Arlen Specter
The fundamental purpose of government is to protect its citizens.Collection: Government
If you are going to have to play defense all the time, you cannot have the kind of ingenuity, assertiveness, independence, and intelligence which is what has made our country strong.Collection: Intelligence
Americans' addiction to sports, with the NFL at the top, is based on the excitement generated by the potential for the unexpected great play which can only happen with honest competition from great athletes.Collection: Sports
There's nothing more important than our good health - that's our principal capital asset.Collection: Health
It's inspirational to see someone who is dying smile.Collection: Smile
I think my independence was a big help to getting Judges Roberts and Alito confirmed, and I think that's recognized.Collection: Independence
The best way to reduce the cost of medical care is to reduce the illness.Collection: Medical
When the students are occupied, they're not juvenile delinquents. I believe that education is a capital investment.Collection: Education
The First Amendment freedom of religion is as important today as when the Bill of Rights was first written.
I don't like labels. I think they conceal more than they reveal, sort of like a bikini.
Well, I believe that when you are confirming a United States Supreme Court Justice, that it really isn't Democratic or Republican; it's American.
It's been a great privilege to serve the people of Pennsylvania.
There is no higher value in our society than integrity.
We don't need holy wars. What we need is tolerance and brotherhood and simple humanity.
Fundraising is very, very time-consuming.
There is no doubt that our nation's security and defeating terrorism trump all other priorities.
American credibility in the war on terrorism depends on a strong stand against all terrorist acts, whether committed by foe or friend.
As a matter of traditional and sound constitutional doctrine, an amendment to the Constitution should be the last resort when all other measures have proved inadequate.
Effective security measures do not come cheap.
I must say I am not pleased to have to arrange the Senate schedule around the availability of Senators who are running for President.
The essence of a democracy is a free electorate.
Voting is fundamental in our democracy. It has yielded enormous returns.
Heart disease continues to be the number one killer; cancer, the number 2 killer, not far behind. The tragic aspect of these deadly diseases is that they could all be cured, I do believe, if we had sufficient funding.
As I think through the issue of funding the rebuilding of Iraq, I think about the analogy of a bankruptcy proceeding. There is no doubt that Iraq as a country is bankrupt.
We are not utilizing the Iraqi oil for U.S. purposes. We are not asking that the Iraqi oil be used to pay our military expenses. We are asking only that the Iraqi oil be used to rebuild Iraq - that is, to rebuild Iraq for the Iraqi people.
But one way or another, judges perform a very vital function in our society. They have a risky job and they are entitled to security.
I have not taken a position on that nuclear option. My view is I'm not going to do anything until I come to that bridge. I'm not going to jump off the bridge until I come to it.
Strong advocacy for education, health care and worker safety will be indispensable if they are to get their fair share of President Bush's austere budget for the next fiscal year.
If we had pursued what President Nixon declared in 1970 as the war on cancer, we would have cured many strains. I think Jack Kemp would be alive today. And that research has saved or prolonged many lives, including mine.
When Pat Robertson says there is no constitutional doctrine of separation of church and state, I say he is wrong.
As the Republican Party has moved farther and farther to the right, I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party.
Whatever my party affiliation, I will continue to be guided by President Kennedy's statement that sometimes party asks too much.
It so happens that I'm pro choice.
I am very much opposed to abortion personally. But I don't think it is the government's rule.
Separation of power says the judiciary committee is supposed to confirm qualified judges and then what the Supreme Court does, that is their function, not my function.
I've been in a lot of elections.
In our social contract, we have provisions that see to it that you take care of people who need some help.
I am opposed to anybody making a decision for you or me or anybody else about what health care plan we should have.
I'm battling cancer. It's another battle I intend to win.
I think if you can get people to laugh, you can get people to listen.
When the 14th Amendment, equal protection clause was enacted, the galleries in the Senate were segregated. Now we have integration.
African-Americans are underrepresented.
You know, a statesman is a dead politician.
I don't expect people to agree with all my votes.
There's nothing in the First Amendment that even remotely talks about spending money for political contests, and to say that an individual can spend as much of his or her own money as he or she wants constitutionally without any limitation, I think is just absurd.
There's a great public disinclination toward politicians.
People in government and public life are being kicked around at a high rate of speed.
The Supreme Court has a very light backlog. They leave a lot of splits among the circuits, a lot of uncertainty. And I think they ought to work a lot harder.
I just was not going to subject my record to the bleak prospects of a primary election.
It is with unwelcome frequency that I find myself the deciding vote.