Quotes By Ralph Nader

The shortcomings of America's political leaders do not stop at our borders.

Up against the corporate government, voters find themselves asked to choose between look-alike candidates from two parties vying to see who takes the marching orders from their campaign paymasters and their future employers. The money of vested interest nullifies genuine voter choice and trust.

There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship.

The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.

Every time I see something terrible, it's like I see it at age 19. I keep a freshness that way.

This (George W. Bush's) administration is not sympathetic to corporations, it is indentured to corporations.

A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done.

Sanctions against polluters are feeble and out of date, and are rarely invoked.

I once said to my father, when I was a boy, 'Dad we need a third political party.' He said to me, 'I'll settle for a second.'

The only difference between the Republican and Democratic parties is the velocities with which their knees hit the floor when corporations knock on their door. That's the only difference.

Once you don't vote your ideals... that has serious undermining affects. It erodes the moral basis of our democracy.

When strangers start acting like neighbors... communities are reinvigorated.

The liberal intelligentsia has allowed its party to become a captive of corporate interests.

I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.

Like sex in Victorian England, the reality of Big Business today is our big dirty secret.

Let's not just look at it as taking votes away from Gore. Our support comes from a lot of people.

Your best teacher is your last mistake.

This country has far more problems than it deserves and far more solutions than it applies.

A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity.

Addiction should never be treated as a crime. It has to be treated as a health problem. We do not send alcoholics to jail in this country. Over 500,000 people are in our jails who are nonviolent drug users.

The networks are not some chicken-coop manufacturing lobby whose calls nobody returns.

We must strive to become good ancestors.

Power has to be insecure to be responsive.

The 'democracy gap' in our politics and elections spells a deep sense of powerlessness by people who drop out, do not vote, or listlessly vote for the 'least worst' every four years and then wonder why after every cycle the 'least worst' gets worse.

I don't think meals have any business being deductible. I'm for separation of calories and corporations.

The corporate lobby in Washington is basically designed to stifle all legislative activity on behalf of consumers.

The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun.

For almost seventy years the life insurance industry has been a smug sacred cow feeding the public a steady line of sacred bull.

People are stunned to hear that one company has data files on 185 million Americans.

The nation is faced with one of the most corporate-orientated anti-consumer Congresses in our history.