Maria Konnikova Quotes

The big breakthrough for me was, once I stopped disliking conservatives and could actually see what they were right about, they showed me a lot of things that liberals were wrong about. But at the same time, I think there are some things that liberals are right about that conservatives have trouble seeing.

I would rather sit down with a Hollywood liberal any day than simply surround myself with fellow conservatives.

I might not understand everything a Democrat or liberal thinks but hey let's be honest, I don't understand some of the things the Republicans think, but that doesn't make me some dumb hick that doesn't have the right to live here.

Republicans aren't bad people. They've got some views that are legitimate... and I'd like to think they believe the same of me.

You know, I'm not comfortable with people whose politics are static in a democracy.

I view myself more as a traditionalist than a conservative. But I like the traditions, so I tend to try to keep them alive. But I'm open to any kind of political thought - I don't care - I have people that I don't agree with, and I have good friends I don't agree with, but for me personally, I'm more comfortable with the traditional stuff.

I have a confession to make: I am a Labour parliamentary candidate but like and get on with some of the Conservative persuasion.

Republicans have always tolerated greater intellectual diversity than Democrats.

We actually need conservatives to be better conservatives and we need liberals to be better and stronger liberals.

I'm a Democrat, but I'm really bipartisan - some people might say nonpartisan.

A loyal liberal can get away with anything with other liberals, as long as that loyal liberal is liberal and attacks conservatives left and right, spouts the right words, they get away with anything.

Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.

Writers and journalists tend to be simplistic about politics when, like all other areas of life, it's more complicated.

My parents are left-wing, and I would describe myself as that. But also, you know what? I wouldn't describe myself as that. Because I don't have to. Because I'm not a political party. Most people are a little bit of each, and we change our mind on various issues.

Frankly, most of my friends hold very different political beliefs. It's just a funny thing in this country that supposedly you can't sit down and have dinner and enjoy another person's company if you don't have the same beliefs. It's ridiculous.

I love the Upper West Side. I walk down the street all the time and am stopped by Democrats. I don't think they've ever actually met a Republican before.

There are worse things than being thought a Republican.

Undoubtedly, the biggest misconception about me is that I'm some staunch conservative, blind, rightwing hardcore Republican who doesn't want to hear anything from the other side.

When a conservative praises a liberal as 'morally serious,' he means that person is less liberal than most.

Anyway, I just haven't been able to find any humanity in any Republican candidate ever in my entire life.

And that's very important, too, 'cause a lot of people just assume everyone's a Democrat, or everyone's a Republican or whatever, and they're not. And that's a really important thing to adhere to.

I have friends who vote Tory, and I'm appalled, but that's not to say they're not great people in so many other ways.

You can play golf with liberals, be neighbors with them, go out to dinner. I just don't want them in power.

When I watch a guy I know is a big Republican, part of me thinks I probably wouldn't like this person if I met him, or we would have different opinions.

Do you think it's possible to discuss politics without preaching?