Quotes about Political Ruin

Francisco Franco

Freemasonry, with all its international influence, is the organization principally responsible for the political ruin of Spain

This quotation shows another example of the paranoia about Masons/ Since the Masons had chapters in many nations, their loyalty was always suspect to the most nationalistic leaders of many countries. In the United States, we even had a national Anti-Masonic Party that elected Congressmen and other politicians. Fear of the foreign—Xenophobia—has existed in many countries.

George W. Bush

It’s a graveyard for politics. I see this as the end of my political future

Bush took the job and was the only CIA director to have a good political career afterwards, becoming Vice President and then President.

Richard Henry Lee

If the King’s ministers had searched through the world for a person the best-fitted to ruin their cause, and procure union and success for these colonies, they could not have found a more complete Agent than Lord Dunsmore.

Lord Dunsmore was John Murray, 1732-1809, the Royal Colonial Governor of Virginia who was one of the least competent of the British officials in Colonial America.

Adolf Hitler

Imagine me going around with a pot belly. It would mean political ruin.

Francis Quarles

There be three sorts of government--monarchical, aristocratical, democratical; and they are apt to fall three several ways into ruin--the first, by tyranny; the second, by ambition; the last, by tumults. A commonwealth grounded upon any one of these is not of long continuance; but, wisely mingled, each guards the other and makes that government exact.

Howell Cobb

Every hour that Georgia stays in the union after Lincoln comes into power would be an hour of degradation, to be followed by certain and speedy ruin.

After the Presidential years of James Buchanan who protected the South from slavery reform and abolition as the North was gaining political power and the abolitionists were having a greater and greater effect on public opinion in the North. While Southerners did not believe Lincoln would emancipate the slaves, they realized that the majority of the growing nation was opposed to slavery, and more and more Northern states were passimg laws making any slave who sets foot in the State a free person. Slaves coud not only have more reason to run away, but slave owners would not be able to get their “property” back. Lincoln would not help the South as Buchanan did, and the Southerners realized that over time, slavery would no longer be feasible or profitable. Cobb, very experienced at Washington politics, realized the changes that would come and thought that they would be “certain and speedy.” The irony was that if the South had not seceded and simply dragged its feet legislatively, it would have taken two or three decades for slavery to end. However, by seceding and initially fighting so hard and well while poor Union generals were in command, Lincoln was forced to try more drastic measures and issued the Emancipation Proclamation after only a few years. The Civil War and seccession was not only a tactical and strategic error for the South, but rapidly brought about just what the Southerners were fighting to prevent.

Rutherford B. Hayes

We are in a period when old questions are settled and the new are not yet brought forward. Extreme party action, if continued in such a time, would ruin the party. Moderation is its only chance. The party out of power gains by all partisan conduct of those in power.

Roger Griswald

The Jacobins, finding themselves unable to manage their business on the questions in the House, have adopted a plan of meeting in divan and agreeing on measures to be pursued and passed in the House and then they vote in mass without admitting any alteration in the plan proposed. The wickedness of such a course has never been equalled.... [T]he spirit is intolerant and must lead to ruin.

It didn't take long in early America for legislative caucuses to spring up:

Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford

It is a maxim in philosophy that ambitious men can be never good counselors to princes; the desire of having more is common to great lords, and a desire of rule a great cause of their ruin.

Political Ruin Quotes