Joe Biden

We must have public officials who will stand up and tell the people exactly what they think... Our failure in recent years has not been the failure of the people to meet the challenges placed before them, but rather the failure of both our great political parties to place those challenges honestly and courageously before the people, and to trust the willingness of the people to do the things that really need to be done.

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

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

We must rekindle the fire of idealism in our society.

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

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.

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.

I know I'm not supposed to like muscle cars, but I like muscle cars.

No fundamental social change occurs merely because government acts. It's because civil society, the conscience of a country, begins to rise up and demand - demand - demand change.

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

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

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

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.

We're going to be OK because of the American people. They have more grit, determination and courage than you can imagine.

Look folks, we know who built this country and we know who is going to rebuild it. It's you. Instead of vilifying you, we should be thanking you. We owe you.

A diplomatic solution that puts significant and verifiable constraints on Iran's nuclear program represents the best and most sustainable chance to ensure that America, Israel, the entire Middle East will never be menaced by a nuclear-armed Iran.

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.

Fighting corruption is not just good governance. It's self-defense. It's patriotism.