Phil Donahue Quotes (49 Quotes)

In order to keep this feather in the air -- and that's what it is -- my people have to stay on fire, creatively.

Some people are uncomfortable with the idea that humans belong to the same class of animals as cats and cows and raccoons. They're like the people who become successful and then don't want to be reminded of the old neighborhood.

You are part of a loud group of people who want to prove they're tough and send other people's kids to war to make the case.

December 25th has become guilt and obligation.

In 1953 there were two ways for an Irish Catholic boy to impress his parents: become a priest or attend Notre Dame.

I have been in the witness protection program for the last three weeks. I campaigned for Ralph Nader. I'm now living as a woman in Mississippi.

I have had time to analyze my feelings. I am certain that they are totally neurotic, sexist, silly, and a big waste of time.

Saddam was a bastard, but he was our bastard.

I have moved from certainty to doubt, from devotion to rebellion.

A large psychic void is left by a loss of faith. So many Catholics have tried so many things to replace it.

When we had been married five years, we had six children. What, in God's name, was wrong with me?

At first, I thoroughly enjoyed being famous.

I believe celebrity spoils people - some worse than others.

In reality, the most important things happen when you don't look for them.

Cindy Sheehan is one tough mother and nothing you say or anyone else is gonna slow her down.

Presenting statues of honor to reporters for covering an earthquake is like presenting a first prize to a doctor for performing surgery.

I was proud of the waves I had made, but wondered how many boats I was supposed to rock.

Spanking and verbal criticism have become, to many parents, more important tools of child rearing than approval.

The system of volunteerism is divisive. It pits one charity against the others for the charity dollar.

I think the idea of creating a television news source that is not beholden to corporate interests is nirvana.

Oprah is more than an institution. Oprah is a very special star in the firmament. I can't imagine a greater success than she's enjoyed.

Listen, you wouldn't send your children to this war, Bill, nobody...

It's a mistake. It was poorly planned and poorly executed but Bill O'Reilly wants to send more kids to fight and die.

Your nephew. Very good, very good. Congratulations, you should be proud.

I could never understand how we could put 120,000 Japanese behind a fence in World War II. I remember being bewildered about that.

I find celebrity status difficult to bear when I am in the company of my mother.

We should not use crippled children to sell hamburgers. Ever.

I tip like crazy. They'll remember me. Celebrity can be expensive.

Marlo taught me things I thought I knew.

In a network situation, a vice president, while he's shaving, can decide your history.

I remember enjoying the woods when I was a child, but I never had the opportunity to really understand it. I want my grandchildren to not only enjoy the environment, but be curious about it and appreciate its vulnerability.

Recognition should come to the reporter who uncovers public cheating or proves a convicted man innocent.

Miss Child is never bashful with butter.

The House looks like more fun. It's like the Donahue show. The Senate is like one of those Sunday morning public service programs.

When I was a kid, people who got divorced were people who had no gumption.

That opening bar summoned children all over the world to the television set. Its purity is its strength.

The Tube is a vehicle for selling things, not for exploring ideas.

Is it any wonder that for millions of men the only intimacy is physical, silent, and predictable?

How many more men and women are you going to send to have their arms and legs blown off so that you can be tough and point at people in a kind of cowardly way

To a journalist, good news is often not news at all.

I see all those Solomons out there, I can't wait to hear your wisdom.

Praising the Lord and passing the ammunition are mutually exclusive ideas.

Women are smarter than men because they listen.

This is not what the founders intended. We want a real campaign.

Television is not the exclusive target of promoters. Is Superman really worthy of a Newsweek cover?

Everybody is under pressure to shut up and sing.

Airlines are interesting. They not only favor celebrities, they court them.

They were terrified that we were going to become an anti-war kind of platform.

It's like threading a needle while walking on a water bed.