60+ Barbara Bush Quotes

Anuoluwa Soneye
Mar 15, 2023 By Anuoluwa Soneye
Originally Published on Mar 02, 2023
Fact-checked by Oluwapelumi Iwayemi
Barbara Bush at the annual President's Dinner - Barbara Bush Quotes
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 7.7 Min

Why Barbara Bush quotes?

Barbara Bush was a well-known and influential figure in the United States. She was the wife of the 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, and the mother of the 43rd President, George W. Bush.

She was also a prominent advocate for literacy and education, and her quotes on these topics and others can be inspiring and thought-provoking for children. Learning about her life and her beliefs can also be a valuable way to learn the history of the United States.

What Parents Should Know

  • Barbara Bush was a strong advocate for literacy and education. She founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
  • She was known for her strong personality and wit and was often referred to as the "silver fox" or the "steel magnolia."
  • She was actively involved in her husband's political campaigns and served as the First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993.
  • She was a passionate supporter of the Republican Party and was involved in several charitable and philanthropic efforts throughout her life.

What To Discuss With Kids

  • The responsibilities and duties of the First Lady and how Mrs. Bush fulfilled these roles.
  • The importance of giving back to the community and how people can make a positive impact.
  • The role of the family in Mrs. Bush's life and how it influenced her work and decision-making. 

Motivational Barbara Bush Quotes

Here are some Barbara Bush quotes to inspire you to succeed.

"Why be afraid of what people will say? Those who care about you will say, Good luck! and those who care only about themselves will never say anything worth listening to anyway."

"Don't cry over things that were or things that aren't. Enjoy what you have now to the fullest." 

"You get nothing done if you don't listen to each other."

“Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people — your family, friends, and coworkers, and even strangers you meet along the way,”

“I think it's great to have a new life every 10 years or so.”

"Value your friendship. Value your relationships."

"You don’t just luck into things as much as you’d like to think you do. You build step by step, whether it’s friendships or opportunities."

“Study hard, work hard, and play hard too.”

"When you come to a roadblock, take a detour."

"Whether you are talking about education, career, or service, you are talking about life. And life must really have joy. It's supposed to be fun."

"Believe in something larger than yourself...get involved in the big ideas of your time."

“Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others.”

Funny Barbara Bush Quotes

You need some time to unwind and have fun. Here are some Barbara Bush quotes that will make you laugh.

"I really loved living in the White House, but I don't miss it at all."

"If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: 'Take two aspirin' and 'Keep away from children.'"

“Called from Hawaii to say he was on his way home, waiting for a military flight. On Christmas”

"People who worry about their hair all the time, frankly, are boring."

“Suddenly women’s lib had made me feel my life had been wasted.”

“I’m not a competitive person, and I think women like me because they don’t think I’m competitive, just nice.”

"My mother ... often talked about 'when her ship came in' she was going to do such and such or buy such and such. She was a lucky woman who had a husband who worshiped the ground she walked on, four loving children, and a world of friends. Her ship had come in — she just didn't know it."

“It was the dumbest thing I had ever seen, but it’s a family thing, and I guess it’s clean.”

“For heaven’s sake, enjoy life. Don’t cry over things that were or things that aren’t.”

"Never ask anyone over 70 how they feel. They'll tell you."

Best Barbara Bush Quotes

Here are some mindblowing quotes from Barbara Bush that would change your thinking pattern.

“Live your life with love as your guiding principle — keep your family and close friends close.”

"The personal things should be left out of, in my opinion, out of platforms and conventions."

“War is not nice.”

“Treat everyone equally, don’t look down on anyone, use your voices for good, read all the great books.”

“Life has changed enormously, and I hope, I hope more people read good things.”

"You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.”

"Family and friends and faith are the most important things in your life and you should be building friendships."

"Bias has to be taught. If you hear your parents downgrading women or people of different backgrounds, why, you are going to do that."

"I think togetherness is a very important ingredient to family life."

"You must read to your children and you must hug your children and you must love your children. Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside your house.” - 1990 Wellesley College commencement address

"My worst expectations never happened."

"You have to love your children unselfishly. That's hard. But it's the only way."

“Love brings a tear. Friends bring a tear. A smile, sweetness, even a kind word brings a tear. In a life of privilege, there are lots of tears.”

"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there."

"If human beings are perceived as potentials rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather than dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow to their capabilities."

“Don’t complain and don’t explain.”

“As important as your obligations as a doctor, lawyer, or business leader will be, you are a human being first and those human connections — with spouses, with children, with friends — are the most important investments you will ever make.” — Wellesley College commencement address, 1990.

“The goal is to find the balance between going after your dreams and finding happiness in what you have.”

"The home is the child's first school, the parent is the child's first teacher, and reading is the child's first subject."

“If more people could read, write, and comprehend, we could be much closer to solving so many of the other problems our country faces today.” — Wellesley College commencement address, 1990.

“Cherish your human connections - your relationships with friends and family”

Unique Barbara Bush Quotes

Barbara Bush had some really deep things to say about her private life, family, people, and parenting

“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.” ― Barbara Bush, 'Reflections: Life After The White House'

"Everything I worry about would be better if more people could read, write and comprehend."

“A question I’m asked all the time: Did anyone tell you what to do, or give you any guidelines, when your husband was in government? The answer is no.

Certainly I was given advice on protocol, and occasionally on what to wear or not to wear, but, for the most part, I just depended on the manners my mother taught me.”

“I'm worried about parents who aren't parenting.”

"Where will our country find leaders with integrity, courage, strength-all the family values-in ten, twenty, or thirty years? The answer is that you are teaching them, loving them, and raising them right now."

"Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the president's spouse. I wish him well!"

"Raising George Walker was not easy."

"I want to still be able to garden while I can bend over."

“Three publishers came to me at the White House after George lost and said, 'We would like to publish your book.' I said, 'Well, I don't have a book,' and they said well it's a well-known fact that you have kept diaries.”

"At the end of your life, you will never regret winning one more verdict or earning one more paycheck. You WILL regret time not spent with a spouse, a friend, or a loved one.”

"Nobody likes, you know, the ugly parts of politics."

"I don't like attacking."

“Did you know that if a child never misses a day of school from first grade to twelfth grade, he or she would have spent only 9 percent of his or her life in the classroom? The other 91 percent is spent in the home or out in the community.

We cannot expect teachers and the schools to solve all our children’s problems.”

"I do have the most marvelous husband, children, and grandchildren."

"I've done it all."

“Some people give time, some money, some their skills, and connections, some literally give their life’s blood. But everyone has something to give,”

"Raising five boys is a handful, trust me."

"Your success as a family... our success as a nation... depends not on what happens inside the White House, but on what happens inside your house."

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Sources

https://www.azquotes.com/author/2242-Barbara_Bush

https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/barbara-bush-quotes_2

https://everydaypower.com/barbara-bush-quotes/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Bush_(born_1981)

https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/barbara-bush-quotes

https://time.com/5244413/barbara-bush-most-memorable-quotes/

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a19829731/best-barbara-bush-quotes/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/55493.Barbara_Bush

https://www.georgeandbarbarabush.org/2020/03/pearls-of-wisdom/

https://unfinishedsuccess.com/barbara-bush-quotes/

https://fournine.net/news/10-hilarious-and-inspirational-quotes-from-former-first-lady-barbara-bush

https://incafrica.com/library/peter-economy-the-timeless-wisdom-of-first-lady-barbara-bush-in-17-inspiring-quotes

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/articles/barbara-bush-quotes-that-will-remain-throughout-history

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Written by Anuoluwa Soneye

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English

Anuoluwa Soneye picture

Anuoluwa SoneyeBachelor of Arts specializing in English

With a Bachelor's in English from Obafemi Awolowo University and extensive experience as an editor and tutor, Anuoluwa is an award-winning poet who now serves as a content writer for Kidadl. In his spare time, he enjoys online gaming, playing the piano, table tennis, writing poetry, and graphic design. Anuoluwa also serves as vice president of his local branch of the National Youth Service Corps (CDS).

Read full bio >
Fact-checked by Oluwapelumi Iwayemi

Bachelor of Science specializing in Systems Engineering

Oluwapelumi Iwayemi picture

Oluwapelumi IwayemiBachelor of Science specializing in Systems Engineering

Iwayemi is a creative content writer and editor studying for a Bachelor of Science specializing in Systems Engineering from the University of Lagos. He is skilled in research and has experience writing and editing content for different organizations.

Read full bio >