--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have been in Congress for more than a…" description: "\"I have been in Congress for more than a half century. I have lived through times of fear and times of hope. Of despair and of achievement. I have seen ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/robert-byrd-17085_achievement_i-have-been-in-congress-for-more-than-a_1629088.png" --- # I have been in Congress for more than a half century. I… ![“I have been in Congress for more than a half century. I have lived through times of fear and times of hope. Of despair and of achievement. I have seen our government at its best, but today I fear that we see our government at its worst.” quote by Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/robert-byrd-17085_achievement_i-have-been-in-congress-for-more-than-a_1629088.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/robert-byrd-17085_achievement_i-have-been-in-congress-for-more-than-a_1629088.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/robert-byrd-17085_achievement_i-have-been-in-congress-for-more-than-a_1629088.png) > “I have been in Congress for more than a half century. I have lived through times of fear and times of hope. Of despair and of achievement. I have seen our government at its best, but today I fear that we see our government at its worst.” [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Long political service reveals cycles of fear and hope, highlighting governmental highs and lows. **In simple terms:** Government performance fluctuates over time. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant and engaged in politics. Themes politics history hope fear Mood cautious hopeful Type political reflective When to use this quote - elections - policy debates - public protests - legislative reforms Key Concepts democracy civic duty institutional trust Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens foster accountability? - What lessons arise from past successes? A Different Perspective Political bias can color perception of government. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [The government is worst which governs most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/the-government-is-worst-which-governs-most/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [Government is at its worst when you have apathy from its citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/government-is-at-its-worst-when-you-have-apathy-from-its-citizens/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [The Gadianton Robbers from the Book of Mormon are loose among us. The King-men, and women, are running our government. And, worst of all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-andreas-widtsoe/the-gadianton-robbers-from-the-book-of-mormon-are-loose-among-us-the/) [John Andreas Widtsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-andreas-widtsoe/) > [I've seen the government up close and personal, and for the most part, it's inefficient and hidebound, and it stifles creativity in any industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/i-ve-seen-the-government-up-close-and-personal-and-for-the-most-part/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [Societies exist under three forms sufficiently distinguishable. 1. Without government, as among our Indians. 2. Under governments wherein the will of every one has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/societies-exist-under-three-forms-sufficiently-distinguishable-1/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [What we've seen in government for so often is that people have been shady - about their roles, hiding things, not releasing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-spicer/what-we-ve-seen-in-government-for-so-often-is-that-people-have-been/) [Sean Spicer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-spicer/) > [I have rarely seen the government do anything that was effective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/i-have-rarely-seen-the-government-do-anything-that-was-effective/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [I was born black in this country. Trust me, I've seen the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-griffin/i-was-born-black-in-this-country-trust-me-i-ve-seen-the-government/) [Eddie Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-griffin/) > [“Every day is a grand adventure into the great unknown and you cannot know what lies around the next corner. So, standing in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-giles/every-day-is-a-grand-adventure-into-the-great-unknown-and-you-cannot/) [Kimberly Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-giles/) > [You know, this country today, it seems to me - it's about fear. And it shouldn't be about fear. It should be about hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/you-know-this-country-today-it-seems-to-me-it-s-about-fear-and-it/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [“It is my opinion that the greatest absence in the church today is the fear of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-t-kendall-2/it-is-my-opinion-that-the-greatest-absence-in-the-church-today-is-the/) [R.T. Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-t-kendall-2/) > [“Dare to be Powerful today! Then fear will fade away... ~Janiece Rendon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janiece-rendon/dare-to-be-powerful-today-then-fear-will-fade-away-janiece-rendon/) [Janiece Rendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janiece-rendon/) > [Today, fear of bloodshed is forcing us into recognizing new taboos: those of Muslims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-chappatte/today-fear-of-bloodshed-is-forcing-us-into-recognizing-new-taboos/) [Patrick Chappatte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-chappatte/) > [Today is ours; what do we fear? Today is ours: we have it here. Let's treat it kindly, that it may Wish at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anacreon/today-is-ours-what-do-we-fear-today-is-ours-we-have-it-here-let-s/) [Anacreon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anacreon/) > [There are 365 "fear nots" in the Bible. One for every day of the year. Today I will fear not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-jones-gunn/there-are-365-fear-nots-in-the-bible-one-for-every-day-of-the-year/) [Robin Jones Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-jones-gunn/) ## More by Robert Byrd > [The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/the-last-un-weapons-inspectors-left-iraq-in-october-of-1998-we-are/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [We, unlike Nazi Germany or Mussolini's Italy, have never stopped being a nation of laws, not of men. But witness how men with motives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/we-unlike-nazi-germany-or-mussolini-s-italy-have-never-stopped-being/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [And the president is all wrong when he maintains that a nominee should have an up-or-down vote. The Constitution doesn't say that. The Constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/and-the-president-is-all-wrong-when-he-maintains-that-a-nominee/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/to-engage-in-war-is-always-to-pick-a-wild-card-and-war-must-always-be/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [It was the separation of powers upon which the framers placed their hopes for the preservation of the people's liberties. Despite this heritage, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/it-was-the-separation-of-powers-upon-which-the-framers-placed-their/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [Be sure you avoid the Ku Klux Klan. Don't get that albatross around your neck. Once you've made that mistake, you inhibit your operations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/be-sure-you-avoid-the-ku-klux-klan-don-t-get-that-albatross-around/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [It is money, money, money! Not ideas, not principles, but money that reigns supreme in American politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/it-is-money-money-money-not-ideas-not-principles-but-money-that/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [The ongoing strife in Iraq, and the billions of dollars that the President is seeking to continue that war, give me little comfort that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/the-ongoing-strife-in-iraq-and-the-billions-of-dollars-that-the/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [The money the president wants to borrow for Iraq will come directly out of the American taxpayer wallets in the form of Medicare and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/the-money-the-president-wants-to-borrow-for-iraq-will-come-directly/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [Is it any wonder, why the approval ratings of the Congress go up every time we go into recess?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/is-it-any-wonder-why-the-approval-ratings-of-the-congress-go-up-every/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [Political correctness gets in the way of all too many things in this country of ours, I am not a subscriber of political correctness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/political-correctness-gets-in-the-way-of-all-too-many-things-in-this/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [Can it be that we, too, are ready to embrace the foul concepts of atheism? Somebody is tampering with America's soul, I leave it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/can-it-be-that-we-too-are-ready-to-embrace-the-foul-concepts-of/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [That's what the Senate is about. It's the last bastion of minority rights, where a minority can be heard, where a minority can stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/that-s-what-the-senate-is-about-it-s-the-last-bastion-of-minority/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [Saddam Hussein is a threat, but the threat is not so great that we must be stampeded to provide such authority to this president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/saddam-hussein-is-a-threat-but-the-threat-is-not-so-great-that-we/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [Mission accomplished? The mission in Iraq, as laid out by President Bush and Vice President Cheney, has failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/mission-accomplished-the-mission-in-iraq-as-laid-out-by-president/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) [Explore all 36 Robert Byrd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) ## More Achievement quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It's tragic what America has become because there is a great segment of society that now resents luxury and success and achievement by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/it-s-tragic-what-america-has-become-because-there-is-a-great-segment/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) Chaz Brenchley > [The main substantive achievement of neoliberalism has been to redistribute rather than to generate wealth and income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harvey/the-main-substantive-achievement-of-neoliberalism-has-been-to/) [David Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harvey/) > [Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/every-profession-has-an-ideology-and-a-drive-for-power-that-goes-far/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [“If you find a way where there seems to be no way, that’s what we call miracle, not personal achievement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/if-you-find-a-way-where-there-seems-to-be-no-way-that-s-what-we-call/) [Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/) Nicholas Roerich > [Every scene is a challenge. There are technical challenges, but often it's the simplest challenge where you feel a sense of achievement when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-deakins/every-scene-is-a-challenge-there-are-technical-challenges-but-often/) [Roger Deakins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-deakins/) [Browse all 3,867 Achievement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have been in Congress for more than a half century. I have lived through times of fear and times of hope. Of despair and of achievement. 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