Miroslav Lajcak Quotes

Good ideas are the backbone of good government.

The gardener plants trees, not one berry of which he will ever see: and shall not a public man plant laws, institutions, government, in short, under the same conditions?

Africa doesn't need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.

We won the war, but we are losing the occupation and reconstruction of Iraq. It is past time for a new approach, one that relies on accountability, responsibility, and phasing down the scope of our military commitment.

President Obama has said that our aspirations should be realistic. We are not going to turn one of the poorest countries in the world, that was plunged into 30 years of war, into an advanced, industrialized, Western-style democracy. What we want to achieve is Afghanistan's capacity to secure and govern itself.

It is often said by reformers that government should be conducted upon business principles.

In Ethiopia, democracy is in its infancy and it must be nurtured along by its leaders.

I understand everybody in this country doesn't agree with the decisions I've made. And I made some tough decisions. But people know where I stand.

Any political system can commit mistakes and any state can commit mistakes. What is most important is to acknowledge these mistakes and put them right as soon as possible and put those behind them into account, bring them to account.

Governing is hard. If you’re in the majority, you’ve got to do the hard work of governing

Democratic societies with established institutions must help those societies that do not yet have established institutions.

Being a cabinet minister is not like running a company. A country is not a company.

Our expectations of our leaders are too high—in what they can do to effect our day-to-day lives.

Elections alone will never be enough to ensure good governance.

We're here to put an end to the policy of official impunity.

The job of the politician isn’t to tell you what you want to hear, but to tell you what needs to be done.

A dominion then, whose well-being depends on any man's good faith, and whose affairs cannot be properly administered, unless those who are engaged in them will act honestly, will be very unstable. On the contrary, to insure its permanence, its public affairs should be so ordered, that those who administer them, whether guided by reason or passion, cannot be led to act treacherously or basely.

Knowledge is the cause as well as the effect of good government

There are two rules for mayors: Be there and do something.

Governing is about selecting.

Good government

Since the business of politics is the conciliation of differing interests, justice must not merely be done, but to be seen to be done.

Authoritarian regimes in countries with weak, uninformed, or repressed civil societies will be less susceptible to transparency’s pressures.

I underestimated the low level of capacity. I also underestimated the cultural roots of corruption.

There's this intense media spotlight; there's a need to be transparent, and, 'Oh, by the way, I'm also trying to fight a war at the same time.' It's a challenge, but it goes with the job.