Top 40 John Boehner Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “Just because you have a right to do something in America does not mean it is the right thing to do.”

— John Boehner

2. “A leader without followers is just a man out taking a walk.”

— John Boehner

3. “Get the right people on the bus, and then find them the right seat.”

— John Boehner

4. “I always believe when your political opponents are committing suicide, there’s no reason to murder them.”

— John Boehner

5. “Well, any good comeback needs some true believers.”

— John Boehner

6. “The mark of a good leader is to prepare those who will succeed you.”

— John Boehner

7. “The American people have issues. They’ve got concerns. We need solutions, solutions to the issues that the American people care about that are built on our principles.”

— John Boehner

8. “Remember when Ronald Reagan was president? We had Bob Hope. We had Johnny Cash. Think about where we are today. We have got President Obama. But we have no hope and we have no cash.”

— John Boehner

9. “When you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? You get less of it. Why do we want to make it harder for small employers to hire people?”

— John Boehner

10. “In this time of challenge, I am asking the prime minister to address Congress on the grave threats radical Islam and Iran pose to our security and way of life.”

— John Boehner

11. “We spend more money on antacids than we do on politics.”

— John Boehner

12. “Our economy continues to struggle with slow economic growth, high unemployment and stagnant wages. “Obama care’s” raising costs. That’s making it harder for small businesses to hire. In short, it’s a train wreck.”

— John Boehner

13. “Clearly while the president is overseas, he’s at a conference and while the president is overseas I think it’s appropriate that people not be critical of him or our country.”

— John Boehner

14. “I think that the Detroit auto industry is important to the United States. It’s important for hundreds of thousands of Americans who have their jobs as a result.”

— John Boehner

15. “The idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical. Every time we exhale, we exhale carbon dioxide. Every cow in the world, you know, when they do what they do, you’ve got more carbon dioxide.”

— John Boehner

16. “Trust me. I’m going to make sure this healthcare bill is never, ever, ever implemented.”

— John Boehner

17. “The bill that was about jobs, jobs, jobs has turned into a bill that’s about spending, spending, spending.”

— John Boehner

18. “During the 1990s, world leaders looked at the mounting threat of terrorism, looked up, looked away, and hoped the problem would go away.”

— John Boehner

19. “An Affront to the Rule of Law and to the Constitution Itself.”

— John Boehner

20. “They pushed us into the fight to defund Obamacare and shut down the government. And the day before the government reopened, one of these groups said, ‘Well, we never thought it would work.’ Are you kidding me?!”

— John Boehner

21. “This resolution simply says Israel has the right to defend itself. This includes conducting operations both inside its borders and in the territory of nations that threaten it, which is in accordance with international law.”

— John Boehner

22. “House Republicans want to pass a strong border security, illegal immigration bill. We want a bill. There is no ifs, ands or buts about it.”

— John Boehner

Featured in: Strong Quotes

23. “The aggressive, unprovoked acts of violence against Israel by Hezbollah and Hamas are revealing. It is clear they don’t want peace, but rather seek the ultimate destruction of Israel.”

— John Boehner

24. “The American people will not tolerate a clean increase in the debt limit.”

— John Boehner

25. “They know the importance of their mission and of America’s commitment to combating and defeating terrorism abroad, and they know that they are making a real difference in bringing freedom to a part of the world that has known only tyranny.”

— John Boehner

26. “I would say to the president: This is not about me. This is not about Republicans here in Congress. It’s about fairness for the America people.”

— John Boehner

27. “My opinion is borne out of my childhood, my faith, my beliefs. That marriage is between one man and one woman.”

— John Boehner

28. “Since its first day as a nation, Israel has lived under a cloud of aggression from militant extremists and hostile neighboring governments.”

— John Boehner

29. “While 45 of the 50 States have either a State constitutional amendment or a statute that preserves the current definition of marriage, left-wing activist judges and officials at the local levels have struck down State laws protecting marriage.”

— John Boehner

30. “Jeb Bush is my friend. I think he’d make a great president. I’ve nudged him for some time.”

— John Boehner

31. “We hope President Obama will now respect the will of the people, change course, and commit to making the changes they are demanding. To the extent he is willing to do this, we are ready to work with him.”

— John Boehner

32. “The American people probably aren’t going to fall in love with Mitt Romney.”

— John Boehner

33. “I’m what you’d call a regular guy with a big job.”

— John Boehner

34. “You can’t be somebody that you’re not, because all of you shows up.”

— John Boehner

35. “Every cow in the world, you know, when they do what they do, you’ve got more carbon dioxide.”

— John Boehner

36. “And the fact is – is if you lower – if you lower taxes, you don’t have to wait for the money to get to the states, the money to get out in contracts. You send a signal immediately, and so businesses start making decisions.”

— John Boehner

37. “The American people think the government in Washington is too big. That it spends too much. And – and that it’s totally out of control. They want something done about it.”

— John Boehner

38. “But, you know, I’m presiding over an institution that was designed not to work.”

— John Boehner

39. “Will we fight or will we retreat? That is the question that is posed to us. Some of my friends on the other side of the aisle often refer to Iraq as a distraction.”

— John Boehner

40. “How can we tax people for not buying a product from a website that doesn’t work?”

— John Boehner

41. “We ought to be judged on how many laws we repeal.”

— John Boehner

42. “You could be a total moron and get elected just by having an R next to your name – and that year, by the way, we did pick up a fair number in that category.”

— John Boehner

43. “This was back in the days when Mitt was the next great conservative hope, before the rabble-rousers decided he wasn’t a big enough lunatic for their liking.”

— John Boehner