Joe Biden

We didn't crumble after 9/11. We didn't falter after the Boston Marathon. But we're America. Americans will never, ever stand down. We endure. We overcome. We own the finish line.

Except for the title 'father,' there is no title, including 'vice president,' that I am more proud to wear than that of United States senator.

I ran for the Senate six times. And one of the things I know about Senate races off years and on races, and on years, the same as governor's races, is it's all local. It all gets down to what the specific issues in that - in that district or that state is.

No matter how you cut it, this real debate on personal accounts is about the legitimacy of Social Security; it's not about the solvency of Social Security.

In my neighborhood, when you've got something to say to a guy, you look him in the eye and you say it to him.

You get a lawyer whether you're in a military tribunal or whether you're in a federal court, number one. The attorney general decided that the court with the biggest - with the greatest venue, with the best jurisdiction was the New York court. That was the right decision to make.

When my first semester grades came out, my mom and dad told me I wouldn't be playing football.

Unions did in fact build the middle class. And here's what that did. That built the United States of America as we know it.

Barack Obama is probably the most exciting candidate that either the Democratic or Republican party has produced at least since I've been around. He's fresh, he's new, he's insightful.

In Romania, American forces have found a devoted NATO ally.

There's one advantage in having been around as long as I have. Everybody in the Senate knows me, and - I'm going to say something presumptuous, to repeat myself - I think most respect me.

Somalis have made my city of Wilmington, Delaware, [ their home ] on a smaller scale. There is a large, very identifiable Somali community.

'Obama and Biden want to raise taxes by a trillion dollars.' Guess what? Yes, we do in one regard: We want to let that trillion dollar tax cut expire so the middle class doesn't have to bear the burden of all that money going to the super-wealthy. That's not a tax raise. That's called fairness where I come from.

I've been waiting over 40 years to come to Cyprus, and it has not disappointed - the birthplace of Aphrodite, the Crossroads of Civilization, and, I might add, a genuine strategic partner to the United States of America.

My dad always said, 'Champ, the measure of a man is not how often he is knocked down, but how quickly he gets up.'

My dad used to have an expression - 'It is the lucky person who gets up in the morning, puts both feet on the floor, knows what they are about to do, and thinks it still matters.'

I'm not big on flak jackets and tie-dyed shirts. You know, that's not me.

It is the most vicious of all crimes - to be abused by someone you had a relationship with! Because then you blame yourself.

The United States, to state the obvious, is greatly concerned by the startling number of unaccompanied minors that - children and teenagers who are making a very perilous journey through Central America to reach the United States.

The Recovery Act is working, but it's going to continue to work. It's not over. A lot's going to happen this summer. And even after the summer, there's more to come with the act.

You want to know whether we're better off? I've got a little bumper sticker for you: Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive. Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive! Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive!

The devastating punch we took on September 11th still reverberates throughout American society.

A gaffe in Washington is someone telling the truth, and telling the truth has never hurt me.

The moral disapprobation of society has an impact on behavior in societies.

My recollection is - and I'd have to confirm this - but I don't recall paying any money to go to law school.

You know, my Grandpop Finnegan used to have an expression: he used to say, 'Joey, the guy in Olyphant's out of work, it's an economic slowdown. When your brother-in-law's out of work, it's a recession. When you're out of work, it's a depression.'

Well, I'm telling them two things. One is that, look, this is going to be something when the American people realize - once it's passed - that, A, it does take care of preexisting conditions; B, you're insurance rates aren't going to skyrocket; C, the insurance companies aren't going to be running the show like they were before; D, you're going to be in a position where you can keep your insurance that you have. That once the American public realizes that, you're going to get a reward for this. They're going to be rewarded.

I used to stutter really badly. Everybody thinks it's funny. And it's not funny. It's not.

You should be attacking the carbon emissions, period, and whether it's cap-and-trade or carbon tax or whatever, that's the realm in which we should be playing.

The Iraqis have become invested in their nationhood.

During the 60's, I was, in fact, very concerned about the civil rights movement.

For any young democracy, the most difficult but important step is burying the legacy of tyranny and establishing an economy and a government and institutions that abide by the rule of law. Every country faces challenges to the rule of law, including my own.

I was kind of secretly hoping one of my kids would go out and make a million bucks. So when they put me in a home, at least I'll have a window with a view.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has, as Minister Livni knows, has been my friend for over 30 years. We drive each other crazy. But he has truly been a personal friend for well over 30 years. He acknowledged this.

We are America, second to none, and we own the finish line. Don't forget it.

The United States supports a strong, united Ukraine with productive and peaceful relationships with both the East and the West, with both Russia and Europe.

America doesn't have health insurance.

I consider myself to be as informed on American foreign policy as anyone in America.

I love that Cadillac ATS!

It's overwhelmingly in the self-interest of the United States of America to have a secure, democratic friend, a strategic partner like Israel.

I used to say to my late wife, 'I have great faith in the American people.'

Given a fair shot, given a fair chance, Americans have never, ever, ever, ever let their country down. Never. Never. Ordinary people like us. Who do extraordinary things.

We don't want two-tier people in America. Those who are legal but not citizens, and citizens.

No nation should stoke instability in its neighbor's country.

Foreign policy is like human relations, only people know less about each other.

I believe the American people have a genuine and justifiable fear of government intrusion in what they instinctively know is going to be an ever more intrusive world.

Presumptuous for me to say, but at least - at a minimum - I've been able to influence the direction of the Democratic Party on foreign policy. And I've been relatively - presumptuous to say - relatively successful legislatively in the Senate, being able to win a lot of Republican friends, and being able to cross the aisle.

We're close friends - the American people, the Israeli people, our governments. There's absolutely no daylight - none - between us and the Israelis on the question of Israel's security.

I can die a happy man never having been president of the United States of America. But it doesn't mean I won't run.

The greatest gift is the ability to forget - to forget the bad things and focus on the good.

I've been really, really fortunate.

There's no political point worth my son's life.

The Chinese have figured out that they have a giant environmental problem. Folks in Beijing, some days, literally can't breathe. Over a million Chinese die prematurely every year because of air pollution.

In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking.

Quite frankly, Russian aggression in Ukraine and its illegal occupation of Crimea remind us that we still have a good deal more work to do to guarantee the strategic vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace.

No nation should threaten its neighbors by massing troops along the border.

You know we're going to control the insurance companies.

This is absolutely bizarre that we continue to subsidize highways beyond the gasoline tax, airlines, and we don't subsidize, we don't want to subsidize a national rail system that has environmental impact.

In this world, emotion has become suspect - the accepted style is smooth, antiseptic and passionless.

In my heart, I'm confident I could make a good president.

Fighting corruption is not just good governance. Its self defense. Its patriotism.

On the way back from Mumbai to go meet with President Xi in China, I stopped in Singapore to meet with a guy named Lee Kuan Yew, who most foreign policy experts around the world say is the wisest man in the Orient.

You've got to reach a hand of friendship across the aisle and across philosophies in this country.

I guess every single word I've ever said is going to be dissected now.

Nowhere is it written that there must be conflict between the United States and China.

Most Americans think there's already universal background checks. They don't understand why there wouldn't be a background check to purchase a weapon.

Here at home, when Americans were standing in long lines to give blood after the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we squandered an obvious opportunity to make service a noble cause again, and rekindle an American spirit of community.

Don't be intimidated by power, wealth or station, character alone makes all the difference.

Al Qaeda is almost all in Pakistan, and Pakistan has nuclear weapons. And yet for every dollar we're spending in Pakistan, we're spending $30 in Afghanistan. Does that make strategic sense?

This nuclear option is ultimately an example of the arrogance of power.

In the 21st century, the countries that thrive will be the ones where citizens know their voices will be heard because the institutions are transparent.

I know what I believe, I know what I want to do, and I'm just comfortable saying it, and laying it out there.

Other than being crazy enough to press a button, there is nothing that Putin can do militarily to fundamentally alter American interests.

The American people are so much stronger, so much more resolved than any enemy can fully understand.

Millionaires are just as patriotic as poor people. The very wealthy are just as noble and patriotic as the middle class. But nothing has been asked of them in this horrendous recession. And it's time we just ask.

We must rekindle the fire of idealism in our society.

The American people have not become heartless.

I've known and continue to know every one of these major world leaders by their first names, and I have access to them.

Folks, I can tell you I've known eight presidents, three of them intimately.

If you need more than 10 rounds to hunt, and some argue they hunt with that many rounds, you shouldn't be hunting. If you can't get the deer in 3 shots, you shouldn't be hunting. You are an embarrassment.

Anyone who's traveled with me to Afghanistan knows why I love this book: 'War,' by Sebastian Junger.

Well, I was 29 years old when I came to the United States Senate, and I have learned a lot.

For too long in this society, we have celebrated unrestrained individualism over common community.

Corruption is a cancer: a cancer that eats away at a citizen's faith in democracy, diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity; already-tight national budgets, crowding out important national investments. It wastes the talent of entire generations. It scares away investments and jobs.

If you need more than 10 rounds to hunt and some argue they hunt with that many rounds you shouldnt be hunting. If you cant get the deer in 3 shots you shouldnt be hunting. You are an embarrassment.

As a matter of fact, I didn't make a political speech outside of my state for 20 years.

Make sure of two things. Be careful - microphones are always hot, and understand that in Washington, D.C., a gaffe is when you tell the truth. So, be careful.

Don't hold against me that I don't own - that I don't own a single stock or bond. Don't hold it - I have no savings accounts.

One of the things I've never been accused of is not caring about people.

Now, people when I say that look at me and say, 'What are you talking about, Joe? You're telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt?'. The answer is yes, that's what I'm telling you.

The White House isn't the place to learn how to deal with international crisis, the balance of power, war and peace, and the economic future of the next generation.

People should not be in a position where their children have access to weapons and ammunition.

Reality has a way of intruding. Reality eventually intrudes on everything.

You never make fun of anybody with a club foot or a withered arm, but it's open season on anybody who stutters.

It is no secret that I believe my son, Attorney General Beau Biden would make a great United States Senator - just as I believe he has been a great Attorney General. But Beau has made it clear from the moment he entered public life, that any office he sought, he would earn on his own.

The American public's a lot more sophisticated than we all give them credit for. And on complicated issues, I'm going to give them straight answers. And if it takes more than three minutes, I'm going to do it.

The Qataris have cut off support for the most extreme elements of terrorist organizations.

I have a really close relationship with Mike Bloomberg.

Innovation can only occur where you can breathe free.

The only thing I know is I ain't changing my brand. I know what I believe. I'm confident in what I know. And I'm gonna say it. And if folks like it, wonderful. If they don't like it, I understand.