John F. Kelly Quotes

Well, the truth is always what should be told. And the truth and the knowledge of the truth is what everybody should represent, regardless of the consequences of doing it.

You didn’t elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth.

I've learned that, in many cases, people say, 'I want ground truth,' and they don't really mean it. There are warts all over this organization, as there are in many organizations, but you just have to tell truth to power and let the chips fall where they may.

I'm a person who has always believed that you tell people the truth, and they'll make reasonable decisions. Truth is powerful.

I've never feared anyone or worried what they said as long as what I'm telling is the truth, and I'm not telling lies about people.

We must face facts. I have made that my guiding principle in office.

I have been known for some time as a person who speaks the truth and speaks it strongly. I have always called a liar a liar and a hypocrite a hypocrite.

I have been given the authority over you, and I am not the best of you. If I do well, help me; and if I do wrong, set me right. Sincere regard for truth.

If values matter in an organisation, you have to be prepared to act consistently.

Both politicians and journalists face situations which strain their honesty and humanity. My opinion is that politicians on the average stand up somewhat better than journalists.

When the people who are responsible for our country ask you a direct question, I expect them to accept a direct answer, not to be blackballed because you are telling the truth.

In all my public and private acts as your president, I expect to follow my instincts of openness and candor with full confidence that honesty is always the best policy in the end.

Be honest. Be honest with yourself, be honest with, you know, your fellow politicians. This is a rare quality of politicians.

And one of the most important values of Barack Obama is that he will always level with the American people.

It's important to be honest and truthful with your constituents. At the end of the day, we represent them.

So I'm just waiting until one party or the other actually gets a moral compass and a backbone.

Telling the truth, and confronting the challenge, is what politics is about.

Being truthful is a necessity because when I'm not being truthful it takes a toll on me. I don't have any room for it in my life. I don't have an across-the-board opinion on honesty in relationships. But for me, personally, it's paramount.

Every leader has the responsibility to hone his or her integrity. Many times, there are integrity traps that have a tendency to catch well-meaning leaders off guard.

At the end the day because I believe so strongly in leadership, what I look for first, what I try to assess, is integrity.

When I saw corruption, I was forced to find truth on my own. I couldn't swallow the hypocrisy.

[Richard Nixon was:] The greatest moral leader of the last third of this century.

Leaders can either lead or mislead. If you lead, you must lead with facts.

We have to be responsible in what we say as leaders.

Whether you're a second lieutenant working with a captain and a lieutenant colonel, or a four-star general working with the Office Secretary of Defense and the White House, the decision makers have got to have ground truth. Otherwise, the decisions they make could be flawed - and that can be dangerous.