Barbara Bush remembered for her kindness and cutting wit

The wife of one president and the mother of another, she left her mark on American society with remarks that both captured hearts and stirred controversy. Here are a few.

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Few Americans have lived in the public eye for as long as Barbara Bush.

After her passing, many are remembering her by sharing some of her best-known quotations.

The former first lady could have a sharp tongue, as she espoused the virtues of family and friendship and defending her family’s political careers.

The BBC wrote:

She was the matriarchal figure of a political dynasty that included two presidents—her husband George H.W. Bush and son George W. Bush.

Mrs. Bush, who was first lady from 1989 to 1993, had been in failing health for some time and had declined further medical treatment.

Tributes to her poured in from across the U.S. political establishment.

Her husband, at 93, is the longest-lived US president. Their son, George, was elected in 2000 and served two terms as the nation’s 43rd president.

For a woman so defined by the men around her, she blazed her own trail as a fierce advocate for civil rights and family literacy, and bucked many in the Republican establishment with her more liberal views on abortion.

Here are some of her most memorable quotations from a high-profile life:

On family

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