Jim DeMint

“The Tea Party doesn't like politicians.”

“Sometimes people credit me for the Tea Party. It's actually the other way around.”

“I'm a conservative first, and I believe that, if we do a better job of helping Americans understand what we're trying to do, to showcase every place in the country that our ideas are working at the state level, that that will help those at the federal level who want to carry those policies.”

“If a person wants to be publicly gay, they should not be teaching in the public schools.”

“What happens in the Senate is the Republicans sink to the lowest common denominator.”

“If you remember you just have one constituent, and that's God himself, and if you try to please him I think you usually come with a lot steadier pace and a lot more peace in your life.”

“I just want people to know that if they want to change the direction of the country, they can do it, but only if they're active, informed, and engaged.”

“We have this kind of revolving door, we don't have a permanent class of millionaires in America like a lot of other countries.”

“One of the greatest titles in the world is parent, and one of the biggest blessings in the world is to have parents to call mom and dad.”

“It doesn't make sense to have to do the wrong thing in order to do the right thing.”

“Since the dawn of time, traditional marriage - the union between one man and one woman - has been the building block of civilization, and at no point in our nation's history has that foundation been under more severe attack than now.”

“We know from our own history that democratic institutions take decades to mature, and we know from past conflicts that freedom is not free.”

“Well, we lost a lot of our independence already. We are dependent on China for credit. We are dependent on Middle Eastern countries for energy supplies. And many Americans are dependent on the government for their income, health care, education of their children, food stamps.”

“I'm humbled to follow in the footsteps of Ed Feulner, who built the most important conservative institution in the nation. He has been a friend and mentor for years and I am honored to carry on his legacy of fighting for freedom.”

“American businesses and upper incomes pay a larger portion of the federal taxes of our national taxes than any country in the world.”

“If we become too scared to confront the chief problems of our time, there is no hope of ever solving them.”

“A free and stable Iraq will be a shining light against the shadow of Islamic extremism.”

“I don't even like playing a contentious role.”

“Anyone who says the Republicans have been irresponsible aren't looking at the facts.”

“The Democrats have essentially decided to move more toward central power, control of just about every aspect of our culture and economy.”