George J. Mitchell quotes

George J. Mitchell is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer best known for his leadership in the Northern Ireland peace process. As U.S. Senate Majority Leader, he played a pivotal role in shaping important legislation. He later served as a key mediator in international peace negotiations. Here are 27 of his quotes:

So my father grew up in an orphanage in Boston. He was then adopted by an elderly childless couple from Maine, who gave him the name of Mitchell. He moved to Maine, and there he met my mother and was married. (George J. Mitchell)
In the spring of 1994 I decided not to seek reelection to the Senate. I had made the decision 12 years earlier, Christmas Day of 1982, just after I had been first elected to a full term, that I would do the best I could for a limited time. View quote
George J. Mitchell
I spent two years in the Army. And my older brother, who was also a great positive influence on me, encouraged me to think about law school, and I said - well, I didn't have any money. View quote
George J. Mitchell
I formed the conviction that there is no such thing as a conflict that can't be ended. Conflicts are created, conducted and sustained by human beings. They can be ended by human beings. View quote
George J. Mitchell
I really owe everything to my parents and their devotion and drive to see to it that their children had the education which led to the opportunities that they never were able to have. View quote
George J. Mitchell
In every society in human history, including the United States, those in power seek to imbue themselves with the attributes of religion and patriotism as a way of getting greater support for their policy and insulating themselves from any criticism. View quote
George J. Mitchell
From my parents, I learned a very strong work ethic, and all of my brothers and sisters all worked from the earliest days of life right through to the present time. View quote
George J. Mitchell
My mother was an immigrant from Lebanon to the United States. She came when she was 18 years old in 1920. View quote
George J. Mitchell
First, the American legislative process isn't well suited to large and complex measures. View quote
George J. Mitchell
I had been involved in U.S. intelligence in Berlin, Germany, while in the military and had worked with a contact with the Central Intelligence Agency office there. View quote
George J. Mitchell
When I went to college, my goal was to be a college history teacher. I majored in history. (George J. Mitchell)
As they say, one thing led to another, and, ultimately, the British and Irish governments asked me to serve as chairman of the peace negotiations, which ironically began six years ago this week. View quote
George J. Mitchell
And I spent that time working as an insurance adjuster and going to law school in the evening, and then when I left law school, I joined the Department of Justice in Washington. View quote
George J. Mitchell
I was the United States Attorney for Maine for three years, and then was appointed a federal judge. View quote
George J. Mitchell
My parents were very poor, but we never felt any sense of need or want. It was a very close, loving, tightly-knit family growing up, and I never felt any sense of deprivation or anything like that. View quote
George J. Mitchell
I had a great interest in sports. I had three older brothers who were great athletes. I was not. View quote
George J. Mitchell
I didn't want to make it a lifetime thing. I don't believe in statutory term limits, but people can limit themselves if they want to, and that's what I decided to do. View quote
George J. Mitchell
I got a job with a law firm in Portland after a couple of years with Senator Muskie. But by then, my interest in politics had been sparked, through meeting Senator Muskie, through seeing what he did. View quote
George J. Mitchell
What is good about the United States is the sense that you can disagree with the government and not be seen as unpatriotic, although many in the government will try to make you seem unpatriotic. View quote
George J. Mitchell
The result was, of course, that today, tragically, more than 40 million Americans don't have health insurance, and for many, not having health insurance means they don't have access to good health care. View quote
George J. Mitchell
My father was the orphaned son of immigrants to the United States from Ireland. My father never knew his parents. His mother died - we're not sure - either at or shortly after his birth, and he and all of his siblings were placed in orphanages in the Boston area. (George J. Mitchell)
I'm glad I made the decision, although the practice of law - and particularly serving as a federal judge - was a part of my life that I really enjoyed and treasured and look back on it with fondness. View quote
George J. Mitchell
So I developed very early a massive inferiority complex, and I've told the story often about how that inspired me later in life to get involved in other things, because I couldn't out-do my brothers in sports, and it's a very competitive relationship. View quote
George J. Mitchell
Although he's regularly asked to do so, God does not take sides in American politics. View quote
George J. Mitchell
I enjoyed practicing law. View quote
George J. Mitchell