Laura Bush Country Quotations

Any first lady can do whatever they want to do. In this country, people expect them to work on whatever they want or to have a career of their own.

In fact, I have the privilege of traveling around our country and meeting people all over the country who are making a huge difference in the lives of their neighbors and themselves. That's what I'm really fortunate to be able to do.

Well, we've faced very difficult decisions and challenges in our country, every one of us have, as we - since September 11th, as we fought the war on terror, all of those decisions that the President had to make to put young men and women in harm's way.

She's interested in the policy surrounding AIDS and what we can do in our country and in other countries around the world to really stop AIDS.

Nigeria is a very important country on the continent of Africa, and because of your forthrightness and your style and your commitment, you are a very important leader on this continent,

Brazil is a big, big, important country in this world, and the United States recognizes that, ... So whether it be trade ... or whether it be working together on the science and technology ... or it be promoting democracy in the neighborhood, the relationship is vital and important.

The response of this country has been amazing,

It's a painful time for our country when we lose people.

It's going to take partnerships between government and between corporations, between individuals, and the faith-based groups, to make sure all of these people really will be able to rebuild their lives. And I want to encourage everybody, all Americans, to remember this is going to take a long time, ... ...So I want to encourage everyone across the country to continue to volunteer, to continue to contribute.

The federal government will be a welcoming agency, ... It will put money up to allow faith-based programs to compete side-by-side with secular programs all aimed at making sure America is the greatest country possible for every single citizen.

Children will be very welcoming, ... It's an opportunity for them to meet children from another part of the country and figure out what ways they can help.

I have always admired organizations that help children grow and learn, and organizations that protect and shelter children when no one else does. And I wanted to draw attention to these organizations and recognize the contributions they were making to the country and to our children in particular.

I think disease and all the things that we treat are tied to national security in a lot of ways that we maybe don't realize or that the American people don't realize. If other countries have a chance to be stable, then that helps us. If there are ways we can prevent if there are ways we can help other countries defeat diseases, we're about to totally eradicate polio. And can you imagine? That would be so terrific.

In many developing countries, girls don't go to school. They stay home. They are at the water wells, bringing water back and forth to the village. Or they are doing chores, preparing meals, farming. Some cultures think girls and women shouldn't be educated, and those are very often the places where the treatment of women and girls is the worst.

What I want for children in our country and around the world is safe, stable and loving homes.

For countries to succeed, for democracies to succeed, the women and men in those countries need to be free. Women and men need to know their rights.

AIDS respects no national boundaries; spares no race or religion; devastates men and women, rich and poor.No country can ignore this crisis. Fighting AIDS is an urgent calling - because every life, in every land, has value and dignity.

All people need to know how AIDS is transmitted, and every country has an obligation to educate its citizens. This is why every country must also improve literacy, especially for women and girls, so that they can make wise choices that will keep them healthy and safe.

If you take the burden of health care, of diseases off the backs of some other countries, it gives them a chance to use their own very limited resources in ways that help their people. And also there's a hopelessness associated with deadly diseases, that if that can be alleviated, people can build their own economies in their own countries and they'll be less reliant on the developed world for help.