Civility and American People
May 21, 2026
“Democracy depends on heavy doses of civility … I tell people: ‘You know, you get 15 miles out of Washington, D.C., the people in this country actually get along pretty well,’ and I think the American people long for us to restore a threshold of civility in public life, hit hard on the issues and the differences.”
– Mike Pence, 48th Vice President of the United States
“To reach common ground, Americans must humbly acknowledge that asking someone to change their opinions is difficult. How you voted doesn’t make you a good or bad person. Striving for civil discourse doesn’t mean compromising your principles, but it does require people to regard one another as human beings. We can be fierce and strong and clear and also not be jerks about it.”
– Pete Buttigieg, Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation