Joe Manchin Quotes

I admire politicians. It is a really tough assignment, and I would fall at the first fence.

I think I should be active politically. Because I look upon myself as a politician. That's not a dirty work you know. Some people think that there are something wrong with politicians. Of course, something wrong with some politicians.

I won't accept anything less than the best a player's capable of doing... and he has the right to expect the best that I can do for him and the team!

One never expected from a Congressman more than good intentions and public spirit.

Politicians are not the most reflective people in the world.

In politics, the leaders are supposed to work and work.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? This is a question I'm often asked as a politician. It tends to be closely followed by a dozen other questions about what I'll do in 'x' scenario or whether I'll resign if 'y' happens.

The fact is the American people want men and women to stand up and represent them and to put their interests ahead of the party interests.

Leaders set high standards. Refuse to tolerate mediocrity or poor performance.

If our political leaders are to be always a lot of political merchants, they will supply any demand we may create. All we have to do is to establish a steady demand for good government.

Being prime minister is not a job to be performed with an eye for the exit.

After thinking carefully about how I can best help my fellow Minnesotans, I have decided to not seek election for a different office in 2014. The warm encouragement from many people to run for U.S. senator or the governorship was deeply humbling.

The President of the United States should strive to be always mindful of the fact that he serves his party best who serves his country best.

Most people who get in trouble in politics usually get in trouble because they're disconnected from the people they serve, and I don't think anybody in Tennessee, even people who won't vote for me, would accuse me of that.

We simply must do better.

The voters reward good performance. So, I'm going to go out and focus, if I become the governor, to do the very best job I can as governor. The rest of it will take care of itself.

There are two kinds of politicians, those who talk and promise and those who listen and do.

I don’t know why we expect perfection from our elected leaders.

In politics there are no bad questions; there are only bad answers.

There are extremely few places in the world where the citizens believe their political leaders will be punished if they disobey the law.

The Prime Minister of this country should be 100 percent efficient at all time.

We are hiring too many people who are called politicians, and we are not holding them accountable…. You do not hire someone and not tell them what to do. Make a trip to Washington and see that they are doing what you want them to do.

The public, by and large, trusts its leaders not only to tell the truth, but to get the job done. When they don’t get the job done, they get punished, and when they don’t get the job done and it comes out that they lied, they’re in really serious trouble. This is what happened to [Lyndon] Johnson and it’s what happened to [George W,] Bush. If you’re going to tell a lie, make sure the policy works out.

If we treated politics like more of a profession, like it should be, we would all be a lot better off.

I'm doing a good job in Washington.