To be turned from one’s course by men’s opinions, by blame, and by misrepresentation shows a man unfit to hold office.

The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure it is right.

Whether for good or evil, it is sadly inevitable that all political leadership requires the artifices of theatrical illusion. In the politics of a democracy, the shortest distance between two points is often a crooked line.

I shall be an autocrat: that’s my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me: that’s his.

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

Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them.

A riot is at bottom the language of the unheard.

I’m president of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli!

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.

The most hateful torment for men is to have knowledge of everything but power over nothing.

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

A real leader is somebody who can help us overcome the limitations of our own individual laziness and selfishness and weakness and fear and get us to do better, harder things than we can get ourselves to do on our own.

If you must take care that your opinions do not differ in the least from those of the person with whom you are talking, you might just as well be alone.