I’m an idealist. I believe there is always a better choice and I believe great heights are worth shooting for. I would give up the two in my hand any day of the week in order to have a shot at the one in the bush.
I’m easily frustrated by others’ refusals to set goals as lofty as mine I’m frustrated by their unwillingness to open their eyes to how things could be. I’m frustrated by my own inability to match my actions with my visions. And I’m easily frustrated when another day goes by and the status quo is still the status quo.
When I meet others who share my passion for dreaming my brains works faster and the idealism speeds out of control, only to crash back into reality. When I need to escape from the world, it’s no fluke that I turn my attention to fantasy worlds where idealism trumps all. Tonight one of those worlds will cease to evolve and its history will be all that’s left to speak for its future.
Over the past seven years The West Wing has shown that it is possible to know exactly what to say in every situation, that it is possible to create solutions everyone can embrace, and that the people who are in positions to be heroes for an entire country can actually fulfill their potential. While I fight daily to bring objectivism to every decision, I’m a romantic at heart, hoping beyond what’s realistic that I will someday find out fate isn’t man-made and destiny has a sweet, grandfatherly laugh. It’s not so much knowing that we can’t acheive perfection that breaks my heart, it’s realizing that I’m next-to-alone in wanting to aim for it.
As a reminder of the efforts The West Wing writers, actors, and production crew put forth attempting to show the world what a glorious aphrodisiac hope can be, here are some of the best quotes from its 156 episodes. Let them fill you with limitless dreams, the power to pursue them, and the luck needed to acheive even one.
Toby Ziegler: If our job teaches us anything, it’s that we don’t know what the next President’s gonna face. And if we choose someone with vision, someone with guts, someone with gravitas, who’s connected to other people’s lives, and cares about making them better… if we choose someone to inspire us, then we’ll be able to face what comes our way and achieve things… we can’t imagine yet. Instead of telling people who’s the most qualified, instead of telling people who’s got the better ideas, let’s make it obvious.
Sam Seaborn: Mallory, education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don’t need little changes. We need gigantic, monumental changes. Schools should be palaces. The competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be making six figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge to its citizens, just like national defense. That’s my position. I just haven’t figured out how to do it yet.
Toby Ziegler: One victory in a year stinks in the life of an administration. But it’s not the ones we lose that bother me, Leo, it’s the ones we don’t suit up for.
President Josiah Bartlet: “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” they said, “that all men are created equal.” Strange as it may seem, that was the first time in history that anyone had ever bothered to write that down. Decisions are made by those who show up.”
[With the cabinet member who stays behind during a State of the Union address]
President Josiah Bartlet: Roger, If anything happens, you know what to do, right?
Roger: I honestly hadn’t thought about it, sir.
President Josiah Bartlet: First thing always is national security. Get your commanders together. Appoint Joint Chiefs, appoint a chairman. Take us to defcon 4. Have the governors send emergency delegates to Washington. The assistant Attorney General is going to be the Acting A.G. You got a best friend?
Roger: Yes, sir.
President Josiah Bartlet: Is he smarter than you?
Roger: Yes, sir.
President Josiah Bartlet: Would you trust him with your life?
Roger: Yes, sir.
President Josiah Bartlet: That’s your chief of staff. ”
President Josiah Bartlet: More than any time in recent history, America’s destiny is not of our own choosing. We did not seek nor did we provoke an assault on our freedom and our way of life. We did not expect nor did we invite a confrontation with evil. Yet the true measure of a people’s strength is how they rise to master that moment when it does arive. 44 people were killed a couple of hours ago at Kennison State University. Three swimmers from the men’s team were killed and two others are in critical condition. When, after having heard the explosion from their practice facility, they ran into the fire to help get people out. Ran into the fire. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight. They’re our students and our teachers and our parents and our friends. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels, but every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we’re reminded that that capacity may well be limitless. this is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes and we reach for the stars. God bless their memory, God bless you and God bless the United State of America. Thank you.
President Josiah Bartlet: Good. I like your show. I like how you call homosexuality an abomination.
Dr. Jenna Jacobs: I don’t say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President. The Bible does.
President Josiah Bartlet: Yes it does. Leviticus.
Dr. Jenna Jacobs: 18:22.
President Josiah Bartlet: Chapter and verse. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I have you here. I’m interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She’s a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be? While thinking about that, can I ask another? My Chief of Staff Leo McGarry insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police? Here’s one that’s really important because we’ve got a lot of sports fans in this town: touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point? Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side by side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you? One last thing: while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club, in this building, when the President stands, nobody sits.
John Van Dyke: When our children can go to any street corner in America and buy pornography for five dollars, don’t you think that is too high a price to pay for free speech?
President Josiah Bartlet: No. On the other hand, I think that five dollars is too high a price to pay for pornography.
Leo McGarry: We spent millions of dollars developing a pen that could write in space. Do you know what the Russians did?
Josh Lyman: Used a pencil?
Leo McGarry: Used a pencil.
Leo McGarry: Do you think that increasing the body count is going to act as a deterrent?
President Josiah Bartlet: You’re damn right I do.
Leo McGarry: Well then, you’re just as stupid as these people who think that capital punishment will act as a deterrent to drug kingpins. As if drug kingpins didn’t live their day to day lives under the possibility of execution, and their executions are a lot less dainty than ours, and tend to take place without the bother and expense of due process. So, my friend, if you want to start using American military strength as the arm of the Lord, you can do that. We’re the only superpower left. You can conquer the world, like Charlemagne. But you better be prepared to kill everyone. And you had better start with me because I will raise up an army against you and I will beat you. ”
Sam Seaborn: Oratory should raise your heart rate. Oratory should blow the doors off the place. We should be talking about not being satisfied with past solutions; we should be talking about a permanent revolution.”
Major Tate: Sir, we’re not prejudiced toward homosexuals.
Admiral Percy Fitzwallace: You just don’t want to see them serving in the Armed Forces?
Major Tate: No sir, I don’t.
Admiral Percy Fitzwallace: ‘Cause they impose a threat to unit discipline and cohesion.
Major Tate: Yes, sir.
Admiral Percy Fitzwallace: That’s what I think, too. I also think the military wasn’t designed to be an instrument of social change.
Major Tate: Yes, sir.
Admiral Percy Fitzwallace: The problem with that is that what they were saying to me 50 years ago. Blacks shouldn’t serve with whites. It would disrupt the unit. You know what? It did disrupt the unit. The unit got over it. The unit changed. I’m an admiral in the U.S. Navy and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff… Beat that with a stick.
Via:
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_West_Wing
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0200276/quotes
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Sky is a baseball fan and racket sport afficianado living in upstate NY. His favorite color is orange and is just about ready to give up on his life-long dream to become the next Magnus ver Magnuson (World's Strongest Man). His favorite baseball teams are the Yankees and Red Sox, proving that there's hope in the Middle East.
May 15th, 2006 at 12:05 pm
Hear, hear!