I am invariably of the politics of the people at whose table I sit, or beneath whose roof I sleep.

He may be a patriot for Austria, but the question is whether he is a patriot for me.

Out of the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing was ever made.

Treaties, you see, are like girls and roses: they last while they last.

The U.S. presidency is a Tudor monarchy plus telephones.

People revere the Constitution yet know so little about it—and that goes for some of my fellow senators.

Sic semper tyrannis! The South is avenged.

It is impossible to tell which of the two dispositions we find in men is more harmful in a republic, that which seeks to maintain an established position or that which has none but seeks to acquire it.

Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.

You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner.

My people and I have come to an agreement that satisfies us both. They are to say what they please, and I am to do what I please.

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always count on the support of Paul.

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.