Thomas Jefferson Quotes

Princes need, in tender matters and ticklish times, to beware what they say.

I don't aim to offend.

A prime minister has to keep a certain balance when dealing with sensitive issues.

Discretion of speech is more than eloquence, and to speak agreeably to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words, or in good order.

I think the thing I had to be careful about while writing a book was not to say anything that was revealing about other people that they would be uncomfortable with. I didn't want to make people angry - that's a real risk.

I think it's funny to be delicate with subjects that are explosive.

The public's nerves are raw and edgy. You have to be discreet and understanding about the films you are showing.

I don't want to offend people.

I have to chose my words carefully.

I have no intention of offending somebody who writes a weekly column.

When you are President you have to get something done, and that often means compromise.

You've got to know when to keep your mouth shut. The Senate's the cruelest judge in the world. A man's a fool to talk to other fellows about any subject unless he knows more about that subject than they do.

In politics you'll never get into trouble by not saying too much.

In politics, you must learn to say 'no' without offending people. That is an art that one must master: to satisfy a person even when you have to say 'no' to him.

Sometimes you just wonder whether people just don't have the sensitivity or decency. I'm a member of the media myself: I host a talk show. I know sometimes when you want to ask something, you can circumvent it with words and vocabulary. You don't suddenly just go out there and ask something directly in the pretense of being absolutely candid.

Nothing is too controversial, but you have to think about how to do it with sensitivity. I don't try to be insensitive. I think really, really carefully about exactly what things mean and how they will affect people.

I do not want to insult anyone with my act and am very careful about it.

I try not to delve too deep into policy.

All persons are not discreet enough to know how to take things by the right handle.

Tact is the ability to make a person see lightning without letting him feel the bolt.

Sometimes you have to avoid mentioning things because people's feelings are tender.

I don't have to tell you it goes without saying there are some things better left unsaid. I think that speaks for itself. The less said about it the better.

When a man has his heart in the right place and good taste, he can not only do well in politics but is even predetermined for it. If someone is modest and does not yearn for power, he is certainly not ill-equipped to engage in politics; on the contrary, he belongs there. What is needed in politics is not the ability to lie but rather the sensibility to know when, where, how and to whom to say things.

Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth.

Many things are too delicate to be thought; many more, to be spoken.