Edward Brooke

“Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and I found that out when I was Attorney General in Massachusetts.”

“I was entirely comfortable reaching across the Senate aisle to work with Democrats.”

“When I arrived in the Senate, the moderate so-called Rockefeller Republicans held the balance of power.”

“My campaign confirmed my belief that although there are bigots in America, whose hateful rhetoric seizes the media's attention, the vast majority of people do not harbor such prejudice.”

“The polarization of Congress; the decline of civility; and the rise of attack politics in the 1980s, the 1990s, and the early years of the new century are a blot on our political system and...”

“I had male breast cancer and had dual radical modified mastectomy, and I've spent a lot of time working with the Susan G. Komen foundation to make men aware of male breast cancer - if you ha...”

“When most presidents get in, they move to the center because they realize that this is a centrist country - even Reagan.”

“President Nixon has lost his effectiveness as the leader of this country, primarily because he has lost the confidence of the people.”

“My fervent expectation is that sooner rather than later, the United States Senate will more closely reflect the rich diversity of this great country.”

“Fred Thompson was a law partner of mine.”

“Intemperance and intolerance serve no one, and hatred guarantees failure.”

“Richard Nixon was a very complex man. I don't think he was a conservative, nor liberal, not even a moderate. He was a pragmatic politician. He loved politics.”

“I am not a civil rights leader, and I don't profess to be one.”

“When I left the Senate in 1979, there were several publishers who had approached me about writing an autobiography, and I knew that politicians write books for many reasons, but at that time...”

“I'm looking for the best person irregardless of political party, of race or religion, or color of their skin. Those things don't matter to me. I want someone who's qualified, who has a quali...”

“Politics is not a tea party. When it is time to act, you have to move fast and decisively.”

“I chose the Republican Party early on in the 1950s and 1960s in Massachusetts. My father was a Republican, as was my mother, in Virginia.”

“I was one of God's chosen few, no doubt about it. Not only being elected, but the joy and pleasure I derived from it. It was a wonderful life.”