50 Dick Cheney Quotes and Words of Wisdom

In the world of business and politics, one of the most prominent personalities is Dick Cheney.

These Dick Cheney quotes will guide you through his thoughts on both fields.

Dick Cheney is the 46th Vice President of the United States.

He took on the position from 2001 to 2009 alongside then President George W. Bush.

Cheney has long been an avid supporter of Bush even when he was not the President.

He advocated for his causes and policies.

In fact, they have a partnership for the war on terrorism, specifically the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Gulf War.

With his achievements, Cheney was regarded as the most powerful vice president in American history, having been a politician for more than three decades.

Read through these famous Dick Cheney quotes to know more.

Don’t forget to also check out these Vice President quotes about America’s second most important person.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration. 

Check out our inspirational quotes category page for more inspirational life quotes.

Dick Cheney quotes on politics and governance

1. “Reagan proved deficits don’t matter.” ― Dick Cheney

2. “I think Barack Obama is a one-term President.” ― Dick Cheney

3. “The Columbia is lost, but the dreams that inspired its crew remain with us.” ― Dick Cheney

4. “You got to have people at the top who respond to and are selected by presidents.” ― Dick Cheney

5. “I can think of a lot of words to describe Senator Kerry’s position on Iraq; ‘consistent’ is not one of them.” ― Dick Cheney

6. “I obviously, I’m not a big fan of President Obama. I think he’s been one of our weakest presidents. I just fundamentally disagree with him philosophically.” ― Dick Cheney

7. “I think the record speaks for itself. These are two individuals who have been for the war when the headlines were good and against it when their poll ratings were bad.” ― Dick Cheney

8. “I think there’s no question but what the tail end of the Bush administration, Bush-Cheney administration, that we took steps specifically geared to try and free up the financial sector.” ― Dick Cheney

9. “If you’re going to go increase taxes on small businesses, you’re going to slow down the extent to which we’re able to reduce unemployment. So I think it’s a serious mistake; the wrong time to raise taxes.” ― Dick Cheney

10. “And the fact of the matter is there were thousands of people that went through those training camps in Afghanistan. We know they are seeking deadlier weapons – chemical, biological and nuclear weapons if they can get it.” ― Dick Cheney

11. “I worked for George Bush. I’m proud to have worked for him. I think that a lot of the most controversial things we did, that people didn’t like and – and criticized us for, things like the terror surveillance program or the enhanced interrogation techniques, were things that allowed us to save lives.” ― Dick Cheney

Dick Cheney quotes about war and attacks

12. “The Iraqi forces are conducting the Mother of all Retreats.” ― Dick Cheney

13. “One of the worst things we could do is start to act now as though the attack of 9/11 is a thing of the past and will never be repeated. That’s just not true.” ― Dick Cheney

14. “I believe very deeply in the proposition that what we did in Iraq was the right thing to do. It was hard to do. It took a long time. There were significant costs involved.” ― Dick Cheney

15. “A little tough talk in the midst of a campaign or as part of a presidential debate cannot obscure a record of 30 years of being on the wrong side of defense issues.” ― Dick Cheney

16. “I’m absolutely convinced that the threat we face now, the idea of a terrorist in the middle of one of our cities with a nuclear weapon, is very real and that we have to use extraordinary measures to deal with it.” ― Dick Cheney

17. “The relevance for 9/11 is that what 9/11 marked was the beginning of a struggle in which the terrorists come at us and strike us here on our home territory. And it’s a global operation. It doesn’t know national boundaries or national borders.” ― Dick Cheney

18. “One of the reasons the deficit got as big as it did, frankly, was because of the economic slowdown, the fall-off in deficits, the terrorist attacks. A significant chunk was taken out of the economy by what happened after the attacks of 9/11.” ― Dick Cheney

19. “There’s every reason to believe there will be further attacks attempted against the United States. For us to spend so much time patting ourselves on the back because we got bin Laden that we miss the next attack would be a terrible tragedy.” ― Dick Cheney

20. “From our perspective, trying to deal with this continuing campaign of terror, if you will, the war on terror that we’re engaged in, this is a continuing enterprise. The people that were involved in some of those activities before 9/11 are still out there.” ― Dick Cheney

21. “It’s very important to go back and keep in mind the distinction between handling these events as criminal acts, which was the way we did before 9/11, and then looking at 9/11 and saying. ‘This is not a criminal act,’ not when you destroy 16 acres of Manhattan, kill 3,000 Americans, blow a big hole in the Pentagon. That’s an act of war.” ― Dick Cheney

Dick Cheney quotes about liberty

22. “We will, in fact, be greeted as liberators.” ― Dick Cheney

23. “We have to make America the best place in the world to do business.” ― Dick Cheney

24. “It is easy to take liberty for granted when you have never had it taken from you.” ― Dick Cheney

25. “From kindergarten to graduation, I went to public schools, and I know that they are a key to being sure that every child has a chance to succeed and to rise in the world.” ― Dick Cheney

Dick Cheney quotes about life and his health

26. “I am a deficit hawk.” ― Dick Cheney

27. “Direct threats require decisive action.” ― Dick Cheney

28. “We must be prepared to face our responsibilities and be willing to use force if necessary.” ― Dick Cheney

29. “I wake up every morning literally with a smile on my face, grateful for another day I never thought I’d see.” ― Dick Cheney

30. “As I think about the future, I’m back where most people live their lives. Which is, death is not imminent, and that’s different.” ― Dick Cheney

31. “I think I was able to survive five heart attacks because I never postponed going to the hospital when something didn’t feel right.” ― Dick Cheney

32. “My own belief is that the way we grow the economy, create jobs, create wealth is in the private sector. The government doesn’t do that.” ― Dick Cheney

33. “I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate that I’ve been able to go live a very active, stressful life. And I don’t believe that my heart disease changed me for the worst.” ― Dick Cheney

34. “You cannot be driven by the polls. The polls change all the time; they’re easily manipulated by whoever wants to ask those poll questions; they go up; they go down.” ― Dick Cheney

35. “No matter what kind of problem I’ve run into, there’s always been a solution for it. Now, obviously, there will be a point where there aren’t any more solutions, and I’ll have used up my time. We all do.” ― Dick Cheney

36. “I had a reputation of being somewhat moderate, partly, I think, because I wasn’t a ‘bomb thrower’ like some of my conservative colleagues, and partly because I got along with people all across the political spectrum.” ― Dick Cheney

37. “I was convinced that, eventually, I would die of heart disease, that we’d run out of time and out of treatment, the technology wouldn’t keep ahead of my disease. And now all of the sudden, when you get the new heart, your life opens up before you again.” ― Dick Cheney

More quotes from Dick Cheney

38. “Except for the occasional heart attack, I never felt better.” ― Dick Cheney

39. “I don’t pay a lot of attention, frankly, to what Barack Obama says.” ― Dick Cheney

40. “I do find that the mainstream media oftentimes is what I would consider off base or has a bias.” ― Dick Cheney

41. “Senator Kerry says he sees two Americas. It makes the whole thing mutual – America sees two John.” ― Dick Cheney

42. “I’m not apologetic with respect to the policies of the Bush administration. I think we basically got it right.” ― Dick Cheney

43. “We are, as a matter of empirical fact and undeniable history, the greatest force for good the world has ever known.” ― Dick Cheney

44. “Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy.” ― Dick Cheney

45. “I did my 40 years in Washington, 40-plus, and it’s time to pause and reflect and think about what I’ve seen and done.” ― Dick Cheney

46. “We’ve had experiences where the president’s been shot, but never had a situation where the vice president shot somebody.” ― Dick Cheney

47. “I’ve worked for four presidents and watched two others up close, and I know that there’s no such thing as a routine day in the Oval Office.” ― Dick Cheney

48. “People tell me that Senator Edwards got picked for his good looks, his sex appeal, and his great hair. I say to them, ‘How do you think I got the job?” ― Dick Cheney

49. “I’ve been criticized because I’ve had the temerity to speak out and done a couple of interviews since I left office. I don’t find anything surprising about that.” ― Dick Cheney

50. “The plan was criticized by some retired military officers embedded in TV studios. But with every advance by our coalition forces, the wisdom of that plan becomes more apparent.” ― Dick Cheney

What did you learn from these Dick Cheney quotes and sayings?

These Dick Cheney quotes are the best ones, lifted from hundreds of his speeches, interviews, books, and policies.

They not only give us an idea of good politics and governance but they also tackle war, love for country, dealing with life’s challenges, and many others.

Truly, Cheney is a figure worthy of every emulation for his works.

His experiences as a world leader in the midst of war and global problems are laudable.

He encourages patriotism and love for one another, which is a true characteristic of a nationalistic American.

After reading these Dick Cheney quotes and sayings, hopefully, you’re more educated about governance and understand more about politics.

Do you have any other favorite quotes to add?

Let us know in the comment section below.