We might come closer to balancing the budget if all of us lived closer to the Commandments and the Golden Rule. —Ronald Reagan
A budget tells us what we can’t afford, but it doesn’t keep us from buying it. —William Feather
If we can’t find cuts in the defence budget, we’re not looking carefully enough. —Jon Huntsman Jr
The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, the public debt should be reduced and the arrogance of public officials should be controlled. —Ross Perot
It’s clearly a budget. It’s got a lot of numbers in it. —George W Bush
Budget is not just a collection of numbers, but an expression of our values and aspirations. —Jacob Lew
The budget evolved from a management tool into an obstacle to management. —Frank Carlucci
If you want creativity, take a zero off your budget. If you want sustainability, take off two zeros. —Jaime Lerner
Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.
—Joe Biden
This budget reflects a choice—not an easy choice, but the right choice. And when you think about it, the only choice. The choice to take the responsible, prudent path to fiscal stability, economic growth and opportunity. —George Pataki
Image: Huntsman: Larry French/ Getty Images; Bush: James Lawler Duggan/ Reuters; Lew: Beck Diefenbach/ Reuters; Reagen: Stelios Varias/ Reuters; Carlucci: Terri Ashe/ Getty Images; Lerner: Mike Blake/ Reuters; Pataki: Brian Snyder/ Reuters