Richard Perle Quotes

The lives of the best of us are spent in choosing between evils.

Extraordinary measures were required and I realize that not all of these steps were popular.

Where great evils lie on all sides, it is very difficult to follow the best counsel.

Sometimes, in order to follow our moral compass and/or our heart, we have to make unpopular decisions or stand up for what we believe in. It can be difficult and even frightening to go against the grain, whether it's a personal disagreement with a friend, partner, or family member or a professional decision that affects coworkers and colleagues.

Many journalists seem to believe that we have become little different from our enemies.

To achieve important things, we have to sacrifice what's important to us. That's an idea that's very central to Indian thinking.

When a good man lends himself to the advocacy of slavery, he must, at least for a time, feel himself to be any where but at home, amongst his new thoughts, doctrines, and modes of reasoning.

Even if torture works, what is the point of 'defending' America using a tactic that is a fundamental violation of what America ought to mean?

Human beings are made up of many different values, and sometimes those values are in tension with each other.

I'm not a true vegan.

You have to do bad things in order to become a hero. You have to make sacrifices.

The public weal requires that men should betray, and lie, and massacre.

Necessity makes an honest man a knave.

It is seldom very hard to do one's duty when one knows what it is, but it is often exceedingly difficult to find this out.

A good lawyer is a bad Christian.

Foreign policy is about choosing from nasty options.

We must take, and continue to take, morally hazardous actions to preserve our civilization. We must exercise our power. But we ought neither to believe that a nation is capable of perfect disinterestedness in its exercise nor become complacent about particular degrees of interest and passion which corrupt the justice by which the exercise of power is legitimized.

…if I should once permit such political considerations to interfere with the administration of justice in this office, where could I stop? If I should once begin to allow my official conduct to be swayed by considerations such as those, I feel it would end by eventually leading me wholly astray.

Politically, it may not be the right thing to do, but sometimes proceeding with one's responsibilities can have personal costs.

We like to make tough speeches, but we don't like to make tough choices.

Governments almost never act with moral clarity and for very good reason. They are dealing with competing interests.

It’s less important to have unanimity than it is making the right decisions and doing the right thing, even though at the outset it might be loathsome.

Ultimately all the options are ugly… These decisions are very, very difficult

The way you solve things is by making it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing.

As First Minister, I will always act in the best interests of the country. As party leader, I will always act in the best interests of the party, and if that sometimes means taking difficult, unpalatable decisions, I will never shy away from that.