"The left and the right live in parallel universes. The right listens to talk radio, the left's on the Internet and they just reinforce one another. They have no sense of reality. I have now one ambition: to retire before it becomes essential to tweet."
About Barney Frank
Barney Frank — Life and Legacy
Barney Frank served as a U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts for over three decades, becoming a prominent voice in American politics. He is particularly notable for his role in advocating for LGBTQ rights and financial reform, most famously through the Dodd-Frank Act, which aimed to prevent another financial crisis. Frank's key ideas often revolved around the belief that government should play an active role in ensuring equality and protecting consumers. One of his well-known quotes, 'We have to be willing to take risks,' reflects his understanding that meaningful change often requires bold decisions, especially in the political arena. This perspective was evident in his push for policies that challenged the status quo, particularly regarding LGBTQ rights, where he fought tirelessly for the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' Frank's insights continue to resonate today, as they emphasize the importance of courage in leadership and the necessity of government intervention in safeguarding civil rights and economic stability. His legacy is a testament to the impact of advocacy and the ongoing struggle for equality in American society.
Quote collection
Barney Frank quotes (page 1 of 6)
105 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"The best humor is offered up to you by the stupidity of your opponents."
"These two entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not facing any kind of financial crisis. The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing."
"Capitalism works better from every perspective when the economic decision makers are forced to share power with those who will be affected by those decisions."
"Increasing inequality in income distribution in this country has broader policy implications, and there is also the growing problem of perverse incentives that result from executives receiving grossly disproportionate compensation based on decisions they themselves take."
"The Moral Majority supports legislators who oppose abortions but also oppose child nutrition and day care. From their perspective, life begins at conception and ends at birth."
"When community action was put into federal law in the early sixties as part of the effort to combat poverty and social injustice, I supported it intellectually."
"These two entities—Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—are not facing any kind of financial crisis."
"People are entitled to the presumption of innocence."
"I have this fear that one day there's going to be a fire in the Senate and there are only going to be 57 senators there and they’ll all die because they won't have 60 votes to allow themselves to leave the building."
"Particularly marijuana, I think is a great hypocrisy. I think frankly it contributes to a good deal of the sense of unfairness you have among younger people who are told they shouldn't do this because it’s got all these negative effects, but then older people are engaging in all kinds of things that probably have a greater impact on people."
"Regarding homophobia in general, the good news is that there is a lot less of it than there used to be. The bad news is that it ever existed in the first place, and the worse news is that it remains far stronger than is healthy for a society dedicated in theory to equality under the law."
"I do have things I would like to see adopted on behalf of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people: they include the right to marry the individual of our choice; the right to serve in the military to defend our country; and the right to a job based solely on our own qualifications. I acknowledge that this is an agenda, but I do not think that any self-respecting radical in history would have considered advocating people's rights to get married, join the army, and earn a living as a terribly inspiring revolutionary platform."
"I am very proud of the role I played in getting legal equality for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, and in helping get rid of the prejudice by being visible about it, helping to block the conviction of Bill Clinton of impeachment."
"Most people who are activists and are concerned about issues get their information from sources which reinforce their opinions and give them the facts that they want to hear."
"What's troubling is that the Republicans to defend Mr. DeLay are weakening the ethics process."
"I was still closeted, but from the day I decided to run for office, knowing that I was gay, I decided that I would, of course, still be closeted but that I would work very hard for gay rights. It would be totally dishonorable, being gay, not to do that. So I had that as kind of a secondary agenda."
"I'm used to being in the minority. I'm a left-handed, gay Jew. I've never felt, automatically, a member of any majority."
"But here too it should be noted that the President's approach was to first ask the repressive and brutal Taliban to surrender Osama bin Laden to us, and only after that government refused to do that did we invade."
"It is because the fight against the harshest aspects of unrestricted capitalism is therefore a political problem and not an intellectual one that community action remains so essential."