Christopher Voss Quotes

Fair play doesn't pertain in bargaining. What matters there is leverage.

Politics and war are remarkably similar situations.

There is a thin line between peace of the brave and peace of the hostage... between compromise - even calculated risk - and irresponsibility and capitulation.

The idea of reasoning with terrorists without force or with appeasement is naive, and I think it's dangerous.

Secrecy is the foundation of politics.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.

Play off everyone against each other so that you have more avenues of action open to you.

Are you trying to manipulate me? It's working.

If you think that by threatening me you can get me to do what you want... well, that's where you're right. But - and I am only saying this because I care - there's a lot of decaffeinated brands on the market that are just as tasty as the real thing.

Between two groups of people who want to make inconsistent kinds of worlds, I see no remedy but force.

Where misunderstanding serves others as an advantage, one is helpless to make oneself understood.

And then there's all these other creeps that surround your band and suck off you like leeches and try to manipulate you and your business. You have to watch like a hawk. I'm always ready to fight. I see it very much as a battle.

Politics is comparable to boxing. The only thing is that in politics there are basically no rules. In boxing, you can get a black eye, but in politics you can get poison in your food or a bullet in the head. It's definitely rougher and tougher than other sports.

Part of my job is to try and seduce people. It's what I get paid for, and if people get in the way of me doing my job I can be very difficult.

You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time.

Unfortunately, in collective bargaining one party or the other too often tries to gain an advantage - a bargain, like buying something in a store for less than it is worth.

In conspiracies, men who know what they wanted commonly ended by controlling the men who did not.

Under every stone lurks a politician

There can scarcely be a more difficult thing than to play a double game. It is dangerous, and it is at times, a nice point to draw the distinction between such a game and dishonor.

A weapon is a device for making your enemy change his mind.

Sometimes in politics one must duel with skunks, but no one should be fool enough to let the skunks choose the weapons.

Diplomacy is the art of saying “Nice Doggie!” till you can find a rock.

The approach of danger always lends precision to the diplomatic art.

In politics and in trade, bruisers and pirates are of better promise than talkers and clerks.

There’s no reason to respect anyone’s word in that part of the world. The only thing they respect is force and the threat of force.