Anything important is never left to the vote of the people. We only get to vote on some man; we never get to vote on what he is to do.

I just think it is important that you realize, that you’re the best in the world. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re libertarian or whatever, you are the best. And we should not ever forget that. And when somebody does not do the job, we got to let them go.

We can’t equate democracy with Christianity because the largest democracy on earth is India, which is primarily Hindu. The third largest democracy is Indonesia, which is Islamic. Democracy and freedom are not dependent on Christian beliefs.

I don’t want to express my opinion about actual politics, because if I do, I have to be responsible for my decision.

And I love that even in the toughest moments, when we’re all sweating it – when we’re worried that the bill won’t pass, and it seems like all is lost – Barack never lets himself get distracted by the chatter and the noise. Just like his grandmother, he just keeps getting up and moving forward… with patience and wisdom, and courage and grace.

The ballot is stronger than the bullet.

I draw pleasure in governance, in doing new things and bringing people together. That pleasure is all I need from life.

A man can’t be too careful in the choice of his enemies.

It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.

Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. This is really the test of civilization.

Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish. Do not overdo it.

We named the book ‚Extreme Ownership‘ because we really found that when we looked at not only at leaders but at teams that were the most successful, we found that the ones that had this attitude of extreme ownership were the ones that did the best, and it’s definitely an attitude that I had.

In matters of truth the fact that you don’t want to publish something is, nine times out of ten, a proof that you ought to publish it.

There is but one way for a president to deal with Congress, and that is continuously, incessantly, and without interruption. If it is really going to work, the relationship has got to be almost incestuous.

No Government can be long secure without a formidable Opposition.

I will keep America moving forward, always forward, for a better America, for an endless enduring dream and a thousand Points of Light. This is my mission, and I will complete it.

Whoever won’t fight when the President calls him, deserves to be kicked back in his hole and kept there.

It is necessary for him who lays out a state and arranges laws for it to presuppose that all men are evil and that they are always going to act according to the wickedness of their spirits whenever they have free scope.

We only consult the ear because the heart is wanting.

When a team takes ownership of its problems, the problem gets solved. It is true on the battlefield, it is true in business, and it is true in life.

I’ve seen firsthand that being president doesn’t change who you are. It reveals who you are.

In action a great heart is the chief qualification. In work, a great head.

There is too much government today. We’ve got to remember the government should be by the people, of the people, and for the people.

If you know how to read, you have a complete education about life, then you know how to vote within a democracy. But if you don’t know how to read, you don’t know how to decide. That’s the great thing about our country – we’re a democracy of readers, and we should keep it that way.

Do not ask for what you will wish you had not got.

In every society some men are born to rule, and some to advise.

My mother had a saying: ‚Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.‘

Indecision may or may not be my problem.

I only change things where I know about a situation. I’d never change just for change.

Leaders who are kind of insecure or egocentric, they basically sabotage themselves.

Our country was founded by geniuses, but it’s being run by idiots.

Democracy is not static. It is a living force. Every new idea, every new invention offers opportunity for both good and evil.

Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.

If you make up your own mind, you can only blame yourself.

In various countries and times, leaders of groups that lagged behind, economically and educationally, have taught their followers to blame all their problems on other people – and to hate those other people.

Freedom of opinion can only exist when the government thinks itself secure.

I’m the only president you’ve got.

The man who occupies the first place seldom plays the principal part.

I often say of George Washington that he was one of the few in the whole history of the world who was not carried away by power.

‚Tis better to bear the ills we have than fly to others that we know not of.

I always say the strength of democracy lies in criticism. If there is no criticism, that means there is no democracy. And if you want to grow, you must invite criticism. And I want to grow; I want to invite criticism.

One of the more difficult tasks for me as president was to decide on the issue of confirming capital punishment awarded by courts… to my surprise… almost all cases which were pending had a social and economic bias.

The best government is that which teaches us to govern ourselves.

Without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure.

Anywhere in Latin America there is a potential threat of the pathology of caudillismo and it has to be guarded against.

I’m asking myself, ‚What do my girls, what do all our children deserve in their president? What kind of a president do we want for them?‘ Well, to start with, I think we want someone who is a unifying force in this country: someone who sees our differences not as a threat, but as a blessing.

And so I have studied, I have to tell you, revolutions and uprisings for a long time. They are all slightly different, but what they all look for is some kind of a mechanism to go from an authoritarian system to an open, democratic system.

Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.

A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts.

If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost.

I understood that with the swipe of my pen as a prosecutor, I would have the decision in my pen to make a decision about someone’s life.

A good Catholic meddles in politics, offering the best of himself, so that those who govern can govern. But what is the best that we can offer to those who govern? Prayer!

In order to govern, the question is not to follow out a more or less valid theory but to build with whatever materials are at hand. The inevitable must be accepted and turned to advantage.

People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.

Now from a distance, I look back on what the Corps taught me: to think like men of action, and to act like men of thought!

In order to fulfill the aspirations of masses, we have to sharpen the tool called the government machinery: we have to make it keen, more dynamic, and it is in this direction that we are working.

I actually started off majoring in computer science, but I knew right away I wasn’t going to stay with it. It was because I had this one professor who was the loneliest, saddest man I’ve ever known. He was a programmer, and I knew that I didn’t want to do whatever he did. So after that, I switched to Communications.

Life is not long, and too much of it must not pass in idle deliberation how it shall be spent.

Wisdom stands at the turn in the road and calls upon us publicly, but we consider it false and despise its adherents.

Kings are not born: they are made by artificial hallucination.

Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.