Vladimir Putin uses energy to hold our allies hostage. If energy is going to be used as a weapon, I say America must have the largest arsenal.
— Rick Perry
Our best days are in front of us. We can reform those entitlements, we can change that corporate tax code and lower it. We can put America back on track on a growth level and a growth rate that we've never seen in the history of this country.
Guns require a finger to pull the trigger.
Aggies have a really interesting way of admitting defeat. We've never been outscored. We just ran out of time.
We will reverse course on the heavy hand of regulation, discarding Dodd-Frank and any other regulations that advance a political agenda at the expense of jobs and investment on Main Street.
I come by my conservatism authentically, not by convenience. And I offer the American people a new direction.
In America, the people are not subjects of government, the government is subject to the people.
It's time to believe again in the potential of private enterprise set free from the shackles of over-bearing federal government.
I learned that not everyone values life like we do in America, or the rights that are endowed to every human being by a loving God.
When a criminal breaks into your home I'll let the liberals call the lawyer. I'm going to call Smith & Wesson.
The liberals think government exists to fix what's wrong with America. They find fault with our Constitution, our economic model and our core values. We disagree with the premise of their argument. We believe there's nothing wrong with America that an extra dose of freedom won't cure.
We know there is no such thing as freedom without the risk of failure.
And I have a message for the liberals and the defenders of the status quo: we're just getting started.
I've always believed the mission is greater than the man.
I don't think Obama understands basic economics. Not economics that work. He may understand some theory that someone in Princeton sat and dreamed up, but it's not working.
Crucial to understanding federalism in modern day America is the concept of mobility, or 'the ability to vote with your feet.' If you don't support the death penalty and citizens packing a pistol - don't come to Texas. If you don't like medicinal marijuana and gay marriage, don't move to California.
I think you need to have a tax system that basically is flat, fair and simple. And - that you can put on a post card. I mean, even Timothy Geithner could do this one and get it on time.
We have the power to make things new again. To project American strength again, to get our economy going again.
I think every program needs to stand the sunshine of righteous scrutiny. Whether it's Social Security, whether it's Medicaid, whether it's Medicare.
When I make a vow to God, then I would suggest to you that's even stronger than a handshake in Texas.
I am going to give the American people a huge helping of unbridled truth: that we can't continue to spend what we are spending, that we can't avoid entitlement reform because we are afraid of third rail politics.
It's time to bring tough medicine to Washington. No longer will policy be set by K Street, it will be dictated by Main Street.
I believe in America. I believe in her purpose and her promise. I believe her best days have not yet been lived. I believe her greatest deeds are reserved for the generations to come.
We do not have to accept our current circumstances. We will change them. We are Americans. That's what we do.
I know something. America is not broken, Washington, D.C. is broken.
Being the Republican front-runner was three of the most exciting hours of my entire life. I've come to grips with it, and the only lasting effect is that I refuse to go on a stage that has more than one podium on it.
In the myopic world of the liberals, guns are responsible for evil instead of the perpetrator of evil. But criminals are not bound by our laws. That's what makes them criminals.
Admit it America - 2008 was our national 'oops' moment!
We believe in government involvement that leads to independence: good schools, quality roads and the best health care.
The God we serve does not seek out the perfect, but instead uses our imperfections and our shortcomings for his greater good. I am humbled by my own limitations. But where I am weak, He is strong.
I have no question that Newt Gingrich has the heart of a conservative reformer, the ability to rally and captivate the conservative movement.
It is through states that the American people get the job done every day, often in spite of a deeply flawed bureaucratic federal government.
Tell the trial lawyers to get out of your state and to quit costing businessmen and women.
And I think most people in this country want to see a president that's got the courage to say we're going to cut the tax burden, and reduce the regulatory climate, and we're going to get Americans working.
We are a resilient country. We've been through a Civil War; we've been through two World Wars. We've been through a Great Depression; we even made it through Jimmy Carter! We will make it through the Obama years!
There is evil prowling in the world - it shows up in our movies, video games and online fascinations, and finds its way into vulnerable hearts and minds.
We cannot afford four more years of this misguided socialist policies from President Obama and his administration.
It is time to let America be America again. To return freedom to the people. To stand on our founding principles and reject the cynical politics of the Nanny State.
Let's make what Americans buy. Buy what Americans make. And sell it to the world.
It is up to us, to this present generation of Americans, to take a stand for freedom, to send a message to Washington that we're taking our future back from the grips of central planners who would control our healthcare, who would spend our treasure, who downgrade our future and micro-manage our lives.
We stand up and proudly proclaim that Washington is not our caretaker and we reject a state, in Margaret Thatcher's words, a state that takes too much from us to do too much for us.
Spreading the wealth punishes success while setting America on course for a greater dependency on government.
Armed and law-abiding citizens are a greater deterrent to violent crime than 1,000 laws passed by Congress.
I happily cling to my guns and my God, even if President Obama thinks that that is a simpleminded thing in his elitist heart.
Our view is that individuals and families can govern their lives better than bureaucrats.
Here is what we know after more than a decade of Republican rule: Texas works. Even 'The New York Times' let it slip into its pages that, 'Texas is the future.'
The fact is there is forgiveness for those who seek God. And I believe in the power of redemption.
In the rush to become all things to all people, the federal government has lost sight of its core responsibilities. As a result we're stuck in this frustrating paradox where Washington actually neglects things it's clearly supposed to be doing, while interfering in other areas where they are neither welcome nor authorized.
Who can be against progress, after all? But it's a fraudulent use of the word - because for the Progressive, progress is marked not be how free you are, but how much government can 'do' for you.
Americans want government that is leaner, more efficient, and less intrusive into their personal lives.
