W. A. C. Bennett - Quotes

Quotes

• "Just say that I smiled and I smiled and I smiled!" – signature riposte when asked to respond to criticism from opposition party or media
• "The finest sound in the land is the ringing of cash registers."
• "The Socialist Hordes are at the gates of British Columbia!"
• "I couldn't give it away, so we decided to build it and run it." – On the British Columbia Railway.
• "We are a young country; we must build on the solid rock of sound economic policies and balanced budgets. But, we must be prepared, as a nation, to step from the solid rock onto new ground. The path of ease, the path of tradition alone, is not the path of a greater Canada." – Addressing the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in 1962.
• "I'm plugged into God" – On the reason for his political successes
• "It's the smell of money." – To residents complaining of the smell of a local pulp mill
• "They couldn't run a peanut stand." – On the New Democratic Party
• "You may not be my friend, but I'll be your friend, even if I'm the last friend you ever have." – On his frequent application of "my friend" to everyone, including political opponents.
• "The answer is 'No'." – How Bennett would emphasize his stubborn opposition