110+ John McCain Quotes On Courage, Patriotism And Brave

John McCain was an American politician and military officer who served as a United States Senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He was the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election, which he lost to Barack Obama. He was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War and was known for his independent and maverick stances on many political issues. Following is our collection on famous quotes by John McCain on courage, patriotism, brave.

Top 10 John McCain Quotes

1. Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country.
2. Courage is the enforcing virtue, the one that makes possible all the other virtues common to exceptional leaders: honesty, integrity, confidence, compassion and humility
3. Washington is a Hollywood for ugly people. Hollywood is a Washington for the simpleminded.
4. The core political values of our free society are so deeply embedded in our collective consciousness that only a few malcontents, lunatics generally, ever dare to threaten them.
5. Thank God for our form of government. The media won't let there be any cover-up.
6. Glory belongs to the act of being constant to something greater than yourself, to a cause, to your principles, to the people on whom you rely and who rely on you in return.
7. We should be I hope finally realizing what Vladimir Putin is. He's an old colonel, KGB, apparatchik, and he dreams of the restoration of the Russian empire.
8. I admire Obama, and I like him. I think he has a great deal of talent. He should be applauded for his eloquence and for his ability to motivate millions.
9. There's two ways of working in Washington, ... One is to go along and get along. The other is to stand up for what you believe in.
10. I don't know how you defeat an insurgency unless you have some handle on the number of people that you are facing.

John McCain Short Quotes

• As long as there is a war on terrorism going on, we're all going to have to work together.
• You know that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran? Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran.
• Remember the words of Chairman Mao: 'It's always darkest before it's totally black.'.
• I think they put some lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.
• Presidential ambition is a disease that can only be cured by embalming fluid.
• How much damage will have been done before we act?
• I will follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell.
• Only a fool or a fraud talks tough or romantically about war.
• What I don't know is what the unexpected might be.
• I don't doubt the sincerity of my Democratic friends. And they should not doubt ours.

John McCain Quotes About Courage

I observed a thousand acts of courage, compassion and love [as a POW] and I will always treasure that memory above all others. — John McCain

We are taught to understand, correctly, that courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity for action despite our fears. — John McCain

Fear is the opportunity for courage, not proof of cowardice. — John McCain

John McCain Quotes About Patriotism

Our country doesn't depend on the heroism of every citizen. But all of us should be worthy of the sacrifices made on our behalf. — John McCain

I didn't decide to run for president to start a national crusade for the political reforms I believed in, or to run a campaign as if it were some grand act of patriotism. In truth, I wanted to be president because it had become my ambition to be president. — John McCain

My patriotism and my conscience required me to support it and to engage in the debate over whether and how to fight it. — John McCain

We have to love our freedom, not just for the private opportunities it provides, but for the goodness it makes possible. — John McCain

Russia has now become a nation fueled by petro-dollars that is basically a KGB apparatchik-run government. — John McCain

John McCain Quotes About People

Since when is the intelligence agency supposed to be an air force of drones that goes around killing people? I believe that it's a job for the department of defense. — John McCain

The American people want us to stop spending. And so let's just give them some certainty. Let's extend the tax - the existing tax cuts. And then let's give some more tax breaks to small businesses and large. And then maybe the American people will have some confidence. — John McCain

It's the only way that I see that it can be done," McCain said. "Obviously, it has failed in the past, but I also notice there is a somewhat changed attitude on the part of the American people about this issue. — John McCain

Today more people lose their seats in the Politburo in Havana than in the Congress of America, ... We need to have competitive races for the Legislature. ... We have to have a clash of ideas. — John McCain

Even in this room full of proud Manhattan Democrats. I can't shake that feeling that some people here are pulling for me ... I'm delighted to see you here tonight, Hillary. — John McCain

We know that Medicare's going broke in seven years, but we need to start over.That's what the American people want us to do. — John McCain

I have known Trent Lott for 20 years, ... I don't believe he's racist. But he must proactively send a message to his colleagues in the Senate and the American people that he is absolutely opposed to any segregation in any form and racism in any form and discrimination in any form. — John McCain

Many good people mistake their reputation for their character. It is a mistake I have made many, many times. — John McCain

There is no doubt in my mind that Rudy Giuliani in the Senate will be a leader for the people of New York but also for the people of Arizona and the people all over this country. — John McCain

Congress and the American people have good reason to fear that we are heading toward another permanent garrison of Americans in a Balkan country where our mission is confused, and our exit strategy a complete mystery. — John McCain

John McCain Quotes About Principles

The way you have bipartisan negotiations, you sit down across the table, as we did with Ted Kennedy, as I've done with many other members, and you say, 'OK, here's what I want, here's what you want. We'll adhere to your principles, but we'll make concessions.' — John McCain

[I find it] impossible [to imagine] that a nation which is grounded in Judaeo-Christian principles would somehow select someone [for President] who would repudiate those principles. — John McCain

What is good for my country is good for my party, Should my party abandon this principle, the American people will abandon us. — John McCain

I am a Republican. I'm loyal to the party of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. And I believe that my party, in some ways, has strayed from those principles, particularly on the issue of fiscal discipline. — John McCain

John McCain Quotes About Secure

There's one big difference between me and the others - I won't take every last dime of the surplus and spend it on tax cuts that mostly benefit the wealthy. I'll use the bulk of the surplus to secure Social Security far into the future to keep our promise to the greatest generation. — John McCain

Our armed forces will fight for peace in Iraq, a peace built on more secure foundations than are found today in the Middle East. Even more important, they will fight for two human conditions of even greater value than peace: liberty and justice. — John McCain

When you run ads saying you are going to save social security, my friend, that's all hat and no cattle. — John McCain

They're all tied together: taxes, Medicare, Social Security, and the debt. We've got to have a setting of priorities, and looking at it - at each of them as disconnected, I think, doesn't properly address these major challenges. — John McCain

Certify border is secure; only then allow guest workers. — John McCain

Torture gives you reliable and unreliable information. That's the reason why most people in the world don't do it. So this idea that you have to torture people in order to protect national security is a false argument, and I reject it. — John McCain

And the people who live in the southern part of my state do not have a secure environment. To wit, there are signs that the government put up that say, 'Warning. You are in a drug smuggling area and a human smuggling area.' — John McCain

As part of Social Security reform, I believe that private savings accounts are a part of it - along the lines that President Bush proposed. — John McCain

I think that Joe Biden is qualified in many respects. But I do point out that he's been wrong on many foreign policy and national security issues, which is supposed to be his strength. — John McCain

Our nation has both an obligation and self-interest in facing head-on the serious environmental, economic and national security threat posed by global warming. — John McCain

John McCain Quotes About Political

The political tactics of division and slander are not our values. They are corrupting influences on religion and politics, and those who practice them in the name of religion or in the name of the Republican Party or in the name of America shame our faith, our party and our country. — John McCain

I don't think it's bribery; I think it's extortion. Bribery, you know, is when the person that's giving the money does it voluntarily. What it is in Washington is extortion because they all ask for the money. — John McCain

Our political differences, now matter how sharply they are debated, are really quite narrow in comparison to the remarkably durable national consensus on our founding convictions. — John McCain

Anybody who believes the surge has not succeeded, militarily, politically and in most other ways, frankly, does not know the facts on the ground. — John McCain

Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan and Al Sharpton on the left, or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right. — John McCain

The only way you approach politics and seek elective office is to move forward. For me to look back in anger or with any rancor would be a mistake. — John McCain

It's impossible to imagine the Democratic Party seeking a pro-life, free-trading, non-protectionist deficit hawk. — John McCain

It seems to me that President Carter has earned his place as if not the worst president in history, the worst president of the 20th Century. — John McCain

I would vote for a Muslim if he or she was the best candidate able to lead the country and defend our political values. — John McCain

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise - not our political opponents, and certainly not a disingenuous filmmaker, who would have us believe. — John McCain

John McCain Quotes About Senator

Barbara Boxer is the most bitterly partisan, most anti-defense senator in the United States Senate today. I know that because I've had the unpleasant experience of having to serve with her. — John McCain

Being chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee is like being a mosquito in a nudist colony. — John McCain

The role of the vice president is to break ties in the Senate and inquire daily into the health of the president. — John McCain

My preference would be to remain in the Senate, ... But you can't say I would refuse to serve in one of those (Cabinet) capacities. It's not the same as vice president. — John McCain

I would like to mention that a couple days ago Senator Obama was out in Ohio and he had an encounter with a guy who's a plumber, his name is Joe Wurzelbacher. — John McCain

You may have noticed that Senator Obama’s supporters have been saying some pretty nasty things about Western Pennsylvania lately. And you know, I couldn’t agree with them more. — John McCain

The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, "Senator, we ought to change the policy," then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it. — John McCain

Senator Obama voted against Justice Breyer and Justice Roberts on the grounds that they didn't meet his ideological standards. That's not the way we should judge these nominees. Elections have consequences. — John McCain

You can disagree with someone on issues, but you should never get personal. Joe Biden has never gotten personal, to my knowledge, with a fellow senator. — John McCain

I am sure that Senator Clinton would make a good President. I have no doubt that Senator Clinton would make a good President. — John McCain

John McCain Famous Quotes And Sayings

I campaigned in 2012 all over this country for months: 'Repeal and replace Obamacare.' That was not the mandate of the voters. If they wanted to repeal Obamacare, the 2012 election would have been probably significantly different. — John McCain

War is awful. Nothing, not the valor with which it is fought nor the nobility of the cause it serves, can glorify war. War is wretched beyond description and only a fool or a fraud could sentimentalize its cruel reality. Whatever is won in war, it is loss the veteran remembers. — John McCain

Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace and it's got to be fixed. — John McCain

I think conventional wisdom is that time is not on our side. But there are a number of members of Congress who have primaries and when those primaries are done, they may be more inclined to address the issue of comprehensive immigration reform. — John McCain

We have a lot of work to do and I‘m afraid that it‘s a very hard struggle, particularly given the situation on the Iraq/Pakistan border. — John McCain

The abuse of prisoners hurts America's cause in the war on terror, endangers US service members who might be captured by the enemy, and is anathema to the values Americans have held dear for generations. — John McCain

And by the way, I would not only reappoint Greenspan; if Greenspan would happen to die, God forbid, I would do like they did in the movie 'Weekend at Bernie's.' I would prop him up and put a pair of dark glasses on him. — John McCain

Men and women serving in the military deserve better than what they're giving - what we're giving them. They don't know what they're going to be doing tomorrow. — John McCain

What if there's another terrorist attack? I cringe at the ideas of our enemies watching this, knowing much like the president we have now. You can do anything you want, you can jerk us around, you can harass our naval ships the way Iran is doing right now, and we're not going to do anything. We're not going to react. — John McCain

My greatest fear is the Iranians acquire a nuclear weapon and give it to a terrorist organization. And there is a real threat of them doing that. — John McCain

War is wretched beyond description, and only a fool or a fraud could sentimentalize its cruel reality. — John McCain

When you have airplanes with precision weapons, striking hospitals in Aleppo and slaughtering innocent men, women and children, you're committing a war crime. So we need more sanctions against Russia. We should not relax them. — John McCain

But please know, whether you believe campaign contributions are speech or property, that I learned to love very dearly the right of free expression when I lived without that freedom for a while a long time ago. — John McCain

I think where [Donald Trump] loses most hawkish republicans is when he talking about how much he likes [Vladimir] Putin. That should make any person who believe in the American exceptionalism, incredibly uncomfortable. — John McCain

A man I admire and respect - Congressman John Lewis, an American hero, made allegations that Sarah Palin and I were somehow associated with the worst chapter in American history, segregation, deaths of children in church bombings, George Wallace. That, to me, was so hurtful. — John McCain

Bashar Assad is a major cause of the refugees which are now flooding Europe and causing such consternation in the United States. — John McCain

Why the hell do I have to keep updating my apps on my iPhone all the time and why you don't fix that? — John McCain

Does it make all the difference in the world? No. But there's a great deal of symbolism associated with whether we're going to add $24 billion to the debt in unwanted and unnecessary pork-barrel projects. — John McCain

I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don’t expect to be a great communicator, I don’t expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need. — John McCain

Parents are not the all-knowing, ideal people we would like you to think we are. We've made wrong choices before, and will again, like everyone else, .. But our mistakes are not the measure of our love for you. You are that measure, and how well you are prepared to make better choices than we have made. — John McCain

That's give [Donald Trump] so much attention. And it's so funny. There actually have conflicting opinions on women in combat, in the military. So they have all the issues that stake. I'm more concerned with the VA than anything else. — John McCain

I respect Sarah Palin. I appreciate her and her husband enormously. I think she will continue to play a major role in the future of the Republican Party. — John McCain

So Ahmadinejad wants to be the first Iranian in space - wasn't he there just last week? 'Iran launches monkey into space.' — John McCain

I spent several years in a north Vietnamese prison camp in the dark, fed with scraps. Do you think I want to do that all over again as vice president of the United States? — John McCain

I was concerned about a couple of steps that the Russian government took in the last several days. One was reducing the energy supplies to Czechoslovakia. — John McCain

I think that when you look at the great politicians, the two greatest in my view were George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, they certainly had character traits. You also know Abraham Lincoln overcame severe depression problems that he had when he was younger, which gave him the strength and the character later on. — John McCain

The day that I can land at the airport in Baghdad and ride in an unarmed car down the highway to the Green Zone is the day that I'll start considering withdrawals from Iraq. — John McCain

I'm as frustrated with the French, I think, as anyone, but look, there's going to be other challenges and there are going to be other issues. As long as there's a war on terrorism going on, we're all going to have to work together. — John McCain

The first pork-barrel bill that crosses my desk, I'm going to veto it and make the authors of those pork-barrel items famous all over America. — John McCain

I know the veterans. I know them well. And I know that they know that I'll take care of them. And I've been proud of their support and their recognition of my service to the veterans. — John McCain

Thank God for the Saudis and Prince Bandar, and for our Qatari friends. — John McCain

I am very much in favor of tax cuts. — John McCain

I put the Vietnam War behind me a long time ago, and what I wanted to (do) among other things was help veterans also be able to come all the way home as some of our veterans have not been able to do. But I harbor no anger nor rancor. I'm a better man for my experience, and I'm grateful for having the opportunity of serving. — John McCain

I've been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. But I have been her servant first, last and always. And I've never lived a day, in good times or bad, that I didn't thank God for the privilege. — John McCain

There's a certain romanticism associated with exploration of space, which is one of the major factors why we'll continue. — John McCain

Gary Bauer has done great things, ... I want to promise you again, you may agree with me, you may disagree with me, but I will do great things. — John McCain

We cannot forever hide the truth about ourselves, from ourselves. — John McCain

In prison, I fell in love with my country. I had loved her before then, but like most young people, my affection was little more than a simple appreciation for the comforts and privileges most Americans enjoyed and took for granted. It wasn't until I had lost America for a time that I realized how much I loved her. — John McCain

I am the son and grandson of Navy admirals, and I was born into America's service. It wasn't until I was deprived of her company that I fell in love with America. — John McCain

The majority of [the troops in Iraq] is that feel they're doing the right thing and their parents who have also made sacrifices, generally speaking, and their proud of the services of their sons and daughters. — John McCain

On my honor, I swear to you, that from my first day in office to the last breath I draw, I will do everything in my power to make you proud of your government. — John McCain

I will veto every single beer, um, bill with earmarks. — John McCain

Only the most deluded of us could doubt the necessity of this war. — John McCain

There is no confidence in the Arab world today in the United States of America. — John McCain

Tolerance of dissent is the hallmark of a mature party, and it is well past time for the Republican Party to grow up. — John McCain

Do not yield. Do not flinch. Stand up. Stand up with our President and fight. We're Americans. We're Americans, and we'll never surrender. They will. — John McCain

I think we also ought to prepare the American public, by way of informing them, that Saddam Hussein has these weapons, continues to attempt to improve their capability, and would not be reluctant to export them to other countries. So he presents a clear and present danger. — John McCain

Our nation's continued prosperity hinges on our ability to solve environmental problems and sustain the natural resources on which we all depend. — John McCain

Americans have gotten to know Sarah Palin. They know that she's a role model to women and other - and reformers all over America. She's a reformer. — John McCain

Iran launches monkey into space — John McCain

For decades we have been living lives of abundance, with little regard for our natural resources or global health. But we are now facing hard choices in our energy policy. Future generations - my children and grandchildren, along with yours - will have to live with the decisions we make today. And so it is time for us to make some tough and - hopefully - smart choices regarding our energy use and production before it is too late. — John McCain

It's a fundamental aspect of the free enterprise system and economics: If there's no penalty associated with increased costs, why not lay on increased costs? — John McCain

The smartest person in the United States Senate, and he knows it, is John Sununu. Thank God he had his mother's temperament. — John McCain

Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country. It's kleptocracy, it's corruption, it's a nation that's really only dependent upon oil and gas for their economy. — John McCain

We are Americans first, Americans last, Americans always... Let us argue our differences. But remember we are not enemies, but comrades in a war against a real enemy... — John McCain

I cannot in good conscience vote in favor of tax cuts, irrespective of their size, or to which segment of the population they are targeted. Nor can I support any spending increases that are not related to improving our nation's defense from the obvious and serious threats facing us today. — John McCain

At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust. — John McCain

In the 2012 election, Obamacare, as it's called, and I'll be more polite - the ACA ...was a major issue in the campaign. I campaigned all over America for two months, everywhere I could. And in every single campaign rally I said, 'We have to repeal and replace Obamacare.' Well, the people spoke. They spoke, much to my dismay, but they spoke. And they reelected the President of the United States. — John McCain

Well, I don't think it is amnesty to start with. Second of all, what do you want to do with them? That is the question in response. And third of all, it is a tough path to citizenship. You have to pay back taxes. You've got to learn English. You've got to have a clear record. You've got to get to the back of the line behind other people who have come here legally or waiting legally. So, i just reject that. — John McCain

I have said from the beginning that Pat Buchanan left the Republican Party the day he questioned America's involvement in defeating Nazi Germany. — John McCain

All interested parties must be willing to make significant sacrifices. — John McCain

I think that it has to be a very humane approach to this issue, and we have to come up with solutions to it. But we also have to do something about the drugs that are coming across our southern border that are killing our kids... I think there are some people who want to leave this country and return to the country they came from, but obviously it requires a broader solution that that, and we all know that. — John McCain

Torture doesn't work. — John McCain

We want to work with the Russians. But we also have every right to expect the Russians to behave in a fashion and keeping with a - with a - with a country who respects international boundaries and the norms of international behavior. — John McCain

Why am I running for president? Well, my wife, Cindy, says it is because I sustainedseveral severe blows to the head in prison camp. — John McCain

[Several candidates talked of problems with the federal Medicare system, particularly concerns about whether it would cover prescription drug costs in the future.] We're asking senior citizens to make a choice between their health and their income, ... Medicare is probably the most difficult challenge we face in the next century, because it has a lot to do with other things besides money. — John McCain

I believe that Congress will and must act before then to renew its objections to multiple and discriminatory taxes on the Internet, as well as to taxes that inhibit Internet access. — John McCain

As part of my misspent youth, I spent too much time in the sun, and every few months, I have to go and have some basal cell removed from my old craggy features. — John McCain

Life Lessons by John McCain

1. John McCain taught us the value of courage and determination in the face of adversity, as he overcame numerous personal and political challenges throughout his life.
2. He also showed us the importance of bipartisan collaboration, as he worked with members of both parties to pass legislation and help shape the political landscape.
3. Finally, he demonstrated the power of humility, as he was always willing to admit when he was wrong and to put the needs of his constituents and the country ahead of his own.