There’s no doubt that usually a president’s public image is enhanced by going to war. That never did appeal to me.

I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we’re really talking about peace.

My father was not a failure. After all, he was the father of a president of the United States.

The artist part of me always wants to be appreciated. I read every review. But I never wanted to seek validation by awards or anything controlled by politics.

It is a fine game to play – the game of politics – and it is well worth waiting for a good hand before really plunging.

The mark of a true politician is that he is never at a loss for words because he is always half-expecting to be asked to make a speech.

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

Under the doctrine of separation of powers, the manner in which the president personally exercises his assigned executive powers is not subject to questioning by another branch of government.

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.

Americans… still believe in an America where anything’s possible – they just don’t think their leaders do.

Unlike presidential administrations, problems rarely have terminal dates.

Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice, without constraint.

I’m personally a moderate and a registered independent, so I’m not strongly Democratic or strongly Republican.

To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.

The mob is the mother of tyrants.

We Conservatives hate unemployment.

Therefore, the good of man must be the end of the science of politics.

In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.

I’m not a politician. And I don’t want to be.

I don’t see the wisdom in modern politicians that I once saw in men like Dean Acheson, David Bruce, or George Marshall. In my day, the northeastern establishment dominated foreign policy formulation, but the composition and distribution of our population is very different today.

I want a president who will teach our children that everyone in this country matters, a president who truly believes in the vision that our Founders put forth all those years ago that we are all created equal, each a beloved part of the great American story.

One of the most pervasive political visions of our time is the vision of liberals as compassionate and conservatives as less caring.

Obviously, I’m no fan of the radical left.

Freedom does not die from frontal attack. It dies because men in power no longer believe in a system based upon liberty.

I have a reputation for taking on governors a lot more powerful than me.

There is probably a perverse pride in my administration… that we were going to do the right thing, even if short-term it was unpopular. And I think anybody who’s occupied this office has to remember that success is determined by an intersection in policy and politics and that you can’t be neglecting of marketing and P.R. and public opinion.

I told y’all I didn’t vote, right? But if I would’ve voted, I would’ve voted for Trump.

The British constitution has always been puzzling and always will be.

In war, events of importance are the result of trivial causes.

Some years ago I became president of Columbia University and learned within 24 hours to be ready to speak at the drop of a hat, and I learned something more, the trustees were expected to be ready to speak at the passing of the hat.

We have always said that in our war with the Arabs we had a secret weapon – no alternative.

Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.

I am never going to have anything more to do with politics or politicians. When this war is over I shall confine myself entirely to writing and painting.

The idea that putting Americans ‚first‘ requires a withdrawal from the world is simply wrongheaded because a retreat would achieve exactly the opposite for our citizens.

You do the policy, I’ll do the politics.

I consider myself a moderate Republican. I have very, very moderate social views, and I’m pretty strong on, on defense matters.

I can die a happy man never having been president of the United States of America. But it doesn’t mean I won’t run.

War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means.

Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies – or else? The chain reaction of evil – hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars – must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

A president can ask for reconciliation in the racial conflict that divides Americans. But reconciliation comes only from the hearts of people.

Politics is the art of controlling your environment.

When I first went to places where people were suffering from war and persecution, I felt ashamed of my feelings of sadness. I could see more possibilities in my life.

In the political system, we are a team; politics and bureaucracy, we are a team. The politicians, bureaucrats and the people, we are a team.

What Washington needs is adult supervision.

As president, Reagan worked very well with Democrats to do big things. It is true that he worked to reduce the size of government and cut federal taxes and he eliminated many regulations, but he also raised taxes when necessary.

We cannot be both the world’s leading champion of peace and the world’s leading supplier of the weapons of war.

All ideologies are idiotic, whether religious or political, for it is conceptual thinking, the conceptual word, which has so unfortunately divided man.

I think our democracy has it exactly right: two terms, eight years. It’s enough. Because it’s important to have one foot in reality when you have access to this kind of power.

We don’t have to guess what Mitt Romney would have done if he were president. Because he told us. He said we should let foreclosures – and I quote – ‚hit the bottom‘ so the market could – I quote – ‚run its course.‘

I am making a collection of the things my opponents have found me to be and, when this election is over, I am going to open a museum and put them on display.

I have been a firm believer in the federal structure of our country as enshrined in the Constitution.

If you think you can slander a woman into loving you, or a man into voting for you, try it till you are satisfied.

By 1960, the South Africans knew that they were becoming a pariah state.

I think when the president of the United States calls for military action, he should do it for a united people, especially when the methods have been so cruel, so explicitly directed at Americans.

You can kill ten of our men for every one we kill of yours. But even at those odds, you will lose and we will win.

Politics I supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.

Domestic policy can only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us.

Politics is applesauce.

Republicans have been accused of abandoning the poor. It’s the other way around. They never vote for us.

I pay attention to politics and technology.

Only the aspirants for president are fool enough to believe what they read in the newspapers.