Top 35 John Engler Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “You win by working hard, making tough decisions and building coalitions.”

— John Engler

2. “Sometimes it is better to begin the journey, to get under way, then it is to sit back and wait until such time that you’re convinced that all conditions are perfect and that there’ll be no surprises along the route.”

— John Engler

3. “Manufacturers account for nearly 60 percent of all industrial research and development.”

— John Engler

4. “I have an old saying that the harder I work, the luckier I get.”

— John Engler

5. “Ive been in the legislative branch and now the executive branch and in each case I felt it was important we use our constitutional responsibilities to the fullest.”

— John Engler

6. “Redistricting is one of the purest actions a legislative body can take.”

— John Engler

7. “The asbestos problem impacts everyone.”

— John Engler

8. “We have broken the cycle of dependency. People have found out they’re better off working.”

— John Engler

9. “While America’s infrastructure needs are substantial, there is no reason to delay completion of the highway bill. Every day of delay means jobs lost, investment opportunities missed and growth sacrificed.”

— John Engler

10. “Very few charter schools are being created in some of the best school districts in the state. If you’re an educational innovator, that isn’t where the greatest need is.”

— John Engler

11. “As governor, I learned the importance of having an agenda.”

— John Engler

12. “Nobody gets any guarantees.”

— John Engler

13. “And there should not be a limit on the creation of new public schools. We ought to expand choices for parents.”

— John Engler

14. “All 50 states had the same national economy. And on virtually any measurement you wish to look at, Michigan has moved up and improved against the others.”

— John Engler

15. “I care about the children of Detroit.”

— John Engler

16. “I had made a decision early on that we were going to do the right things and that if they worked we were going to be very successful. And if for some reason they didn’t, all the claims and the protestations and the excuses wouldn’t make any difference.”

— John Engler

17. “As you look around the country there are still a significant number of states where their whole school debate is over school funding and we’ve been focused on the quality debate for most of the ’90s.”

— John Engler

18. “I wish we could have acted quicker on Detroit or other failing schools.”

— John Engler

19. “The Clean Michigan Initiative has been and continues to be a success.”

— John Engler

20. “I don’t put labels on myself.”

— John Engler

21. “I created no authority that wasn’t already there under the constitution.”

— John Engler

22. “I kept telling everyone I wasn’t going to Washington to stay. I go to visit.”

— John Engler

23. “I think we’ve got outstanding teaching in Michigan classrooms.”

— John Engler

24. “Manufacturers employ more than 14 million Americans doing what Americans do best, making things, building things, transforming raw materials into finished products.”

— John Engler

25. “I’m a compassionate conservative.”

— John Engler

26. “We didn’t pass any constitutional amendments that affected the executive branch while I was governor.”

— John Engler

27. “The parent knows instinctively that if they’re working and setting an example for their child that means that child is more likely to be in school, more likely to stay out of trouble and more likely to complete their education.”

— John Engler

28. “I’ve gone from being one of the youngest governors to now the longest consecutive serving governor in the country.”

— John Engler

29. “I’m very pleased with the job President Bush is doing and he’s off to a terrific start.”

— John Engler

30. “The current Michigan Constitution was written in 1961 and 62.”

— John Engler

31. “The greatest luck that I’ve had has been the ability to find men and women who came into my administration who worked with me and brought extraordinary talents that we were able to take full advantage of.”

— John Engler

32. “I expect my next job to be outside government.”

— John Engler

33. “Given the professionalism of Michigan teachers, I think they’re not teaching because of the financial rewards.”

— John Engler

34. “Believe me, I’m not going to try to get into testing.”

— John Engler

35. “Michigan is also the only industrial state that has a AAA credit rating.”

— John Engler

36. “I just have a position that any child that’s in a failing school should be able to get out, or be in a position to have that school fixed.”

— John Engler