's gonna' win it."
36
"The dinner table is a lively debate, and everybody weighs in in a different way. I like that, though."
34
"To be sure, debates will linger about whether Medicare is too large or too small. Debates remain about the allocation of Medicare dollars. But December 8, 2003, demonstrated that there is no debate about this most fundamental fact: Medicare must survive."
34
"I don't really feel like I have to have a debate with my husband over issues."
34
"No matter how you cut it, this real debate on personal accounts is about the legitimacy of Social Security; it's not about the solvency of Social Security."
33
"I am bound to furnish my antagonists with arguments but not with comprehension."
31
"When two partners always agree, one of them is not necessary.' If there is some point you haven't thought about, be thankful if it is brought to your attention."
31
"Some of the most polished ideas are discovered through healthy, honest debate, so if you don't argue with yourself every once in a while, other people will gladly point out if, in any sense, you missed a spot."
29
bottom of page