The most practical kind of politics is the politics of decency.

The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.

I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well.

When the President does it, that means that it’s not illegal.

Regimes planted by bayonets do not take root.

Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.

The President’s post should not be politicised. Once a president is elected, he is above politics.

Nothing can be more hurtful to the service, than the neglect of discipline; for that discipline, more than numbers, gives one army the superiority over another.

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

Policy makers who have never served in the military continue to use the military to lead social change in this country.

A leader who doesn’t hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader.

Wise leaders generally have wise counselors because it takes a wise person themselves to distinguish them.

There are no moral phenomena at all, but only a moral interpretation of phenomena.

But let me tell you, this gender thing is history. You’re looking at a guy who sat down with Margaret Thatcher across the table and talked about serious issues.

If you ask the CEO of some major corporation what he does, he will say, in all honesty, that he is slaving 20 hours a day to provide his customers with the best goods or services he can and creating the best possible working conditions for his employees.

Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.

If a work of art is rich and vital and complete, those who have artistic instincts will see its beauty, and those to whom ethics appeal more strongly than aesthetics will see its moral lesson. It will fill the cowardly with terror, and the unclean will see in it their own shame.

Having the support from everyone, the bosses, whoever within the team, definitely makes it much easier for me as a driver.

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

I want to be just a pure spiritual leader.

I think Hillary Clinton is a phenomenal woman, and I’ve gotten to know her, and I think she’s made some pretty major contributions over the course of her life.

No other country in the world does what we do. On every issue, the world turns to us, not simply because of the size of our economy or our military might – but because of the ideals we stand for, and the burdens we bear to advance them.

What we won when all of our people united must not be lost in suspicion and distrust and selfishness and politics. Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as president.

Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power.

The government of Israel doesn’t like the kinds of things I say, which puts them into the same category as every other government in the world.

That’s the good thing about being president, I can do whatever I want.

Instead of being critical of people in authority over you and envious of their position, be happy you’re not responsible for everything they have to do. Instead of piling on complaints, thank them for what they do. Overwhelm them with encouragement and appreciation!

I love being in the United States Senate.

The attempt to combine wisdom and power has only rarely been successful and then only for a short while.

The British people know that, given strong leadership, time, and a little bit of hope, the forces of good ultimately rally and triumph over evil.

Is science of any value? I think a power to do something is of value. Whether the result is a good thing or a bad thing depends on how it is used, but the power is a value.

One civilization after another has been wrecked upon the attempt to secure sufficient leadership from a single group or class.

When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself a public property.

The governments of the present day have to deal not merely with other governments, with emperors, kings and ministers, but also with the secret societies which have everywhere their unscrupulous agents, and can at the last moment upset all the governments‘ plans.

When I was running training, we would fire a couple of leaders from every SEAL team because they couldn’t lead. And 99.9% of the time, it wasn’t a question of their ability – it was a question of their ability to listen.

I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.

To announce that there must be no criticism of the president… is morally treasonable to the American public.

Suppose I criticise Iran. What impact does that have? The only impact it has is in fortifying those who want to carry out policies I don’t agree with, like bombing.

There is a group of people that I think in good faith honestly believe that further curtailing our Second Amendment rights will enhance public safety. But there’s another group that just hates the Second Amendment.

You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.

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

I am in politics because of the conflict between good and evil, and I believe that in the end good will triumph.

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!

Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.

I’m going to be so much better a president for having been at the CIA that you’re not going to believe it.

The temptation to take the easy road is always there. It is as easy as staying in bed in the morning and sleeping in. But discipline is paramount to ultimate success and victory for any leader and any team.

Barack knows the American Dream because he’s lived it, and he wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are or where we’re from or what we look like or who we love.

Politics is just a function of business now, just a tributary of the great entrepreneurial capitalist system.

I think politicians really go with the tide.

Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.

A leader is a dealer in hope.

Leadership is hard. It’s a skill. It’s a technique.

In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.

Latinos are Republican. They just don’t know it yet.

If the present Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send one hundred and fifty lawyers, whose trade it is to question everything, yield nothing, and talk by the hour?

The Middle East is obviously an issue that has plagued the region for centuries.

President Assad, I worked with. I know him reasonably well, met with him a few times, and he’s a liar.

How do leaders serve their people? They may pay good wages and treat employees with respect.

Obama himself has been highly supportive of Mubarak.

It’s that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so ‚don’t fuss, dear; get on with it.‘

Cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Expediency asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? But conscience asks the question, is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is right.