John McCain Quotes

Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.

The president has a big stick.

You’re going to be respected if you can throw a punch, but you also have to prove you can do a deal.

Remember, little girl, I’m like the thorn tree that flowers on the plain. I waft my scent to passers-by and prick he who shakes me. Don’t mess with me, Condoleezza. Don’t mess with me, girl.

I'm very tough. Come to a council meeting, and you'll see it.

The director can be a dictator, but it's not wise to be. You have to choose the days to be a dictator and the days to deal with diplomacy and democracy. Every great leader should know that, even a dictator. Tyrants get overthrown.

If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble, and neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power.

You shall more command with years than with your weapons.

When your enemies defy you, you must serve them steel and fire. When they go to their knees, however, you must help them back to their feet. Elsewise no man will ever bend the knee to you

We were not born to sue, but to command.

I know Vladimir Putin. He respects strength. He lied to our president's [Barack Obama] face; didn't both to tell him about warplanes and troops going into Syria. We need to speak to him from a position of strength.

While President, I have been President - emphatically.

I can't let it pass when you say: "You are the weak party." No, I am not the weak party. I am the man who is making the war. I am the man who is making the peace.

To rule is easy, to govern difficult.

It's so much easier to throw rocks than it is to govern.

You can be powerful without being loud and aggressive.

I don't like to play rough, but I will if I have to.

Force is legitimate where gentleness avails not.

Condi Rice talks tough but she cannot be tough herself.

I don't like things like little sandals that look fragile. I like to look strong and commanding.

The United States needs to be not so much loved as it needs to be respected. Sometimes, that requires us to take actions that generate controversy. I'm not at all sure that that's what the Obama administration believes.

Great leaders don't need to act tough. Their confidence and humility serve to underscore their toughness.

Thaw with her gentle persuasion is more powerful than Thor with his hammer. The one melts, the other breaks into pieces.

Politics is the art of controlling your environment.

In politics, as in business, leadership is crucial.