Nicholas Kristof Quotes

A President needs political understanding to run the government, but he may be elected without it.

A constitutional statesman is in general a man of common opinions and uncommon abilities.

He's a terrible politician, but he makes a fine senator and public servant.

Being president isn't anything like reality TV. It's not about sending insulting tweets or making fiery speeches; it's about whether or not the candidate can handle the awesome responsibility of leading this country.

If the first year of the Trump administration has made anything clear, it's that experience, knowledge, education and political wisdom matter tremendously. Governing is something else entirely from campaigning. And perhaps, most important, celebrities do not make excellent heads of state.

President Trump, who made his name in the business world and built a brand as a successful CEO via a reality TV show that punished incompetence, was not just elected for a series of tough policy views.

This is the difference between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and Sen. Kaine. They are career public servants. Donald Trump is a businessman, not a career politician. He built a business.

I learned a lot about America and a lot about Pat Schroeder, and that's why I will not be a candidate for President.

Sometimes in this country, we don't focus a lot on people's experience and their resume. Mitt Romney would be the most experienced executive to be nominated since 1952. The fundamental task for the next president is going to be fixing things, cleaning things up, being a turnaround artist, if you will.

It's so sad to see how few people in the Obama administration have any private sector experience.

Politicians can't manage. All they can do is talk.

When you're C.E.O., you have to have two conditions: first, shareholders need to trust you and want you to head your company. The second is that you need to feel the motivation to do the job. So, as long as both are reunited, you continue to do the job. And today, they are reunited.

I've developed a much greater respect for our politicians and every high-tech CEO. It's very easy to read about the things they did that you, of course, would have avoided in hindsight.

I'm not prepared for holding office any more than I think Arnold is.

Politicians are wither very good at running for office or they are good at running government. Seldom are the two found together.

The people who have never been in government, don’t know how hard the jobs are.

I want someone in the White House who's had a life.

I was a business man. When they elected me, it took me two years to learn about how government ran.

You're going to find that, intellectually, the [governors] as a whole are a cut or two above what they were 10 or 20 years ago.

I have presidential size policy ambition. I just don't have presidencial size personal ambition.

You might be considering elected office because you are angry with those in power. Indignation can be a motivator to run but not to govern. If you win you'll need more than anger to govern.

I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman - not me, not Bill, nobody - more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America.

When Barack Obama was asked about his lack of executive experience in 2008, he pointed to his successful campaign as proof he could manage the presidency.

When a president was elected with foreign policy experience, it was usually less about his foreign policy experience than other things.

Jill Stein does not have the experience necessary to lead at a national level.