Francois Fenelon Quotes

Diplomacy is letting someone else have your way.

Politics is compromise.

The thing is: in order to reach an agreement, to reach that balance, sometimes it is sort of like that old Rhinestone Cowboy lyric, 'There'll be a load of compromisin' on the road to my horizon.' For those of you who were too young, or don't recall the song, made famous by country singer Glen Campbell, it is your loss.

In politics, you must let the other person have your way.

Yielding is sometimes the best way of succeeding.

My name is new in the field, and I suppose I am not the first choice of a very great many. Our policy then is to give no offense to others—leave them in a mood to come to us if they shall be compelled to give up their first love.

Can compromise be an art? Yes--but a minor art.

By fighting you never get enough, but by yielding you get more than you expected.

To negotiate is not to do as one likes.

We are hopeful that the North Koreans can show a little bit more realism, a little bit more flexibility.

Engagement is not appeasement. Engagement is not surrender.

It's a necessary quality of a diplomat or a politician that he will compromise. Uncompromising politicians or diplomats get you into the most terrible trouble.

Where force is necessary, there it must be applied boldly, decisively and completely. But one must know the limitations of force; one must know when to blend force with a maneuver, a blow with an agreement.

In dancing with the enemy one follows his steps even if counting under one's breath.

I shall argue that strong men, conversely, know when to compromise and that all principles can be compromised to serve a greater principle.

Compromise is moving in the right directlon more slowly than one might like.

It pays to know the enemy - not least because at some time you may have the opportunity to turn him into a friend.

As a member of Congress, I'm often reminded that in baseball, as in diplomacy, you have to know when to hit, when to run, and when to show grace.

I tried being reasonable, I didn't like it.

Let no one think that flexibility and a predisposition to compromise is a sign of weakness or a sell-out.

Appeasement was never a very clever policy, and it should not be our option today.

Fight as hard as you can, and then understand there's going to have to be some amount of reasonable compromise.

Everything is negotiable. Whether or not the negotiation is easy is another thing.

Costa Rica believes in building bridges, in looking for solutions to problems, and not clinging to positions.

Conciliation is not capitulation, nor is compromise to be deemed equivalent to imbalanced concession.