Joseph A. Califano Jr. Quotes

In Washington telling the truth is a gaff.

When I became press secretary my father sent me a telegram and said, "Tell the truth if you can and if you can't tell the truth, don't tell a lie." That became very difficult to do.

By and large, our leaders don’t lie to us.

I'm the only honest person in Washington.

In Washington the politicians lie on the record and tell the truth off the record. In the Middle East, it’s the opposite. They lie off the record, and tell the truth on the record.

Credibility is not a renewable resource in Washington.

Certainly he [Richard M. Nixon] is not of the generation that regards honesty as the best policy.

Surely we don’t want the President to lie, we don’t want our senators to lie, we don’t want our congressmen to lie. But sometimes they do.

Prime Ministers are wedded to the truth, but like other married couples they sometimes live apart.

Even the very best newspapers have never learned how to handle public figures who lie with a straight face.

I was showing early symptoms of becoming a professional baseball man. I was lying to the press.

One ought to have a good memory when he has told a lie.

When I think it's good not to say the truth, I don't say anything. I don't like actors in general, they lie, they are liars, trust me.

There's good and bad everywhere in any aspect in life. The only people who we can't really trust are politicians. Because those guys lie to everybody and constantly.

If somebody is going to hand me a load of BS, I feel obliged to call attention to the steaming pile

In Washington, non-attribution is a way of life.

A good politician doesn't tell you what he's going to do next.

Lying was a way of life. The solution to the problem is ultrasimple: tell the truth, no matter how painful.

Ronald Reagan is not a typical politician because he doesn't know how to lie, cheat, and steal. He's always had an agent for that.

If you have to tell the truth about the fat content in a hamburger, why shouldn’t you have to tell the truth about another individual who is offering for public office.

Not knowing the answer is better than consciously misleading.

My instructions were, "You don't lie. You put your own interpretation on the truth.

The definition of committing a gaff in Washington is telling the truth when most people think that you should not have.

The character and repute of President Kennedy constitute one of our greatest national resources. Nothing should be done to jeopardize this invaluable asset. When lies must be told, they should be told by subordinate officials.

Statements of honesty in Washington can only go so far when you are employed.