Orson Scott Card Quotes

[Characterizing Napoleon Bonaparte:] The greatest of destroyers of the human race.

The single despot stands out in the face of all men, and says: I am the State: My will is law: I am your master: I take the responsibility of my acts: The only arbiter I acknowledge is the sword: If any one denies my right, let him try conclusions with me.

If a dictator takes up my ideas, the resulting town will survive the political system that commissioned it and stand as a social good. Besides, modernism rather than classicism has dominated the architecture of totalitarian regimes of both the left and right.

I actually turned down an opportunity for a private interview with Adolph Hitler.

I am sometimes accused of being a dictator because I provoked the extraordinary elections by nominating the interim government. Can you imagine any dictator who provokes free elections in his own country?

Sometimes it's better to have a benign dictator than a dumb democracy, to be honest.

Genghis Khan was a fascinating man and way ahead of his time.

When a top political leader (or a military dictator) faces a substantial public opinion that openly expresses its lack of faith/trust in his leadership qualities, the leader/dictator in turn tries to find (real or imagined) enemies ‘out there’ to divert public attention.

De Gaulle has all the characteristics to be a dictator.

During [Simon] Bolivar’s own lifetime, his role changed dramatically, as Bolivar transformed from an anti-colonial populist to a dictator.

T. E. Lawrence was far more than a glamorous, swashbuckling, heroic figure in flowing robes mounted on a camel, leading the Arab tribes against the Turks in World War One.

It is a characteristic of potentates that they don't succumb to peaceful retirement. Instead, they hold power in their hoary fists as judgment and grip weaken, destroying any successors except family members.

John Kitzhaber was a visionary leader for Oregon.

He's my idol. Putin is a beauty.

Most people in Uganda have something good to say about Amin - 'He was funny; he gave us pride to be African.'

I was trying to capture this man's [Idi Amin] energy, and I did a lot of research in studying him. I tried to capture his 'Warrior King' energy inside of me as much as possible.

[Charles de Gaulle] has been abysmally careless, like a man running a bus over mountains, who forgot to equip it with good brakes.

Power is always a corrupting influence. In this mythical time - let's call it medieval, feudal - people in power are dictatorial and don't want their positions of power to be threatened.

You know, with Hitler, the more I learn about that guy, the more I don't care for him.

...Good leaders wait to be called and they give up their power when they are no longer needed. Selfish men and fools put themselves first and keep their power until someone throws them out. It is no good to have a way where selfish men and fools fight with each other to be leaders, while the good ones watch.

Mussolini was the greatest political leader of the century.

Power is supposed to be so corrupt. I don't think it's so much corrupt, in the usual sense of the word, as stupid and unrealistic. The more power a person has, the further he gets from reality.

I'm not sure Roosevelt was quite a monster, he just did a poor job on the economics.

George Bush isn't Hitler. He could be if he applied himself.

When I need a little advice about Saddam Hussein, I turn to country music.