No Hemming, Hawing or Quitting

Though one of the most talkative politicians of modern times, Humphrey will be remembered for his deeds, not his words. They were rarely memorable, but they were invariably heartfelt. They expressed rather than camouflaged the real man. A Humphrey sampler:

On speaking his mind. "I've seen all these people that hem and haw. They never quite get around to saying where they are or who they are or what they are, what they want, where they've been or where they're going. You have to make some judgments; you just can't keep waiting for more evidence."

On the politics of joy. "Happiness is contagious, just exactly like being miserable. People have to believe that they can do better. They've got to know that there's somebody that wants to help and work with them, somebody that hasn't tossed in the towel."

On helping others. "Compassion is not weakness, and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism."

On ruthlessness. "I know a lot of people tell me I'm not tough enough. Listen, there are enough tough people in the world."

On showing emotions. "A fellow that doesn't have any tears doesn't have any heart."

On being snubbed by President Lyndon Johnson, who thought he had leaked a story to the press. "I'm the living example that a man can be in the deep freeze for at least two weeks and still live. But then he'd give you that quick thaw. A wink with one of those eyes was just like two cymbals coming together in a clash. He'd forgiven me in one flick of the eyelid."

On foreign policy. "We can't be the world's policeman, but we can be the world's idealist."

On adversity. "Some people look upon any setback as the end. They're always looking for the benediction rather than the invocation. Most of us have enough problems so that almost any day we could fold up and say: 'I've had it.' But you can't quit. That isn't the way our country was built."

On love. "The greatest gift that has come to me is the affection of so many --far more important than people feeling sorry for me. In fact, feeling sorry for someone is simply to give him a little pain reliever. Love is a healing force."

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