Emily Thornberry Quotes

I'm very passionate about political issues, but I also think that listening to people who disagree is extremely important, and I try to build that into my teaching, sometimes by co-teaching with rightwing colleagues.

I'm very lucky in my constituency. I have very grown up sensible members who don't agree with me, but we never have a quarrel. I absolutely respect their views.

When people don't like my politics, I am happy to have a political discussion with them.

I'm used to politics at an international level: people put together an argument and, even if you vehemently disagree with them, well, you can recognise it's an argument and respond.

Thoughtful people of different political philosophies can disagree, but in a very agreeable manner.

The most important thing in an argument, next to being right, is to leave an escape hatch for your opponent, so that he can gracefully swing over to your side without too much apparent loss of face.

We should not be afraid to speak the truth to our powerful friend the United States.

No step the United States could take anywhere in the world would bring strategic benefits as great as detente with Iran.

There is such a polarized discussion of economics among people like analysts, columnists, bloggers; often, they end up just saying that views other than their own should not even be discussed. I find that frustrating. There is no intellectual progress without considering lots and lots of different views.

I can hardly think of an occasion when I've got into a stand-up fight with any political opponent. I've got my views, people know what they are, they can agree or they can choose to disagree. I'm not going to waste time just rubbishing everybody else.

The bonds of trust between the United States and Israel have been frayed, but even the hostility and disrespect the Obama administration has shown has not severed those bonds.

The world I want to live in is a world where everybody is a bit more uncertain about their arguments and is a bit more open to other people's arguments. I think that we can engage ideas without ad hominem attacks.

We're going to hear a lot of spirited discussion about the President's plan in the next few days and weeks and that's fine as long as everyone comes ready to talk and not just snipe, complain and argue.

There is a sense in which the United States ambassador speaks to the United States, as well as for the United States. I have always seen my role as a thermostat rather than a thermometer. So I'm going to be actively working... for my own concerns. I have always had people advise me on what to say, but never on what not to say.

Our ability to effectively engage China and the Arab world rests on shared economic and political interests and mutual understanding.

I’d be happy to take any of your questions and with the advantage of no longer being Secretary of State so that I can actually answer them.

The United States now has as its goal much more than simply containing Soviet expansionism. We seek the integration of the Soviet Union into the communlty of nations.... Ultimately, our objective is to welcome the Soviet Union back into the world order.

It's an honor to be presented with an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of my mentor, Mike Mansfield, who worked to strengthen and improve America's important relationships throughout Asia.

A critical component of progress is engaging with people you don't agree with - everything else is the status quo.

The most important thing I would do is to try to institutionalize U.S.-Soviet summits.

The partnerships between Schmidt and Giscard, Kohl and Mitterrand, and even between Chirac and Schroeder, have proved that political differences do not mean that we cannot work together.

We have always argued that attempts to isolate Belarus, like other countries, lead to a dead end. In this situation, everyone loses.

Sometimes, we feel like we don't want to offend people, but there are times that we need to express ourselves without fear that somebody is going to shut us down simply because we have differing opinions. That's how we grow.

I served as the chairman of the India-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group for three years, during which I also had the pleasure of visiting Israel.

The U.S. should not continue to ignore Latin America. Our nation shares regional and cultural ties with these neighboring countries.