Mark Udall Quotations

You don't climb mountains without a team, you don't climb mountains without being fit, you don't climb mountains without being prepared and you don't climb mountains without balancing the risks and rewards. And you never climb a mountain on accident - it has to be intentional.

Our livelihood is intimately tied to the food we eat, water we drink and places where we recreate. That's why we have to promote responsibility and conservation when it comes to our natural resources.

I support allowing gay couples to marry because of - not in spite of - my values. And many of those values are the same ones deeply held by those who do not believe in gay marriage.

The balance between freedom and security is a delicate one.

On the mountains mistakes are fatal. In politics, mistakes are wounding emotionally, but you recover. Personally, wilderness helps me get back in touch with natural rhythms, helps me reflect and, in the process, restore my creativity.

We all recognize that Colorado and our nation have a long and storied tradition of gun ownership for hunting, outdoor recreation and self-defense. However, I am not convinced that combat weapons are necessarily part of that heritage.

Any doctor will admit that any drug can have side effects, and that writing a prescription involves weighing the potential benefits against the risks.

Genuine dialogue, not rhetorical bomb-throwing, leads to progress.

Ranchers need clean water for their stock, farmers need it for their crops, every employer needs it to stay in business, and every living thing needs it for life... The law needs to be clear to protect water quality and the rights of landowners.

It is deeply shocking and incomprehensible to me that despite volumes of documentation and living witnesses who can attest to the horrors of the Holocaust, there are still those who would deny it.

It's the uncertainty, the challenge and the willingness to put it all on the line that draws a lot of people to climb mountains. That can also apply to a lot of other challenges in life, whether it's running for office, starting a family, going to grad school or taking all of your cash and assets and starting a business.

I've learned from being in the woods that titles don't mean much and that actions speak a lot louder than words - even in Congress. I always look for the people who want to act - people who want to run the river or climb the mountain - even if they're not members of my political party.

I've come to the conclusion that military style weapons really don't have any place in our society. We ought to reinstate the assault weapons ban that served us well for 10 years from 1994 to 2004.

Climbing has worked for me in a number of ways on Capitol Hill. I'm much more inclined to look at what people do, as opposed to what they say. Also, it's about working together - we're all on the rope together, and you don't get to cut the rope if you're not getting along with someone.

Some of the best times I've spent in Colorado have been in the backcountry with my mom and siblings, and more recently, with my own kids. That is why I'm concerned to see today's kids spending more time browsing the Internet than exploring nature.

When I talk about the importance of the institution of marriage, I think of the commitment and the significance of standing in front of those closest to you and promising fidelity to your partner 'til death do you part.'

Political differences will always generate a healthy debate, but over time the dialogue has become more hateful and at times violent.

As the nation watches, Democrats and Republicans should reflect the interspersed character of America itself. Perhaps, by sitting with each other for one night, we will begin to rekindle that common spark that brought us here from 50 different states and widely diverging backgrounds to serve the public good.

It's my belief that, like every other American, gay and lesbian couples should be able to make a lifetime commitment to the person they love and protect their families.

I haven't inherited the earth from my parents, I am borrowing it from my children.

Stem cells have the potential to be used to treat and better understand some of the world's most deadly and disabling diseases.

There is no getting around it; Congress is failing the American people.

While expanding market access for American industry, financial markets and farmers is critical, I believe it needs to be done responsibly, accounting for the treatment and protection of workers and the environment.

President Ford was a devoted, decent man of impeccable integrity who put service to his country before his own self interest. He helped heal our nation during a time of crisis, provided steady leadership and restored people's faith in the presidency and in government.

Throughout my years of public service, I've listened to the voices of the gay and lesbian community, whether through whispered confidences or public declarations. I understand what it truly means to say that all people should be treated equally, and I'll always stand up for fair and equal treatment of gay and lesbian Americans.

I believe climate change is real - and I believe we have to act to protect the climate as fast as we possibly can.

Throughout his career, Tom Delay has been a controversial, divisive and ethically challenged figure, ... He has brought disrepute on the House of Representatives, and his leadership hasn't been good for the institution.

My concern was it would be subsumed in this very unwieldy bureaucratic entity, ... Most people (now) think what happened was what was predicted would happen.

He shouldn't get a medal and he shouldn't get a promotion; he should get his walking papers, ... I think it is pretty clear that he should not have been hired in the first place.

I think there's an urgent need for both the administration and Congress to face hard reality and not continue with budget policies based on . . . defying the laws of fiscal gravity.

Patience in the Congress is running thin thinner. Certainly, privately, there are a lot more conversations occurring across party lines about Iraq.

The problem isn't ex-members (of Congress), or future members or even lobbyists. The problem is lodged in the way the (Congress) does its business, and we have to reform ourselves. Public opinion, public spotlight can push us to do so.

We are, in sum, much safer than we were, and I say that as someone who lives just three miles from the site.

What Stewart is for me, he's the sage. I'd love to have him down the street like Tom does. He's the man I can call for the kind of advice I can't find anywhere else. I'm counting on him being available for a long time yet.

Emergency-response management should be based on career expertise and not political connections,

Precisely because of Hubble's extraordinary contributions in the past and promised contributions in the future, I... believe it is important that the decision to cancel the planned servicing mission to Hubble be reviewed by an independent panel of experts and all options for safely carrying it out be examined.

This is an opportunity for the delegation to bring all the federal officials and federal entities to the table and assure (the) people of Colorado we're prepared,

There is still this 'Lords of Yesteryear' mentality that tries to keep holding on to resource policies that were designed a century ago.

It's essential for us to respond to the devastation brought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. But as we do, we should consider and respond to the fiscal and economic risks we have been running,

It's a 100 percent sure bet, drilling would change everything in this area, and it will never be wilderness again.

I want to assure . . . (that) the state and federal agencies are coordinating their efforts,

They are trying to weaken enforcement of the Clean Air Act -- a step the American Lung Association says is the most harmful and unlawful air pollution initiative ever undertaken by the federal government,

an urgent need . . . to face hard reality.

In this case, it seems pretty obvious Mr. Brown just doesn't have the expertise or experience to head FEMA,

The new Congress needs to move quickly to strengthen the Army and Marines - not to send more troops to Iraq - but to rebuild our capacity to meet national security threats globally.

Good-faith re-examination of a position you've held in the past should be seen as a virtue, not a vice.

It's tough to know the value of water until it's gone.

I brag on the Democratic Party. We're libertarian on social issues, it's live and let live. Fiscally, we're conservative and responsible, and were environmentally conscious.

I think most Americans would agree people should be treated equally and everyone ought to be able to pursue a fulfilling life with the ones they love.

In a country as large and diverse as America, compromise is how we get things done. It isn't always pretty, but we have to find solutions to our problems that, at the end of the day, most people can live with.

Truth be told, I'm much more comfortable in a pair of hiking boots or with a rack of climbing gear than in front of a laptop.

Reform is not for the short-winded. I'm committed to making sure the Senate is more than just a graveyard for good ideas.

The choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the room - while the other side sits - is unbecoming of a serious institution and the message that it sends is that even on a night when the president is addressing the entire nation, we in Congress cannot sit as one, but must be divided as two.

We really don't have a policy [on climate change]. There's a lot of rhetoric and not a lot of action.

There is no question that we must do more to secure our borders - but how we go about securing them is also important.