Robert Mueller Quotes

“If you look at the 19 hijackers who came to the United States in Sept. 11 to commit those acts, if you’d looked at them before they got onto a plane, you could probably say the same thing. There were various levels of expertise, various levels of competence.”

“I know that we will be judged in history by not only how we disrupt terrorism but how we protect the civil liberties and constitutional rights of all Americans, even Americans who don’t wish us well. We must do all these things exceptionally well.”

“We cannot turn back the clock. We cannot undo the impact of technology. Nor would we want to.”

“I still have to work on patience.”

“Anyplace we go in the world, when someone asks us what we do, we feel an immense pride in saying, ‘FBI.‘”

“I asked a Burmese why women, after centuries of following their men, now walk ahead. He said there were many unexploded land mines since the war.”

“In the wake of the September 11 attacks, it became clear that the FBI’s number one priority must be the prevention of another terrorist attack.”

“Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity set the expectations for behavior; they set a standard for our work. More than just a motto, for the men and women of the FBI, Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity is a way of life.”

“But we had - I think if you look at law enforcement 10 years ago, if you look at the challenges, the FBI was focused excessively on what was happening in the United States.”

“I know that we will be judged in history by not only how we disrupt terrorism but how we protect the civil liberties and constitutional rights of all Americans, even Americans who don’t wish us well. We must do all these things exceptionally well.”

“In the context of September 11, there were so many that lost their lives that - how do you single out one person? There were so many acts of heroism that day from so many people, whether it be firemen and police officers in New York and our agents also.”

“I love prosecuting cases, and I love doing investigations, particularly homicide investigations and the like, and that’s why I became a prosecutor.”

“I’ve always loved investigations.”

“For the men and women of the FBI, bravery is reflected not only in the physical courage often necessary in the job. It can be seen in the courage of conviction, in the courage to act with wisdom in the face of fear, and in the courage it takes to admit mistakes and move forward.”

“As I said before, there are often disagreements as to what a particular set of facts mean. That is not at all unusual, and one shouldn’t read into it more than is there.”

“In planning an attack, persons have various roles.”

“The 19 hijackers that came over here to commit the attack on Sept. 11, there were those that were at the bottom of the line. There were those who were the principal conspirators. There were those who were the pilot. Everybody has a role.”

“If I have the honor of being confirmed by the Senate, I will make it my highest priority to restore the public’s confidence in the FBI and to re-earn the faith and trust of the American people.”

“There’ll be differences of opinion in just about every intelligence analysis that you make.”

“You don’t eat before your troops eat, and you don’t ask your troops to do anything you won’t do, too.”