Barbara Bush, matriarch of one of the most famous political families in American history, who died on Tuesday at 92, was one of the most quoted first ladies.
As a writer, a family literacy advocate, and avid supporter of her family that included two presidents, Barbara Bush had plenty of material to be among the most quoted, the Texas Tribune reported. Here are some of her most memorable one while in public life.
1. "I am still old and still in love with the man I married 72 years ago."
-- Bush's entry in the March 2018 edition of the Smith College alumnae magazine, per the Texas Tribune.
2. "No big deal. Even I was 20 once."
-- Bush telling The Palm Beach Post after learning students at Wellesley College objected to her giving a commencement address in 1990, per the Tribune.
3. "I can't say it, but it rhymes with rich."
-- Bush quote from The New York Times when asked what she thought of 1984 Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferarro. She apologized later, adding that she meant "witch," according to the Tribune.
4. "Raising five boys is a handful, trust me. Raising George Walker was not easy."
-- Bush describing motherhood on Fox News' "America Live," after a host stated that Ann Romney, wife of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, had never worked in her life, the Tribune reported.
5. "You may think the president is all powerful, but he is not. He needs a lot of guidance from the Lord."
-- Bush quoted by The Washington Post in her address at the Church of the Immaculate Conception Elementary School in January, 1991 in the run up to the U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf conflict.
6. "There are other people out there that are very qualified and we've had enough Bushes."
-- Bush on the "Today" show about her son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, running for president in 2016.
7. "If human beings are perceived as potentials rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather that dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow to their capabilities."
-- Bush's quote from her biography page at the George H.W. Presidential Library
8. "For the most part, I liked the reporters and found the lunches stimulating and fun. But I never got off scot-free. I always made news even though I swore I wouldn't. I must say, however, I found it was interesting that the fact George and I agreed on 99 percent of the issues never made the news."
-- Bush from her 1994 autobiography, "Barbara Bush: A Memoir."
9. "I married the first man I ever kissed. When I tell this to my children, they just about throw up."
-- Bush said about marriage to George H.W. Bush, per The Associated Press.
10. "At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent."
-- Bush's commencement address at Wellesley College on June 1, 1990, per the Texas Tribune.
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