Robert Peel Quotes

Damn your principles! Stick to your party.

Sometimes party loyalty asks too much.

In the field of actual politics, parties are a necessity and organization is essential. It is the duty of the citizen, therefore, to support the party that stands for right policies and to adhere closely to its official organization. Loyalty should be rewarded by positions within the gift of the party; and disloyalty should be looked upon as politician treason.

Party service does not require intelligent, independent action, and politics today stands for party fealty more than for governmental ethics

The young man who is moved in any way to contemplate an entry into public life, whose creed is not in absolute inheritance from his fathers, learns first of all to understand that there are two great political organizations, with one of which he must associate himself, learning and echoing its catch-words, accepting its leadership, and steeping himself in the belief that in it are wisdom and truth while the other party is void of both. It is not everyone whose ductile mind takes him through this training, and a goodly number of up-growing men of not the worst promise for the future have to step aside.

The Party member who, after the nature and form of a contemplated action is once decided upon, continues his opposition to such action by agitation or counter-action, becomes and agent of the enemy in the ranks of the Party.

He too, liked his party, and was fond of loyal men; but he had learned at last that all loyalty must be built on a basis of self-advantage. Patriotism may exist without it, but …loyalty in politics was simply devotion to the side which a man conceives to be his side, and which he cannot leave without danger to himself.

What I want is men who will support me when I am in the wrong.

Party honesty is party expediency.

A centre party would have no roots, no principles, no philosophy and no values.

I am voting for this war so as not to be disloyal to President Bush.

I would expect the support of the party no matter what happens... even if I were to kill my grandmother with an axe.

The most important question ask any candidate is, "what issue do you believe in that will most greatly offend the leadership of your party or your campaign contributors?

The passion which all Democrats seem to have for writing in Republican papers, and vice versa, is something astonishing, and it is only exceeded by their unconquerable desire to censure men of their own party.

We join ourselves to no party that does not carry the flag and keep step to the music of the Union.

We must raise our hands against the nominee of our party, and we must do it to preserve the future of the party itself.

There is no salvation in a narrow and bigoted partisanship. But if there is to be responsible party government, the party label must be something more than a mere device for securing office. Unless those who are elected under the same party designation are willing to assume sufficient responsibility and exhibit sufficient loyalty and coherence, so that they can cooperate with each other in the support of the broad general principles, of the party platform, the election is merely a mockery, no decision is made at the polls, and there is no representation of the popular will.

We are now, as we always have been, decidedly and conscientiously attached to the Tory, and which might with more propriety be called the Conservative, party.

When a party sheds it principles for victory, it will inevitably end up with neither.

By a Party, With a Party, but for the Country.

No man can serve two masters. No man can serve his people and the [party] caucus.

Party loyalty lowers the greatest of men to the petty level of the masses.

This will not be disloyalty but will show that as members of a party they are loyal first to the fine things for which the party stands and when it rejects those things or forgets the legitimate objects for which parties exist, then as a party it cannot command the honest loyalty of its members.

No Federalist over the age of 30 has ever changed his mind on anything

Of late I have felt, with increasing intensity, the injustice inflicted on women by our present laws. The Party is largely my own child and I cannot part from it lightly, or without pain; but at the same time I cannot sever myself from the principles I hold. If it is necessary for me to separate myself from what has been my life's work, I do so in order to remove the stigma resting upon our wives, mothers and sisters of being accounted unfit for citizenship