Joseph R. Biden Jr. Quotes

I'm not always the most diplomatic person.

I know the pros and cons of not being diplomatic.

You learn, just as you learn good manners, how to approach things with a certain amount of diplomacy.

I did not deal well with the politicians. I tend to tell people that when they are full of crap, that they are full of crap.

A diplomat is one that says something that is equally misunderstood by both sides, and never clear to either.

I have always liked to speak to people very directly.

Diplomacy is the lowest form of politeness because it misquotes the greatest number of people. A nation, like an individual, if it has anything to say, should simply say it.

It is tact that is golden, not silence.

Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.

Modern diplomats approach every problem with an open mouth.

I guess I'm too outspoken.

I refuse to put anything into suave diplomatic language.

… in politics, just as anywhere else in life, it is impossible and it would not be sensible always to say everything bluntly. Yet that does not mean one has to lie. What is needed here are tact, instinct and good taste.

Look, I'm outspoken.

I am an undiplomatic diplomat.

I'm very bold and say what I feel. That doesn't mean I ruffle feathers. It means I'm being honest.

If I don't like you, I will tell you, that's it.

I've been known not to bite my tongue.

If you can't be direct, why be?

You guys are so caught up in your polished images and your passive-aggressive comments that no one ever comes right out and says anything. Well, I'm going to.

It is important to our friends to believe that we are unreservedly frank with them, and important to friendship that we are not.

I was never the diplomatic diplomat.

The English are polite by telling lies. The Americans are polite by telling the truth.

To say nothing, especially when speaking, is half the art of diplomacy.