Tim Kaine Quotes

I'm not saying Obama is right on everything. Of course not. He may be wrong on a number of things. But what I do know is that he behaves like a very, very sane man almost all the time.

Where no counsel is, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

I have to make the very best judgments I can make in terms of what's gonna keep the American people safe. And is what, what's gonna uphold our Constitution and our traditions of due process.

What the American people understand is that I look at what we need to get done to keep the American people safe and to move our interests forward, and I make those decisions.

In respect to foresight and firmness, the people are more prudent, more stable, and have better judgement than princes.

Effective Presidents are those who can achieve a balance between purpose and prudence.

A leader who doesn’t hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader.

If we cannot keep secrets, it is impossible for our leaders to have the adequate information on which to base their policies.

I want what's best for our country. I'm not sure I can figure that out.

If I made decisions around here based on the election, I wouldn't be a very good senator.

Ultimately, when you have to deal with a whole country, priorities change.

The most important thing about a candidate is not their promises - those hardly ever get delivered anyway. It's about how they would respond to unpredictable future events. And that's about their character.

The example that America knows how to govern itself is one of the compelling aspects of our national security.

I think the voters are going to see a stark difference between steady leadership from Secretary Clinton, a depth of experience, and ill-temperament and poor judgment from Donald Trump; that's what they've seen this entire campaign. We welcome these debates.

Individuals do matter and personalities matter in politics. But if issues are sidestepped due to personalities, then that is very dangerous.

Hire people more for their judgment than for their talents.

I think the jobs [at the top] are unbelievably difficult, and there is nothing easier than second-guessing people.

I have much better judgment than Hillary Clinton does. There's no question about that. I also have a much better temperament than she has, you know?

[On power:] Some people really have almost a disdain for that word. They feel it is alien to conscience. Power for power's sake, no. But the positive use of power for positive purposes is very important. You have to understand that. You've got to have a seat at the policy table if you want to make a difference.

Character creates consistency, and if your people know what they can expect from you, they will continue to look to you for leadership.

Whether they love me or don't love me, they think I know what I'm doing and that people aren't gonna be taking advantage of the country. So if I had my choice, I'd love to keep doing what I'm doing. The country is in serious, serious trouble, like it's never been before. And that's why I'm saying: Would I rather stay in Trump Tower? Would I rather stay and lead the life I'm leading - and you know something about my life. It's very good.

The culminating point of administration is to know well how much power, great or small, we ought to use in all circumstances.

Hasty work and premature decisions may lead to penalties out of all proportion to the issues immediately involved.

Governments do not make ideals, but ideals make governments. This is both historically and logically true. Of course the government can help to sustain ideals and can create institutions through which they can be the better observed, but their source by their very nature is in the people. The people have to bear their own responsibilities. There is no method by which that burden can be shifted to the government. It is not the enactment, but the observance of laws, that creates the character of a nation.

Despite the insanity of using whether you would want to have a beer with someone as a legitimate reason for voting for or against them, I always felt that is indicative of a massive problem in politics: It matters as much what your personality is as how smart you are or how good you are at your job. That is a huge, huge problem. A lot of people who are very smart or very good at their jobs are not people I would want to ever have a beer with - but I would want them making massive policy decisions with huge implications for the future of the planet.