Erich Leinsdorf Quotes

Peace and commerce with foreign nations could be more effectually and cheaply cultivated by a common agent; therefore they gave the Federal Government the sole management of our relations with foreign governments.

In State of the Union addresses, I always look at the foreign policy and military parts first, which are generally pretty minimal.

Ambassadors are the eyes and ears of states.

I'm in charge of the State Department's 60,000-plus people all over the world, 275 posts.

There was no pressure or blackmail from the U.S. I had no idea the military aid was held up.

Personally, I think Mitt Romney would be a great secretary of state.

The new [Donald Trump] administration may not want the benefit of [Dan Fried] expertise in terms of figuring out what Russia is up to with us right now but I do. I mean, we can all benefit from it as a country as we figure out what's going on right now with this presidency and with Russia in particular.

As secretary of state it's been an enormous honor to represent this great country that I love so much - I have really seen that our great strengths are in the ability of people to reach their potential here.

Foreign relations is an open book-- generally a checkbook.

Imagine if we didn't have a President traveling the world bad mouthing America....that's the UN's job.

My mother was an authority on pig sties. This is the worst looking pigsty I have ever seen in my life, and I want it cleaned up right now.

Maybe I'm not going to be able to do a deal with Russia, but at least I will have tried. And if I don't, does anybody really think that Hillary Clinton would be tougher on Russia than Donald Trump?

Putin is going to be considering the United States his number one enemy no matter who our president is - and no matter who's elected, that isn't going to change. I think Putin is loving the media saying he's got all this power, 'cause they're a Third World country outside of their military.

A foreign minister, I will maintain it, can never be a good man of business if he is not an agreeable man of pleasure too. Half his business is done by the help of his pleasures: his views are carried on, and perhaps best, and most unsuspectedly, at balls, suppers, assemblies, and parties of pleasure; by intrigues with women, and connections insensibly formed with men, at those unguarded hours of amusement.

I just don't think it's good for us to be run out of town. (Refusing to cancel Secretary of State visit to Moscow)

I think Barack Obama's foreign policy will be regarded more failure than success.

I would a whole lot rather had Carly Fiorina over there doing our negotiation than John Kerry. Maybe we would've gotten a deal where we didn't give everything away. But the issue for us is to have a Congress that stands up and says not only no, but "Hell no" to this money going to a [Iran] regime that is going to use it for terror...

I travel a lot on foreign policy, as you know. I'm in Europe a lot. I travelled over a million miles as vice president. They didn't do stimulus. Look where they are. Come on. I mean, this is like, I just get so frustrated. Like come on.

Unfortunately, when Trump meets with the Russian foreign minister and the Russian ambassador, he gives more fuel to the fire.So, I think he should stop meeting with the Russian leaders. They are not our friends. They are our adversaries.

The [Carter] administration doesn't know the difference between a diplomat and a doormat.

America's civilian institutions of diplomacy and development have been chronically undermanned and underfunded for far too long.

Hillary Clinton was an outstanding secretary of state. She would never intentionally put America in any kind of jeopardy.

I think it would be a threat [Donald's Trump presidency] to the conduct of our foreign policy and our position in the world at large.

If I were to look at foreign policy, I would say John McCain has been wrong on just about everything over the last four decades.

You're supposed to eat the cows. They're great big lumbering stupid things - they'd be everywhere if we didn't eat them.