Alexis de Tocqueville Quotes

Politicians are wither very good at running for office or they are good at running government. Seldom are the two found together.

We need the best and the brightest to go into public service.

That rule is the better which is exercised over better subjects.

Look, good government doesn't look for excuses, good government gets on with the job.

I don't have any problem with the right candidate [for presidency]. And so whoever I believe is going to be the best for that office - and the most qualified - is the reason that we put them in that position.

No government has ever been, or can ever be, wherein time-servers and blockheads will not be uppermost.

Leadership ability determines a person's level of effectiveness.

There's one difference between me and them: I know I'm not qualified. In my opinion, Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't qualified to be governor of California. Ronald Reagan wasn't qualified to be governor, let alone president. I was a vice president of the Screen Actors Guild when he was its president. My duties consisted of attending meetings and voting. The only thing I remember is that Ronnie never had an original thought and that we had to tell him what to say. That's no way to run a union, let along a state or a country.

The strength of any organization is a direct result of the strength of its leaders.

In the appointments to the great offices of the government, my aim has been to combine geographical situation, and sometimes other considerations, with abilities and fitness of known characters.

In the highest government office, you have to be ready to bow out at any time, otherwise you are not a free individual anymore.

No form of government matters nearly as much as the spirit and intelligence brought to the administration of any form of government.

Strong leadership demands more than the willingness to use force. It means directing the use of the right tools at the right time for the right purpose and the right cause.

The next big decision [of Donald Trump], chief of staff. And the two names talked about the most, Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus. Both allies, but they send quite a different message.

The object of leadership may be stated as having a system whereby a leader recognizes what is good for the good of the government, for the good of the nation, for the good of humanity, and recognizes the qualities he has and what he can do within his own limitations. He cannot do, and should not attempt to do, the impossible, but he should not fail to attempt something that might be extremely difficult and may be possible.

Personally, having, you know, lived and worked in the White House, having been a senator, having been Secretary of State, there has traditionally been a great pool of very talented, hard-working people.

By punishing men of talent we confirm their authority.

Our form of government does not enter into rivalry with the institutions of others. Our government does not copy our neighbors', but is an example to them. It is true that we are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few. But while there exists equal justice to all and alike in their private disputes, the claim of excellence is also recognized; and when a citizen is in any way distinguished, he is preferred to the public service, not as a matter of privilege, but as the reward of merit

One wants in a Prime Minister a good many things, but not very great things. He should be clever but need not be a genius; he should be conscientious but by no means strait-laced; he should be cautious but never timid, bold but never venturesome; he should have a good digestion, genial manners, and, above all, a thick skin.

I hate politicians. I hate politics. But if I start to go into politics, I think I believe that I can serve more, I can help more people.

It is the quality and the character of the leader that determines the results and performance.

There are men running governments who shouldn't be allowed to play with matches.

Michael Gove is the right leader for the country.

Clinton is a very capable, conscientious person. I think she cares very deeply about policy. She knows a lot about how the government works, and I think those things are very important. You don't really appreciate those things until you get a guy like George W. Bush in the White House, and then you realize that when you don't have someone who knows or cares about government policy, a lot of bad stuff can happen.

[Mondale] was not born; he was appointed.