Lloyd Bentsen Quotes

Hire a staff that's more like you than you are.

I'm a person who believes in close monitoring and knowing what everyone on the staff is doing.

It’s like volleyball. There are setters and spikers. The chief of staff is a setter, putting the ball in the air so the Senator can spike it.

The head of the government ethics ought to be careful, because that person is becoming extremely political. Apparently, may have made a - publicly supported Hillary Clinton as calling out the president with information on Twitter about our disentangle - disentangling of the business over a month ago.

When I took over 'The New Yorker,' there was a very, very good, smart staff in place.

There are no favorites in my office. I treat them all with the same general inconsideration.

I always keep a firewall between my own travails and my perception of public-policy issues; otherwise I would retain no credibility as a commentator.

I don't want to put words in Geithner's mouth, but I think he is generally against the revolving door of government officials taking jobs with companies that they have overseen or in roles that involve lobbying. At minimum, I'm pretty sure he felt that way about himself.

The views of several individuals are assuredly preferable to one man, even as the power of a number of men is of course greater than the power of one man.

In a Congressional ethics investigation of members there is a conflict of interest…in a sense, the norms and practices of the institution are on trial.

Tell your friends a lie; if they keep it secret, tell them the truth.

Tell that staff of yours that nobody ain’t going to divide us. I’ll tell mine the same.

Being Attorney General is a lot better than being a judge. You can get something done. If you have an idea, you’ve got thousands of people you can put to work on the idea.

I never do any brainwork that anyone else can do for me

Why the hell didn't I know about this?

To have success, there must be a very clear mission, a staff who understands the mission, enough autonomy to do the mission, and accountability for the success of the mission..

Where no counsel is, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

He who serves two masters has to lie to one.

Well then, the ayes have it.

Evaluations, in essence, are … ways of being, modes of existence of those who judge and evaluate

To give a person an opinion one must first judge well whether that person is of the disposition to receive it or not.

As a matter of general sound public policy, I am very certain that there is a requirement that where a public official is under inquiry or investigation, especially an elected official, and it appears that his scale of living or the total of his bank deposits far exceeds the public salary which he is known to receive, he, the elected public official, owes a positive public duty to the community to give a reasonable or credible explanation of the sources of the deposits, or the source which enables him to maintain a scale of living beyond the amount of his salary.

Validity was restored to the laws, authority to the courts, and dignity to the Senate

Whatever advice you give, be brief.

I will not take orders from Bob Haldeman and the West Wing. Unless I can take orders from you only, I am going to resign.