Richard N. Haass Quotes

Governing is about selecting.

President Obama makes fantastic stump speeches, but putting together an actual agenda is more complicated.

Campaigning is different from governing.

I always say that campaigning and governing are two different things.

The campaign is over. It's time for the work of governing to begin.

Governing is one thing, campaigning is another - and the latter becomes far more pronounced in an election-year State of the Union.

I was in elective politics for 24 years. I've made four national races, two for President, two for Vice President. I have found there are other ways to serve, and I'm enjoying them.

When you see how the President makes political or policy decisions, you see who he is. The essence of the Presidency is decision-making.

You might be considering elected office because you are angry with those in power. Indignation can be a motivator to run but not to govern. If you win you'll need more than anger to govern.

I think that if the Democratic Party focuses on nominating who will make the best president, that's going to be a critical mistake. There's only one question at the end of the day, and that question is, Can the potential nominee beat Donald Trump?

The conversations have been cordial. [Donald Trump] has been open to suggestions, and the main thing that I've tried to transmit is that there's a different between governing and campaigning, so that what he has to appreciate is as soon as you walk into this office after you've been sworn in, you're now in charge of the largest organization on Earth.

There's a very big difference between campaigning and governing.

I don't think we do a great job in America any more of distinguishing between campaigns and governance. We live in an environment that's all campaign all of the time and it's helpful, now that we've moved beyond a campaign and an election to get into a governance posture.

Though my plans at the moment are vague, I can assure you that I'll never run for the Senate in New York.

I want to win and I want to be in office.

I would be lying if I told you that I hadn't had aspirations to run for a statewide office.

George W. Bush is not only a great president; he was a great candidate.

I thought it completely absurd to mention my name in the same breath as the presidency.

It's easier to run for office than to run the office.

Don't get me wrong: I would love to be president.

You know I think the president has to really focus on getting elected to a second term in 2012. And I need to focus on making sure I'm accountable to the people of Missouri.

Obama and his associates are fantastic campaigners but have little ability or skill to govern.

Running for president is hard. But it's good preparation. Because being president is a lot harder.

There are people who kind of gravitate towards running politics based on new ideas and issues, and that was what the secret was for Clinton.

The presidency is more than a popularity contest.