Mark Leibovich Quotes

It's very interesting how Washington works. It's not about speeches. It's about relationships.

Politics is a game of friends.

Success can be built on a strong relationship between a lobbyist and a single, powerful lawmaker.

It's one thing to be talented, but the other thing is connections - with agents, with people; that's what makes a difference, and from the beginning, I've had wonderful representation.

My greatest value derived from the fact that I had access to almost everybody.

Parties in Washington are a natural extension of the working day.... Everybody uses everybody.

Power in Washington is simply the perception of power.

If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.

In politics, it’s not who you know that counts. It’s what you know about who you know that counts.

The size of your business should be matched by the size of your political influence. If your political influence is smaller than your business, it will be taken away from you. If your political influence is bigger than your business, then you are a politician.

I'm not a creature of Washington.

You can have a poli-science degree but if you don't know people, it doesn't do you a bit of good when you're talking to someone.

It's not always what you know, but who you know. Get out and meet people.

Obama might do well to remember that his fast rise from the Illinois state Senate was due in large part to an uncanny ability to make friends and find mentors.

The number one way of becoming powerful in Washington is by becoming the 'Washington Post.'

You should get as close to the power when you're pitching something. I got my two biggest breaks with the man who owned CBS and the guy that owned Paramount, because I was dealing with the guy who would say yes or no.

Whether it's running for president or trying to win an Oscar, campaigning is a must and relationships are a big part of that. It's about who you know to rally behind you.

People like to do politics with me, and they like to do business.

It's who you know and who can help you.

Publishing is a business of relationships. The relationships you make at one house can carry over to another.

Once your name becomes well known, politicians come courting.

I know the activists I deal with, we sort of try and check each other to make sure that we haven't gone native, that you come to Washington thinking it's a cesspool, you don't want to end up thinking it's really a hot tub and getting used to it. So that's something one has to keep an eye on all the time.

Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reason, and not just to mingle with the right people.

I grew up in that world of power and politics in Washington, but when you grow up around it, you are completely unfazed by it.

I'm not a Washington person.