Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, as we gather here, we stand on sacred ground, the Chamber of the United States House of Representatives, the heart of American democracy. I will never forget the first time I saw the Capitol. It was on a cold January day, when I was 6 years old. My father, Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr., was about to be sworn in for his fifth term in Congress representing our beloved hometown of Baltimore. I was riding in the car with my brothers. They were thrilled and jumping up and down and saying to me: ``Nancy, look, there's the Capitol.'' And every time I would say: ``I don't see any capitals. Is it a capital A, a capital B, or a capital C?'' Finally, I saw it, a stunning white building with a magnificent dome. I believed then, as I believe today, this is the most beautiful building in the world because of what it represents. The Capitol is a temple of our democracy, of our Constitution, of our highest ideals. On that day, I stood with my father on this floor as he took the sacred oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. All of us who have served in this House have taken the hallowed oath of office. It is the oath that stitches us together in a long and storied heritage. Colleagues who served before us are all our colleagues: colleagues like Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Webster, Shirley Chisholm, Patsy Mink, and our beloved John Lewis.…”