Cornel West Quotes

I'm not a politician. I don't want to be a politician, because politicians do what is politically expedient. I want to do what's right.

There are, believe it or not, good politicians.

Men say that I am a saint losing myself in politics. The fact is that I am a politician trying my hardest to be a saint.

People hold elected officials to a higher ethical standard than most others.

I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is best for the State; and as for the man who sets private friendship above the public welfare - I have no use for him, either.

I think that at his core, Benjamin Netanyahu is not corrupt.

Consistency may be the hobgoblin of little minds, but law, morality and leadership demand it. Without consistency, there is privilege.

Those who really deserve praise are the people who, while human enough to enjoy power, nevertheless pay more attention to justice than they are compelled to do by their situation.

It is now, more than ever, necessary that political leaders be outstanding for honesty, integrity and commitment to the common good.

I would never want to see myself viewed as beating the drums of war, ... but I would rather live with that image than look into the mirror and see a member of Congress who failed to do his duty.

Divorced from ethics, leadership is reduced to management and politics to mere technique.

There is no man more dangerous, in a position of power, than he who refuses to accept as a working truth the idea that all a man does should make for rightness and soundness, that even the fixing of a tariff rate must be moral.

I learned one thing in Watergate: I was well-intentioned but rationalized illegal behavior. You cannot live your life other than walking in the truth. Your means are as important as your ends.

Being prime minister is not a job to be performed with an eye for the exit.

Anyone entrusted with power will abuse it if not also animated with the love of truth and virtue, no matter whether he be a prince, or one of the people.

It is not who is right, but what is right, that is of importance.

Someone once asked, 'What is the difference between me and Saddam Hussein?' The answer is, 'I have a conscience and he doesn't.'

Texas has waited too long for a governor who knows that quid pro quo shouldn't be the status quo. It's time for a governor who believes that you don't have to buy a place in Texas' future.

In the end, Ted Kennedy was a politician, plain and simple. Yet he embodied how politics and public service can be successfully intertwined. You can't be a good public servant without being a good politician. Kennedy was both.

A nation which has forgotten the quality of courage which in the past has been brought to public life is not as likely to insist upon or regard that quality in its chosen leaders today - and in fact we have forgotten.

Benghazi matters because Americans deserve to know the truth from those entrusted to lead and govern.

I don't claim any moral or ethical high ground, but I also have chosen not to run for public office. Shouldn't there be a higher standard of conduct for public officials?

As a governor and senator, John Chafee set the standard for honesty and decency that the rest of us on our best days could only dream to emulate.

The first step into justice begins with the politicians. You have to demand from yourself what you demand from people.

If you're blessed enough to serve in public office, then you shouldn't just talk a good game about your values; you should cast your vote according to them.