Pragmatism Quotes

Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable, the art of the next best.

… when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men, all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views. From such an Assembly can a perfect production be expected?

It's not about a salary, it's all about reality.

There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel.

The best is the enemy of the good.

What I would like to vote for is a candidate that is socially liberal, a fiscal conservative, broadly libertarian with a small 'l' but sensible and pragmatic and with a chance of winning. That's more or less the empty set.

… you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.

If Hitler invaded Hell I would make at least a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons.

It doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.

No one would have remembered the Good Samaritan if he’d only had good intentions. He had money as well.

Politics is the art of the possible.

The diplomat holds all acts honorable which bring him success, all things are righteous which serve his ends. If cheating is necessary, he will cheat; if lying is useful, he will lie; if bribery helps, he will bribe; if murder serves, he will order murder; if burglary, seduction, arson or forgery brings success nearer, all and each of these will be done.

All idealism is falsehood in the face of necessity.

… realpolitik

I'm definitely a centrist and feel like both parties can be absurd.

The reply is, that one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved, if one of the two has to be wanting. For it may be said of men in general that they are ungrateful, voluble, dissemblers, anxious to avoid danger, and covetous of gain; as long as you benefit them, they are entirely yours; they offer you their blood, their goods, their life, and their children, as I have before said, when the necessity is remote; but when it approaches, they revolt.

The obstinate Man does not hold Opinions; they hold him.

He’s a son-of-a-bitch, but he’s our son-of-a-bitch.

A young man under twenty-five who is not a Socialist has no heart, one above twenty-five who remains a Socialist has no head.

Well, it may be all right in practice, but it will never work in theory

Based on the experience of my life, which I have not exactly hit out of the park, I tend to agree with that thing about, If it's not broke, don't fix it. And would go even further to: Even if it is broke, leave it alone, you'll probably make it worse.

Well when events change, I change my mind. What do you do?

I've always said there is a boulevard that exists between compromising your principles and getting everything you want. Now, we should never compromise our principles. And I never have. Those are the things that people vote for you on, that's the core of who you are. But there's always a boulevard between that and getting everything you want.

The question for the anointed is not knowledge but compassion, commitment, and other such subjective factors which supposedly differentiate themselves from other people. The refrain of the anointed is we already know the answers, there’s no need for more studies, and the kinds of questions raised by those with other views are just stalling and obstructing progress. “Solutions” are out there waiting to be found, like eggs at an Easter egg hunt. Intractable problems with painful trade-offs are simply not part of the vision of the anointed. Problems exists only because other people are not as wise or as caring, or not as imaginative and bold, as the anointed.

The United States had an inordinate fear of Communism which once led us to embrace any dictator who joined us in that fear.