Rick Santorum quotes

Rick Santorum is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator, best known for serving as a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania. His conservative views have made him a prominent figure in the Republican Party and in national debates on social issues. He has also run for President of the United States and remains an influential voice in American politics. Here are 101 of his quotes:

The idea is that the state doesn't have rights to limit individuals' wants and passions. I disagree with that. I think we absolutely have rights because there are consequences to letting people live out whatever wants or passions they desire. And we're seeing it in our society.

Rick Santorum

The reason Social Security is in big trouble is we don't have enough workers to support the retirees. Well, a third of all the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion, because one in three pregnancies end in abortion.

Rick Santorum

I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money; I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money.

Rick Santorum

This is not a political war at all. This is not a cultural war at all. This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies, Satan, would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country, the United States of America.

Rick Santorum

We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like – the anti-war government nig– uh, the – America was a source for division around the world, that what we were doing was wrong.

Rick Santorum

There is a limitation on debate, which is unlike other bills, for 20 hours, but there is no limitation on amendments. In other words, Republicans if they wanted to, and I suspect they do, could offer literally thousands of amendments and keep Senate in session for weeks and months.

Rick Santorum

I don't think God will continue to bless America if we continue to kill 1.2 million children every year.

Rick Santorum

Ron Paul may be the wackiest candidate in the GOP field. But for pure, blind stupidity, nobody beats Santorum. In my 20 years in the Senate, I never met a dumber member, which he reminded me of today.

Rick Santorum

Early in my political career, I had an opportunity to read the speech and I almost threw up. You should read the speech.

Rick Santorum

The question is - and this is what Barack Obama didn't want to answer - is that human life a person under the Constitution? And Barack Obama says "no". Well if that person - human life is not a person - then I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say, "we're going to decide who are people and who are not people".

Rick Santorum

Marriage is what marriage is. Marriage existed before there was a government. It's like, you know, handing up this and saying this glass of water is a glass of beer. Well, you can call it a glass of beer, but it's not a glass of beer. It's a glass of water. And water is what water is. Marriage is what marriage is.

Rick Santorum

Well, as a matter of fact, I've voted to kill Big Bird in the past. So, I have a record there that I have to disclose. That doesn't mean I don't like Big Bird. I mean, you can kill things and still like them. I mean, maybe to eat them, I don't know.

Rick Santorum

What we say is that in order for Mom to be able to go on welfare if she has a child out of wedlock, you have to tell us who the father is. If you don't tell us who the father is, you're not eligible for any welfare benefits, none, not even medical care. You tell us who the father is or you don't receive benefits.

Rick Santorum

I want to create every opportunity for women to be able to serve this country, and they do so in an amazing and wonderful way and they're a great addition to the- and they have been for a long time- to the- to the armed services of our country. But I do have concerns about women in front-line combat. I think that could be a very compromising situation, where- where people naturally may do things that may not be in the interest of the mission because of other types of emotions that are involved. And I think that's probably- It already happens, of course, with the camaraderie of men in combat, but it's- I think it would be even more unique if women were in combat, and I think that's not in the best interests of men, women or the mission.

Rick Santorum

You're not gonna use the pink ball. We're not gonna let you do that. Not on camera. Friends don't let friends use pink balls.

Rick Santorum

We say to Mom that you tell us the wrong name, and we'll bring that guy in and we'll do a blood test and that's not Dad, you lose your welfare benefits. You lose your welfare benefits... Not till you tell us another name, but till we find out who Dad is, we establish it.

Rick Santorum

I had Piers Morgan call me a bigot. Because I believe what the Catholic Church teaches with respect to homosexuality, I'm a bigot. So now I'm a bigot? Because I believe what the Bible teaches. Now, 2,000 years of teaching and moral theology is now bigoted! And of course we don't elect bigots to office. We don't give them professional licenses. We don't give them preferential tax treatment. If you're a preacher and you preach bigoted things, you think you're gonna be allowed to have a 501(c)(3) as a church? Of course not. No, this has profound consequence! To the entire moral ecology of America! It will undermine the family; it will destroy faith in America!

Rick Santorum

Piers Morgan: And I have to say that your views you espoused on this issue are bordering on bigotry, aren't they? Rick Santorum: No. I think just because we disagree on public policy, which is what the debate has been about, which is marriage, doesn't mean that it's bigotry. Just because you follow a moral code that teaches something wrong doesn't mean that - are you suggesting that the Bible and that the Catholic Church is bigoted? Well, if that's what you believe, fine, I don't, I think that 2,000 - well, I shouldn't say, not fine, I don't think it's fine at all. I think that is - that's contrary to both what we've seen in 2,000 years of human history and Western civilization and trying to redefine something that has been - that is seen as wrong from the standpoint of the church and saying a church is bigoted because it holds that opinion that is biblically based I think is in itself an act of bigotry.

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum: In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing. And when you destroy that you have a dramatic impact on the quality- Lara Jakes Jordan: I'm sorry, I didn't think I was going to talk about "man on dog" with a United States senator, it's sort of freaking me out.

Rick Santorum

I had a woman the other day who came up and complained to me that she has to pay $200 a month for her prescriptions... I said, in other words, this $200 a month keeps you alive, she goes yes. I said, and you're complaining that you're paying $200 a month and it keeps you alive? What's your cable bill? I mean, what's your cell phone bill? Because she had a cell phone. And how can you say that you complain that you have $200 to keep you alive and that's a problem? No, that's a blessing!

Rick Santorum

You can't ignore the reality that faith and family, those two things are integral parts of having limited government, lower taxes, and free societies.

Rick Santorum

Isn't that the ultimate homeland security, standing up and defending marriage?

Rick Santorum