Ralph Nader

“The shortcomings of America's political leaders do not stop at our borders.”

“There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship.”

“Sanctions against polluters are feeble and out of date, and are rarely invoked.”

“Power has to be insecure to be responsive.”

“This country has far more problems than it deserves and far more solutions than it applies.”

“President Reagan was elected on the promise of getting government off the backs of the people and now he demands that government wrap itself around the waists of the people.”

“Members of Congress are like the voters in one respect -- they want to go with the winners.”

“Every time I see something terrible, it's like I see it at age 19. I keep a freshness that way.”

“Your best teacher is your last mistake.”

“I once said to my father, when I was a boy, 'Dad we need a third political party.' He said to me, 'I'll settle for a second.'”

“If God hadn't meant for us to eat sugar, he wouldn't have invented dentists.”

“Like sex in Victorian England, the reality of Big Business today is our big dirty secret.”

“A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done.”

“The 'democracy gap' in our politics and elections spells a deep sense of powerlessness by people who drop out, do not vote, or listlessly vote for the 'least worst' every four years and then wonder why after every cycle the 'least worst' gets worse.”

“Young wives are the leading asset of corporate power. They want the suburbs, a house, a settled life, and respectability. They want society to see that they have exchanged themselves for something of value”

“We must strive to become good ancestors.”

“When strangers start acting like neighbors... communities are reinvigorated.”

“The liberal intelligentsia has allowed its party to become a captive of corporate interests.”

“A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity.”

“The only difference between the Republican and Democratic parties is the velocities with which their knees hit the floor when corporations knock on their door. That's the only difference.”