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Quotes by Dan Rather

Are the Democrats going to dance the mandate macarena?
– Dan Rather
By more than two to one Americans do not consider what Kevorkian did, injecting a terminally ill patient with legal drugs at the patient's request, to be the same as murder. You may want to note that laws are not supposed to be enforced on the basis of public opinion polls.
– Dan Rather
Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow.
– Dan Rather
Despite what many Americans think, most Soviets do not yearn for capitalism or Western-style democracy.
– Dan Rather
Fear rules almost every newsroom in the country.
– Dan Rather
Folks, let me point out something to you, because for a lot of people in Washington, they could not be more surprised if Fidel Castro came loping through on the back of a hippopotamus this Election Night.
– Dan Rather
For years Don Imus was just - boy, he was merciless in his criticism of me. Maybe it was justified, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.
– Dan Rather
I don't back down. I don't cave when the pressure gets too great from these partisan political ideological forces.
– Dan Rather
I got addicted. News, particularly daily news, is more addictive than crack cocaine, more addictive than heroin, more addictive than cigarettes.
– Dan Rather
I had someone at the Houston police station shoot me with heroin so I could do a story about it. The experience was a special kind of hell. I came out understanding full well how one could be addicted to 'smack,' and quickly.
– Dan Rather
I'm all news, all the time. Full power, tall tower. I want to break in when news breaks out. That's my agenda. Now, respectfully, when you start talking about a liberal agenda and all the, quote, 'liberal bias' in the media, I quite frankly, and I say this respectfully but candidly to you, I don't know what you're talking about.
– Dan Rather
I'm proud to say I've never been anybody's lapdog.
– Dan Rather
I've always tried to be fair, even-handed, not an advocate for any group.
– Dan Rather
I've tried everything. I can say to you with confidence, I know a fair amount about LSD. I've never been a social user of any of these things, but my curiosity has carried me into a lot of interesting areas.
– Dan Rather
If you liked this broadcast, we hope you'll watch it again tomorrow night and maybe tell your neighbors about it.
– Dan Rather
Journalists should denounce government by public opinion polls.
– Dan Rather
Never eat spinach just before going on the air.
– Dan Rather
Nobody's pushing me out.
– Dan Rather
Once the herd starts moving in one direction, it's very hard to turn it, even slightly.
– Dan Rather
Texas: 32 electoral votes, another of the so-called big enchiladas or if not an enchilada at least a huge taco.
– Dan Rather
The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth.
– Dan Rather
The Michigan Republican primary apparently is tighter than Willie Nelson's headband.
– Dan Rather
The reelection of Bill Clinton is as secure as a double-knot tied in wet rawhide.
– Dan Rather
These races are tick-tight.
– Dan Rather
They may have turned this up, whether you had the Paula Jones case or not. But again maybe not, but again that's like if a frog had side pockets he'd probably wear a handgun.
– Dan Rather
They say California's the big burrito; Texas is a big taco right now. We want to follow that through. Florida is a big tamale.
– Dan Rather
This race between Dick Swett and Bob Smith is hot and tight as a too-small bathing suit on a too-long car ride back from the beach.
– Dan Rather
This race is hotter than a Times Square Rolex.
– Dan Rather
Those market researchers... are playing games with you and me and with this entire country. Their so-called samples of opinion are no more accurate or reliable than my grandmother's big toe was when it came to predicting the weather.
– Dan Rather
Those of you watching and listening, get a cup of coffee or a spot of tea and join us back here in just a few moments.
– Dan Rather
We may see Michael Jackson's baby before we know the final outcome of this race for the House of Representatives tonight.
– Dan Rather
Well, my answer to that is basically a good Texas phrase, which is bullfeathers. I think the fact that if someone survives for four or five years at or near the top in network television, you can just about bet they are pretty good at keeping independence in their reporting. What happens is a lot of people don't want independence. They want the news reported the way they want it for their own special political agendas or ideological reasons.
– Dan Rather
What I say or do here won't matter much, nor should it.
– Dan Rather
The American Dream [is] one of the greatest ideas in the history of human achievement . . . It thrives today in an age when its core components of freedom and opportunity are open to more Americans than ever before. It holds a real, identifiable place in the American heart and mind, and it informs the aspirations of everyone from farmers to software developers, from detectives to bankers, from soldiers to social workers . . . It defines us as a people, even as we add to its meaning with each new chapter in our national experience and our individual actions.
– Dan Rather
A tough lesson in life that one has to learn is that not everybody wishes you well.
– Dan Rather
A free and truly independent press - fiercely independent when necessary - is the red beating heart of freedom and democracy.
– Dan Rather
As long as I have my health, I want to be reporting somewhere.
– Dan Rather
But we cannot rely on memorials and museums alone. We can tell ourselves we will never forget and we likely won't. But we need to make sure that we teach history to those who never had the opportunity to remember in the first place.
– Dan Rather
Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.
– Dan Rather
I had just turned 10-years-old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and plunged America into World War II.
– Dan Rather
I respect and empathize with reporters and editors who must compete in today's environment. And I know full well that when I've been covering campaigns, which I still do, I've made my mistakes and have been far from perfect.
– Dan Rather
I still love following and thinking about politics. I enjoy recommending important journalism I read or see from other sources.
– Dan Rather
If I didn't have a front-row seat on history, it was at least a seat on the aisle.
– Dan Rather
Now, I know you expected me to say that, well, I just kick back in the rocking chair, fished a little bit, listened to Willie Nelson tapes and watched old baseball games on the Classic Sports network. And, tell you the truth, I have done that for maybe about five total minutes.
– Dan Rather
Performing doesn't turn me on. It's an egomaniac business, filled with prima donnas - including this one.
– Dan Rather
This much we know: Journalism is not a precise science. It's, on its best day, is a crude art. We make mistakes I make mistakes. With more than 50 years as a journalist, I have at least had the opportunity to blow more stories, make more mistakes than maybe anybody in television.
– Dan Rather
To err is human but to really foul up requires a computer.
– Dan Rather