Top Peggy Noonan Quotes - Quotesmemo.com

Peggy Noonan Biography

Margaret Ellen "Peggy" Noonan (born September 7, 1950) is an American author of several books on politics, religion, and culture, and a weekly columnist for The Wall Street Journal. She was a primary speech writer and Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and has maintained a conservative leaning in her writings since leaving the Reagan administration.

Read about Peggy Noonan in Wikipedia

Random Authors

Peggy Noonan Quotes

In ancient Israel and Rome the judge had appeared as a stand-in for the divine, and corruption was a blinding of the representative of the divine.

Appeared, Corruption, Israel, Judging, Rome

Great speeches have always had great soundbites. The problem now is that the young technicians who put together speeches are paying attention only to the soundbite, not to the text as a whole, not realizing that all great soundbites happen by accident, which is to say, all great soundbites are yielded up inevitably, as part of the natural expression of the text. They are part of the tapestry, they aren't a little flower somebody sewed on.

Expression, Flower, Problem, Tapestry, Together

The Democratic Party's complete obeisance to [the abortion] lobby makes Democrats look bought, frightened and craven.

Abortion, Complete, Craven, Democrats, Looks, Party

It's better for the country when each party looks like it stands for something serious, for some big things, but they're not narrow and they're not bought.

Big, Bought, Country, Party, Serious

My generation, faced as it grew with a choice between religious belief and existential despair, chose marijuana. Now we are in our Cabernet stage.

Cabernet, Choices, Marijuana, Religious

The core of the concept of a bribe is an inducement improperly influencing the performance of a public function meant to be gratuitously exercised.

Bribe, Concept, Exercised, Function, Influence, Performances

Mr. Bush has squandered the hard-built paternity of 40 years. But so has the party, and so have its leaders. If they had pushed away for serious reasons, they could have separated the party's fortunes from the president's. This would have left a painfully broken party, but they wouldn't be left with a ruined brand,- as they all say, speaking the language of marketing. And they speak that language because they are marketers, not thinkers. Not serious about policy. Not serious about ideas. And not serious about leadership, only followership.

Brand, Broken, Ideas, Marketers, Party, Years

What we need most right now, at this moment, is a kind of patriotic grace - a grace that takes the long view, apprehends the moment we're in, comes up with ways of dealing with it, and eschews the politically cheap and manipulative. That admits affection and respect. That encourages them. That acknowledges that the small things that divide us are not worthy of the moment; that agrees that the things that can be done to ease the stresses we feel as a nation should be encouraged, while those that encourage our cohesion as a nation should be supported.

Nation, Patriotic, Politically, Stress, Stresses, Views

The battle for the mind of Ronald Reagan was like the trench warfare of World War I: never have so many fought so hard for such barren terrain.

Barren, Battle, Mind, Ronald, War, World

The thing political figures fear most is a terror event that will ruin their careers. The biggest thing they fear is that a bomb goes off and it can be traced to something they did or didn’t do, an action they did or didn’t support. They all fear being accused of not doing enough to keep the citizenry safe.

Action, Careers, Political, Ruin, Support

But one immediate thing can be done right now, and that is: lower the temperature. Any way you can, and everybody. Just lower it.

Done, Temperature, Thing, Way

The Democratic Party will now stick with its guy forever, no matter how harmful he is. Perhaps you call that loyalty, and perhaps there's something to it, but a bigger part, I believe, is that you have come to think that winning is everything-that victory is the purpose of politics.

Believe, Loyalty, Party, Winning

What conservatives and Republicans must recognize is that the White House has broken with them. What President Bush is doing, and has been doing for some time, is sundering a great political coalition.

Broken, House, President, Time, White

The Irish are often nervous about having the appropriate face for the occasion. They have to be happy at weddings, which is a strain, so they get depressed; they have to be sad at funerals, which is easy, so they get happy.

Depressed, Faces, Funeral, Nervous, Occasion, Sad

Some of the stupidest brilliant people who ever lived.

Brilliant, Interesting, People, Stupidest

Ted Sorrenson, JFK's presidential speech writer, when asked how it came about that he wrote the "ask not what you can do. . . " speech, he would answer 'ask not. '

Answers, Asked, Presidential, Sorrenson, Speech, Writer

We don't need to 'control' free speech, we need to control ourselves.

Control, Free, Free Speech, Freedom Of Speech, Needs, Speech

Abortion is either OK or it's not.

Abortion

What is in the air there in Washington, what is in the water? What is wrong with them? This is not a rhetorical question. I think it is unspoken question No. 1 as Americans look at so many of the individuals in our government. What is wrong with them?

Air, Government, Individuals, Question, Thinking, Unspoken

You can get so well educated in America that your thoughts become detached from common sense. You can get so complicated in your thinking that the obvious isn't real to you anymore.

America, Complicated, Educated, Real, Thinking

1