John Podesta Quotes

We have the duty of formulating, of summarizing, and of communicating our conclusions, in intelligible form, in recognition of the right of other free minds to utilize them in making their own decisions.

Society is indeed better off when we share knowledge with one another and have open debates about the issues in the public arena, with the hands and motives of the players identified.

As I've grown older, I've grown more convinced there's nothing that shouldn't be talked about. If we think we're protecting each other, we're not.

Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won't have as much censorship because we won't have as much fear.

If you don't accept there is a problem, then it is hard to debate things.

More information is always better than less. When people know the reason things are happening, even if it's bad news, they can adjust their expectations and react accordingly. Keeping people in the dark only serves to stir negative emotions.

In politics there are no bad questions; there are only bad answers.

I think it's important to have conversation about things instead of shutting things down.

In order to practice dialogue, you need to be able to set aside your assumptions and try to listen more than you want to talk. It's not always politically correct to be able to do that, but it can give you a better sense of the reality.

I think if you're forthright and answer a lot of questions, sometimes you'll get people who won't let you answer the questions, and that makes for a difficult answer.

It's time to elevate the debate in this country and allow the public to access the same neutral, unbiased, nonpartisan information that we in Congress rely on every day.

I do genuinely believe that, when given and presented with all the information and all the actual facts, the vast majority of people will make the right choice.

I give thousands of interviews, and I'm probably about as open as anybody in Washington as far as access goes, so I'll continue to do that.

If you disagree with me about a position I have taken, or what I've done, tell me, argue with me, debate. Sometimes, right and good are not that clear; at other times, it is only deliberate and respectful debate that leads us to understand what road we should take.

Telling kids the truth isn't always entirely possible, but talking to them is.

I think increasingly I really come to appreciate the people, the politicians, the interviewees, of any stripe and size who are able to answer a question. It seems such a small, gentle thing to demand in 2019 but it has actually become the biggest ask that we can make.

I spend a lot of time bathing in a glow of consensus but you also have to be willing to say something to people who might not agree with you and take the consequences of what follows.

I'm always for constructive conversation, meaningful conversation, not just words, but conversation.

Let's choose to hear one another out.

Sometimes I think that people are not prepared to listen and discuss truths.

What I would like is to at least have a discussion with the coach, that he tells me what he thinks. I have to know.

I've always engaged in open, honest communication. There's no topic that can't be discussed.

I found that I can never know enough, and that many times the best form of education is through communication.

I'm not opposed to talking with anyone who is willing to talk.

Inclusion and transparency have been mainstays of my leadership. It's about education and reaching out.