Harry S. Truman Quotes

Politics is power, and communications is power,

I sit here all day trying to persuade people to do the things they ought to have the sense to do without my persuading them. That's all the powers of the President amount to.

All the president is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing, and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway.

Leadership is important in politics.

The President can set the cultural agenda.

Part of your job as President is not only to make the tough calls, but to get people to agree with you.

A President cannot always be popular.

The art of politics is knowing what to do next.

There are no techniques in politics.

You know, one of the things I think you understand as president is you're held responsible for everything, but you don't always have control of everything, right?

Running for president is hard. But it's good preparation. Because being president is a lot harder.

Politics is about accountability, it is about leadership, it is about courage.

Politics is a matter of communications.

As to mere power I have been for years in the daily exercise of more personal authority than any President habitually enjoys.

Towering over Presidents and State Governors, over Congress and State Legislatures, over conventions and the vast machinery of party, public opinion stands out in the United States, as the great source of Power.

Certainly I shall not be one of those who, having gained power, do not wish to use it.

The person who manages the state is me.

Politics is the art of acquiring, holding and wielding power.

Never has any one office had so much power as the President of the United States possesses. Never has so powerful a leader been so impotent to do what he wants to do, what he is pledged to do and what he knows he must do.

The fellow that has power is the one who uses it sparingly ... I had more power when I went into office than when I went out.

I don't feel qualified to be President either, but I've got the job.

The presidency is an office for which none of us is great enough.

I’m the commander, see, I don’t need to explain why I say things. That’s the interesting thing about being the President. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don’t feel like I owe anybody an explanation.

The social power of the Presidency is one of the most powerful tools a President can use.

The nature of the presidency is such that you cannot isolate yourself.