“You can't be in politics unless you can walk in a room and know in a minute who's for you and who's against you.”
Politics affects everything, whether you pay attention to it or not. These quotes cover power, democracy, partisanship, idealism, corruption, and the exhausting but essential work of trying to govern millions of people who disagree about nearly everything.
“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.”
“You can't be in politics unless you can walk in a room and know in a minute who's for you and who's against you.”
“By nominating Chuck Hagel to be his Defense secretary, President Obama is putting forward an aloof contrarian who doesn't suffer fools - a striving politician who considers himself above politics.”
“In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant.”
“Here's a very good rule of thumb in politics: losing begets losing.”
“I don't compromise my principles for politics.”
“I haven't been very active in politics.”
“The message that I gave on the - on the steps today was that you need to stand for those things that are right and empower the individual. Believe in the power of one person. Don't believe that you can't do it. Everybody wants - everybody wants a shot. That we can all agree on. Beyond that, it becomes politics. I'm not talking politics.”
“As women have played an increasingly important role in politics, there is no question that they've brought a different perspective, focusing attention on a broader set of issues and building alliances with other women.”
“Idealism is the despot of thought, just as politics is the despot of will.”
“The world of American politics is more contentious than it has ever been in my lifetime.”
“War is the ultimate tool of politics.”
“Principles have no real force except when one is well-fed.”
“In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.”
“Politics disgusts me.”
“Sometimes in politics, you think you've seen it all. Turns out I was wrong.”