“I am in politics because of the conflict between good and evil, and I believe that in the end good will triumph.”
“The mistake a lot of politicians make is in forgetting they've been appointed and thinking they've been anointed.”
“Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others their principles for the sake of their party.”
“One wanders to the left, another to the right. Both are equally in error, but, are seduced by different delusions.”
“The essence of statesmanship is not a rigid adherence to the past, but a prudent and probing concern for the future.”
“There is a certain satisfaction in coming down to the lowest ground of politics, for we get rid of cant and hypocrisy.”
“Politics is just like show business. You have a hell of an opening, coast for a while, and then have a hell of a close.”
“The reason political party platforms are so long is that when you straddle anything it takes a long time to explain it.”
“Sometimes in politics one must duel with skunks, but no one should be fool enough to allow skunks to choose the weapons.”
“A politician would do well to remember that he has to live with his conscience longer than he does with his constituents.”
“What we need in appointive positions are men of knowledge and experience with sufficient character to resist temptations.”
“There are no true friends in politics. We are all sharks circling, and waiting, for traces of blood to appear in the water.”
“If I was forced to choose between the penitentiary and White House for four years, I would say the penitentiary, thank you.”
“To rely upon conviction, devotion, and other excellent spiritual qualities -- that is not to be taken seriously in politics.”
“Any 20 year-old who isn't a liberal doesn't have a heart, and any 40 year-old who isn't a conservative doesn't have a brain.”
“The history of American politics is littered with bodies of people who took so pure a position that they had no clout at all.”
“Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.”
“We have never yet had a labor Government that knew what taking power really means; they always act like second-class citizens.”
“Yogi met George Bush during an election campaign. Bush said Texas was important. Yogi said Texas has a lot of electrical votes.”
“Politics are almost as exciting as war, and quite as dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in politics many times.”
“Within the first few months I discovered that being president is like riding a tiger. A man has to keep riding or be swallowed.”
“You slam a politician, you make out he's the devil, with horns and hoofs. But his wife loves him, and so did all his mistresses.”
“Politic is going to be diluted down into a ten second window, where you whack the guy as hard as you can and then get out there.”
“When we got into office, the thing that surprised me most was to find that things were just as bad as we'd been saying they were.”
“It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.”
“Politics should share one purpose with religion: the steady emancipation of the individual through the education of his passions.”
“A candidate could easily commit political suicide if he were to come up with an unconventional thought during a presidential tour.”
“A politician never forgets the precarious nature of elective life. We have never established a practice of tenure in public office.”
“A party of order or stability, and a party of progress or reform, are both necessary elements of a healthy state of political life.”
“Legislators: Rape their wives and do two years. Kill their children and do five years. Steal their money and kiss your ass goodbye.”