Bridging Differences Quotes

Bipartisanship is really tough to achieve when everyone on both sides is left with a bad, bad taste in their mouths.

Throughout my life I have always been amazed that people couldn't listen to other people, that they couldn't hear their best intent, that there seemed to be an enormous need to demonize.

When times are tough, constant conflict may be good politics but in the real world, cooperation works better. After all, nobody's right all the time, and a broken clock is right twice a day.

We don't have to kind of be in cycles of conflict if we can find other ways to resolve these issues. We can do things that challenge the conventional thinking that, you know, 'AIPAC doesn't like this,' or 'the Israeli government doesn't like this,' or 'the Gulf countries don't like it.' It's the possibility of improved relations with adversaries.

I will fight with all my power against the divisions that undermine us and which are tearing us apart.

If you're sitting in that audience ready to fight me from the very beginning, I'm going to have a hard time getting to you. But if you've got a heart at all, I'm going to get it.

If politicians of both parties would spend more time legislating and less time attacking each other, we would all be better off.

We owe it to the American people to set aside the areas where our ideology may prevent progress and find common ground where there are plenty of opportunities to produce good results.

I'm quite good at bringing people together.

I'm not opposed to talking with anyone who is willing to talk.

I don't like controversies. I try to understand where a person comes from and where he is.

Creating unity and compassion and understanding of each of our brothers and sisters is so powerful. We have to preach that to the ones that don't want to listen and understand.

Compromise is an underrated virtue. The world is awash with dead people because politicians would not compromise.

Solutions must be based on compromises.

In a divided government, you can't just say, 'It's my way or the highway.'

But when you meet with the enemy and genuinely try to understand his or her perspective, you lose the enemy as a political tool. And that's the eternal obstacle.

You need people that are willing to talk to the other side, or you're never going to get anything done. You need to be willing to expand your ground. There's always usually a place on issues where you can find common ground.

Sport represents a union of diversity.

In life and in politics, it's helpful to try to perceive the other person through the most generous lens.

When I travel the country, I am often struck by how much we actually have in common. It's much more powerful than how much there is that's reported that divides us.

Bipartisanship helps to avoid extremes and imbalances. It causes compromises and accommodations. So let's cooperate.

I've spent a lifetime trying not to offend people - that's one thing that Mormons are really good at is smiling and shaking your hand and doing everything they can to not offend you. And I have gotten to this point in life where I don't want to live that way anymore.

Ignorance of each other is what has made unity impossible in the past. Therefore we need enlightenment. We need more light about each other. Light creates understanding, understanding creates love, love creates patience, and patience creates unity. Once we have more knowledge (light) about each other, we will stop condemning each other and a United front will be brought about.

Conversations create change. It's easy to call someone 'enemy,' but there's more to it, right?

By nature, I am a unifier. I am a builder of consensus. I don't believe in sloppy compromise. But I do believe in bringing people together.