John Engler

I wish we could have acted quicker on Detroit or other failing schools.

As governor, I learned the importance of having an agenda.

I just have a position that any child that’s in a failing school should be able to get out, or be in a position to have that school fixed.

I expect my next job to be outside government.

Despite these hurdles, manufacturers in the U.S. and their employees are doing remarkable work.

I think we’ve got outstanding teaching in Michigan classrooms.

The asbestos problem impacts everyone.

I don’t put labels on myself.

Michigan is also the only industrial state that has a AAA credit rating.

I’m very pleased with the job President Bush is doing and he’s off to a terrific start.

Sometimes it is better to begin the journey, to get under way, then it is to sit back and wait until such time that you’re convinced that all conditions are perfect and that there’ll be no surprises along the route.

The greatest luck that I’ve had has been the ability to find men and women who came into my administration who worked with me and brought extraordinary talents that we were able to take full advantage of.

Given the professionalism of Michigan teachers, I think they’re not teaching because of the financial rewards.

Believe me, I’m not going to try to get into testing.

And there should not be a limit on the creation of new public schools. We ought to expand choices for parents.

Very few charter schools are being created in some of the best school districts in the state. If you’re an educational innovator, that isn’t where the greatest need is.

All 50 states had the same national economy. And on virtually any measurement you wish to look at, Michigan has moved up and improved against the others.

As you look around the country there are still a significant number of states where their whole school debate is over school funding and we’ve been focused on the quality debate for most of the ’90s.

I care about the children of Detroit.

I kept telling everyone I wasn’t going to Washington to stay. I go to visit.

The Clean Michigan Initiative has been and continues to be a success.

Nobody gets any guarantees.

Manufacturers account for nearly 60 percent of all industrial research and development.

I’ve been in the legislative branch and now the executive branch and in each case I felt it was important we use our constitutional responsibilities to the fullest.

I’ve gone from being one of the youngest governors to now the longest consecutive serving governor in the country.

I have an old saying that the harder I work, the luckier I get.

Redistricting is one of the purest actions a legislative body can take.

You win by working hard, making tough decisions and building coalitions.

The current Michigan Constitution was written in 1961 and ’62.

While America’s infrastructure needs are substantial, there is no reason to delay completion of the highway bill. Every day of delay means jobs lost, investment opportunities missed and growth sacrificed.

I created no authority that wasn’t already there under the constitution.

Manufacturers employ more than 14 million Americans doing what Americans do best, making things, building things, transforming raw materials into finished products.

I had made a decision early on that we were going to do the right things and that if they worked we were going to be very successful. And if for some reason they didn’t, all the claims and the protestations and the excuses wouldn’t make any difference.

We didn’t pass any constitutional amendments that affected the executive branch while I was governor.

We have broken the cycle of dependency. People have found out they’re better off working.

The parent knows instinctively that if they’re working and setting an example for their child that means that child is more likely to be in school, more likely to stay out of trouble and more likely to complete their education.

I’m a compassionate conservative.