Dana Perino Quotes

I love my right-wing friends, my practical friends, my bleeding heart friends – without all of these viewpoints, life would be pretty boring.

I have been a Republican, and I’ve worked in Republican circles for so long, and I know that there are really smart, good policy ideas that are grounded in conservative ideology that could be persuasive for women, especially in an election where no one was really excited about either candidate.

To meet our troops was just wonderful, and I really, really admired the Iraqi security forces I met. I felt like, ‘I’m pulling for you guys.’ They want peace. They’re working hard for it.

Like most conservatives, my path was a bit meandering. I grew up around people who mostly held conservative or libertarian views. The liberals I knew were fairly quiet about it, or at least I don’t remember it being very heavy-handed.

I believe that leaders should inspire you to be more like them.

The realities are, there are – you can be entertaining and you can be fun, and you can say things that actually appeal to people. You still have to figure out a way to get to 270 electoral votes. Get votes in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

I grew up admiring Ronald Reagan and Vice President Bush, and if I were old enough, I would have voted for 41. I was glad he won.

Your goal as a candidate – define others before they can define you.

Never refuse a breath mint – you don’t know why it’s being offered.

The Mexicans are not going to build the wall… they’re not going to do it.

Part of the great thing of looking back on how I went from the cattle ranch to the White House was, I was a country music DJ. I saw Garth Brooks perform for free in 1992 at the Colorado State Fair where I met this person who knew about this graduate school program.

I love road trips. If you haven’t been on one in a while, it’s time to put a trip on your calendar. Driving can help clear the cobwebs of your mind, and you can learn a lot about your fellow Americans while you’re at it.

As a press secretary and on ‘The Five,’ I’ve learned that I have a choice in how I answer a question. There’s combative or productive – I get to take my pick.

I understood early on that the freedom of America is what made our way of life possible and that we should help other people live in freedom, too.

Humans can make friends easily if they are open to it and are interested in other people.

One time, on Marine One, the president asked me my opinion. I had a flashback to being at the kitchen table with my dad. That dominant male figure set me up for being confident to express myself with precision and persuasion.

I think a lot of women, especially ones that want to achieve career goals, tend to worry. I don’t want anyone to worry their life away – time goes by so fast, and worry is really wasted time and energy.

I talk about millennials with a healthy dose of humility, as I’m a card-carrying member of Generation X. But I have daily interaction with young people at Dana Perino & Co., through my Minute Mentoring organization, with digital friends on social media, and especially at Fox News.

I feel like there should be a statute of limitations on scoring political points on the tragedy that was Hurricane Katrina.

A lot of people think that public speaking means that you are standing at a podium giving a speech, but public speaking comes in lots of different formats.

I think there is room out there to show the grace and dignity of women like Laura Bush.

There’s no job that will humble you like the White House press secretary job.

I love to drive in the Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota with Mount Rushmore as the central stop.

I think it is very good for the country, for the world, and especially for the Democrats that Harry Reid is retiring.

Millennials are a very interesting generation for a lot of reasons. They’re absolutely adorable, but they have some significant challenges. Their lives and their careers are delayed by about 10 years, partly because of the recession, also because of technology and also because of the way that they approach things.

In Benin, there’s a thing that family members wear the same pattern of traditional African clothing.

My great-grandmother lived to be 100 years old, so I got to know her. She always sent us birthday cards that had $2 bills inside – we kept them for good luck.

Starting in the third grade, my dad had me read the ‘Denver Post.’ I had to discuss two articles with him before dinner, and we would also watch ’60 Minutes’ together.

Commanders-in-chief make really tough decisions.

Sarcasm is like cheap wine – it leaves a terrible aftertaste.

If you’re a Republican woman, you’re mostly on your own when it comes to support from traditional women’s groups.

People like to talk about their hometowns and their travels, and the more places you’ve been, the more likely you’ll be able to make a connection that can bring new business leads or career opportunities.

I get a choice every time I have to open my mouth: that it can be with civility and dignity and grace – or not.

I am a pretty level-headed person, but that person, Harry Reid, has been the most destructive entity in Washington when it comes to civility. By far.

I’ve traveled to many countries in Africa, and to me, Benin felt the most hopeful.

The life my grandparents had was thoroughly American. They built a small ranch into a huge operation and fulfilled my great-grandparents’ dreams. Theirs was… a simpler time of contentment and patriotism.

There are times, especially on ‘The Five,’ where I’ve lost control for a moment. I always feel bad about it, but those always seem to be the times that people realize, if I’m mad about something, it must really matter.

I just think it’s quite remarkable that everyone says they want to add more commentary to their news pages. In some ways, I think, ‘Well, how is that even possible?’ It seems sometimes that that’s all that there is.

It’s one of my favorite seasons of the year: Back to School. As a kid, I loved fresh school supplies, new outfits, the change of seasons, and the chance to crack open a new textbook.

I personally have a pretty open philosophy about trying to talk to the press, and so does Dan Bartlett.

Young people really want you to give them a road map, and they will follow it to a tee. If you tell them, ‘These are the eight steps you have to take to be successful,’ they will do all eight very earnestly.

Vulnerable young women are being brainwashed by the radical lies of ISIS militants in the Middle East.

I could actually be somebody that, if you showed me new gun-control legislation could help solve this problem, I might actually be able to support something like that.

President Obama was never going repeal Obamacare – he was not going to be brought to his knees with the threat of a government shutdown.

I have a fascination with Flight 93. My emotions are mixed: awe, gratitude, fear, heartache, pride – even, in some ways, guilt.

Once you break someone of the habit of up-talking, they can start to see immediate improvement in their careers.

You’re not going to bring back all the jobs from China.

My dad got me hooked on the news. That was a good thing.

I’ve been in government and politics my entire career, and while I try to keep a level head and a reasonable tone in my commentary, even I can lose my head sometimes and let anger bubble over and burst out. It feels gross, looks ugly, and leaves a lasting mark.

I don’t think that I would always be asked about my feelings about liberal bias in the media if there wasn’t any liberal bias in the media. If it was a moot question, then we wouldn’t always have the discussion.

I don’t know if people are born with a worldview or if their thinking is a product of their environment.

My biggest point to everybody is you have a responsibility to build your own network.

You tax Mexico? The president of the United States is going to tax Mexico to get a wall for the United States of America? I’m pointing out the absurdity of a lot of these comments.

My dad was a voracious news consumer. I remember just sitting with my family all the time. I would sit on his lap and read the paper with him. He would read it to me.

We are so blessed to be here in America. We have freedom and opportunity unlike anywhere else in the world.

At some point, you’re going to have to be willing to take a punch for your team. If your employees or your teammates will see that you’re willing to do that, they are more likely to be loyal to you, and your team is more likely to function better.

My dad met my mom at Casper College in the orientation line. He studied business and eventually transferred to the University of Wyoming at Laramie.

Many young adults I have communicated with – both in-person and over email – constantly apologize before stating their idea, or finish each sentence with a question. Unfortunately, doing so in business puts you at an immediate disadvantage with your boss and work colleagues.

One of the great joys in life is reading, yet it’s the main thing people say they don’t have time to do.

On election night 2000, I had never met then-Governor Bush, though I’d supported him for years. I believed he would be a strong, optimistic and gracious president with solid conservative principles and a big heart.