--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What we need to do is to have a sensible…" description: "\"What we need to do is to have a sensible approach to immigration. It needs to be open. It needs to be non-dogmatic and non-bigoted. We need to be firm ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/william-j-clinton-302_american-history_what-we-need-to-do-is-to-have-a-sensible_1285824.jpg" --- # What we need to do is to have a sensible approach to… ![“What we need to do is to have a sensible approach to immigration. It needs to be open. It needs to be non-dogmatic and non-bigoted. We need to be firm but reasonable in the way we deal with the problem of illegal immigration. And we need to try to get as many of our immigrants who want to do so to…” quote by William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/william-j-clinton-302_american-history_what-we-need-to-do-is-to-have-a-sensible_1285824.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/william-j-clinton-302_american-history_what-we-need-to-do-is-to-have-a-sensible_1285824.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/william-j-clinton-302_american-history_what-we-need-to-do-is-to-have-a-sensible_1285824.jpg) > “What we need to do is to have a sensible approach to immigration. It needs to be open. It needs to be non-dogmatic and non-bigoted. We need to be firm but reasonable in the way we deal with the problem of illegal immigration. And we need to try to get as many of our immigrants who want to do so to become citizens as quickly as possible so that the American people will all see that this is a part of the process of American history, which is a good one for our country.” [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A balanced immigration stance should be open, humane, and firm, encouraging legal pathways while rejecting extremism. **In simple terms:** Immigration needs openness, fairness, and firmness. Key Takeaway Promote fair, humane, and firm immigration policies. Themes immigration policy humanity Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type political policy When to use this quote - legislative reform - community outreach - citizenship programs Key Concepts law social integration political strategy Questions to Reflect On - What policies best balance openness and security? - How can societies avoid xenophobia while enforcing laws? A Different Perspective Political realities may limit ideal implementation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-history/) [American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Illegal immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illegal-immigration/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Sensible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensible/) ## Related quotes > [Our immigration system needs walls and doors. We need walls to stop illegal immigration, but we also need to doors to allow people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/our-immigration-system-needs-walls-and-doors-we-need-walls-to-stop/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [I'm a child of immigrants. That is the history of this country. Immigration is good and important for our country. Legal immigration needs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barrasso/i-m-a-child-of-immigrants-that-is-the-history-of-this-country/) [John Barrasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barrasso/) > [As president, I will fight illegal immigration in order to preserve an appropriate level of legal immigration. At the same time, I believe our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dole/as-president-i-will-fight-illegal-immigration-in-order-to-preserve-an/) [Bob Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dole/) > [As we exit the E.U., there must be a new approach to immigration that has the consent of the British people and is managed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keir-starmer/as-we-exit-the-e-u-there-must-be-a-new-approach-to-immigration-that/) [Keir Starmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keir-starmer/) > [The majority of surveys throughout this Nation show that the American people are advocating for a comprehensive and realistic approach to immigration reform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul-grijalva/the-majority-of-surveys-throughout-this-nation-show-that-the-american/) [Raul Grijalva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul-grijalva/) > [Our approach to the immigration and border crisis is unequivocal; we will work with anybody from any wing of any party if they genuinely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/our-approach-to-the-immigration-and-border-crisis-is-unequivocal-we/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [My position here is that conservatives need a realistic approach to immigration that best serves and preserves our country's status and identity as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-wax/my-position-here-is-that-conservatives-need-a-realistic-approach-to/) [Amy Wax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-wax/) > [We must face up to the long-term failures of Britain's approach to immigration and make the argument for an effective, compassionate and liberal alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-davey/we-must-face-up-to-the-long-term-failures-of-britain-s-approach-to/) [Ed Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-davey/) > [I think when you think about immigration, what we need to do is realize that that human capital, if put in a place to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/i-think-when-you-think-about-immigration-what-we-need-to-do-is/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [We are a city that is a sanctuary city. We have immigrants from all over the world who call Chicago their home. They'll continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-lightfoot/we-are-a-city-that-is-a-sanctuary-city-we-have-immigrants-from-all/) [Lori Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-lightfoot/) > [Toronto is a world-class city. You don't have a debate here about immigration because you need it to just maintain your pensions: that's dependent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-khan/toronto-is-a-world-class-city-you-don-t-have-a-debate-here-about/) [Shahid Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-khan/) > [The time to fix our broken immigration system is now... We need stronger enforcement on the border and at the workplace... But for reform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-time-to-fix-our-broken-immigration-system-is-now-we-need-stronger/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [For one, we very much need in any immigration bill - we need protection for people who are in this country and who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/for-one-we-very-much-need-in-any-immigration-bill-we-need-protection/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I'm the only one who is saying, 'Let's take fewer immigrants.' We want people to integrate, we don't want ghettos in Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxime-bernier/i-m-the-only-one-who-is-saying-let-s-take-fewer-immigrants-we-want/) [Maxime Bernier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxime-bernier/) > [I'm in favor of immigration but we also need rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ackerman/i-m-in-favor-of-immigration-but-we-also-need-rules/) [Gary Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ackerman/) ## More by William J. Clinton > [When personal freedom's being abused, you have to move to limit it. That's what we did in the announcement I made last weekend on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/when-personal-freedom-s-being-abused-you-have-to-move-to-limit-it/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Almost makes you want to go to jail out here, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/almost-makes-you-want-to-go-to-jail-out-here-doesn-t-it/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [I take full responsability...for what we did. It was the right thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-take-full-responsability-for-what-we-did-it-was-the-right-thing-to/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Even as people take pride in their national independence, we know we are becoming more and more interdependent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/even-as-people-take-pride-in-their-national-independence-we-know-we/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [To build a twenty-first-century economy, America must revive a nineteenth-century habit--investing in the common, national economic resources that enable every person and every firm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/to-build-a-twenty-first-century-economy-america-must-revive-a/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [One of the things that I think we have learned is that we should all be very careful about making predictions about the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/one-of-the-things-that-i-think-we-have-learned-is-that-we-should-all/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Only astrophysicists new about the Internet 20 years ago. Today my cat has a website.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/only-astrophysicists-new-about-the-internet-20-years-ago-today-my-cat/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [You know, I've always been really interested in this stuff, and I'm going to read this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/you-know-i-ve-always-been-really-interested-in-this-stuff-and-i-m/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [If you believe in making change from the bottom up, if you believe the measure of change is how many people's lives are better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/if-you-believe-in-making-change-from-the-bottom-up-if-you-believe-the/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [ We \[Democrats\] have got to be strong. When we look weak in a time where people feel insecure, we lose. when people feel uncertain,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-democrats-have-got-to-be-strong-when-we-look-weak-in-a-time-where/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [It's the economy, stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/it-s-the-economy-stupid/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The Republicans could mess up a two car parade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/the-republicans-could-mess-up-a-two-car-parade/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [We're all in this together is a far better philosophy than you're on your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-re-all-in-this-together-is-a-far-better-philosophy-than-you-re-on/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) [Explore all 712 William J. Clinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) ## More American history quotes > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/) [William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One > [John Lane has long been recognized as one of the South's finest poets and memoirists. This debut establishes him as one of our finest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/john-lane-has-long-been-recognized-as-one-of-the-south-s-finest-poets/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [No man-made structure in all of American history has been hated so much, by so many, for so long, with such good reason, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/no-man-made-structure-in-all-of-american-history-has-been-hated-so/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [The problem that we have is that most Americans don't even study American history, let alone Pinochet, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and all these guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-problem-that-we-have-is-that-most-americans-don-t-even-study/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [We must not falsely teach American history in our schools. We have a law requiring state textbook oversight to guard against frauds like Zinn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-daniels/we-must-not-falsely-teach-american-history-in-our-schools-we-have-a/) [Mitch Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-daniels/) > [The only thing we have to fear is fear itself-and possibly teh bogey man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-paulsen/the-only-thing-we-have-to-fear-is-fear-itself-and-possibly-teh-bogey/) [Pat Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-paulsen/) > [“Thanks in part to the rapid mechanization of cotton production in the early 1940s, which ultimately threw millions of farm laborers out of work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-patterson/thanks-in-part-to-the-rapid-mechanization-of-cotton-production-in-the/) [James T. Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-patterson/) > [“dark say: berthenia belle never forget the tongue hid name”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-margaret/dark-say-berthenia-belle-never-forget-the-tongue-hid-name/) [Cathleen Margaret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-margaret/) > [Throughout American history many of our social gains and much of our progress toward democracy were made possible by the active intervention of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-washington/throughout-american-history-many-of-our-social-gains-and-much-of-our/) [Harold Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-washington/) > [Modern Democrats aren't the first political party to abuse power - far from it. Obama isn'€™t the first president to abuse executive power -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/modern-democrats-aren-t-the-first-political-party-to-abuse-power-far/) [David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/) > [Medicare and Social Security have created the healthiest and most financially secure generation of senior citizens in American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-walsh/medicare-and-social-security-have-created-the-healthiest-and-most/) [Jim Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-walsh/) > [The school curriculum today, particularly American history, is a shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-school-curriculum-today-particularly-american-history-is-a-shame/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“I used to walk out, at night, to the breakwater which divides the end of the harbor form the broad moor of the salt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-doty/i-used-to-walk-out-at-night-to-the-breakwater-which-divides-the-end/) [Mark Doty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-doty/) [Browse all 685 American history quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What we need to do is to have a sensible approach to immigration. 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