John Bercow Quotes

I've never been much given to little social cliques.

Fairness is not about statistical equality.

If someone is being very cheeky, it can be quite fun to deal with that situation.

For far too long the House of Commons has been run as little more than a private club by and for gentleman amateurs.

I pride myself on being courteous to people, and trying to fashion good relations.

I am seeking every day to restore faith in Parliament - to ensure we have a House of Commons which is representative, effective and reconnected to the people we serve.

I never aspired to be Speaker simply so I could say, 'I am the Speaker of the House of Commons,' and tell my children that.

I don't want to crawl over the entrails of past disputes.

I think the record shows that as Speaker, I have taken the lead in cleaning up politics.

It's a cowardly form of politics to use my spouse to beat me.

A legislature cannot be effective while suffering from public scorn.

When I first started out in politics I was, what you might describe as, a hard right Conservative.

There's no point in worrying about things you can't influence.

The Conservatives must realise that being sceptical is different from being phobic in what is an interdependent world.

Sally is my wife, but not my chattel or my property.

Even youngish men can acquire wisdom as time goes by.

There are people who are just very, very sniffy and snobby and have always sort of looked down their noses at me.

If you asked me if I'd rather be Speaker or a very senior minister, I'd say Speaker.

I'm supremely uninterested as to what is written in many of the newspapers.

It is quite wrong for party conferences to be used as an excuse for the Commons not to sit. Conferences could be held at weekends.

I'm not in the business of warning people.

Lying to a committee is a very grave abuse, and there ought to be a clear punishment.

I'm not psychic. I cannot know what is in the mind of particular public figures.

One consistent thing in an otherwise inconsistent career is that I've always been passionate about parliament.

The prime minister's job is to captain his team, his party and his government.