Political Quotes - Page 12

What clever man has ever needed to commit a crime? Crime is the last resort of political half-wits.

A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.

The mistake the world is making with the simple peoples is to try and hurry them into political concepts they don't understand and aren't prepared to cope with. I know. I am a peasant myself. ... I say, Spit on the big, fancy schemes. I want all the little things first. Then perhaps we can get on to the bigger things.

Why shouldn't I be interested in politics? That is to say, what blindness, what deafness, what density of ideology would have to weigh me down to prevent me from being interested in what is probably the most crucial subject to our existence, that is to say the society in which we live, the economic relations within which it functions, and the system of power which defines the regular forms and the regular permissions and prohibitions of our conduct. The essence of our life consists, after all, of the political functioning of the society in which we find ourselves.

Future generations are not going to ask us what political party were you in. They are going to ask what did you do about it, when you knew the glaciers were melting.

Republicans want smaller government for the same reason crooks want fewer cops; it's easier to get away with murder.

The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.

Frequently the more trifling the subject, the more animated and protracted the discussion.

The more you read and observe about this Politics thing, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other.

A Marxist begins with his prime truth that all evils are caused by the exploitation of the proletariat by the capitalists. From this he logically proceeds to the revolution to end capitalism, then into the third stage of reorganization into a new social order of the dictatorship of the proletariat, and finally the last stage -- the political paradise of communism.

All important architecture of the last century was strongly influenced by political systems. Look at the Soviet system, with its constructivism and Stalinism, Weimer with its Modern style, Mussolini and, of course, the Nazis and Albert Speer's colossal structures. Today's architecture is subservient to the market and its terms. The market has supplanted ideology. Architecture has turned into a spectacle. It has to package itself and no longer has significance as anything but a landmark.

The first Decline I did was out of sheer love and appreciation for the music. In 1977, it was more about bands, because punk was a new form of music. It was groundbreaking and political.

Every time I fill a vacant office, I make ten malcontents and one ingrate.

Political questions are far too serious to be left to the politicians.

Our intent will not be to create gridlock. Oh, except maybe from time to time.

The National Government will regard it as its first and foremost duty to revive in the nation the spirit of unity and cooperation. It will preserve and defend those basic principles on which our nation has been built. It regards Christianity as the foundation of our national morality, and the family as the basis of national life.

My political sentiments inclined toward the left and emphasized the socialist aspects every bit as much as nationalist ones.

The method of political science is the interpretation of life; its instrument is insight, a nice understanding of subtle, unformulated conditions.

It is inexcusable for scientists to torture animals; let them make their experiments on journalists and politicians.

When I am right, I get angry. Churchill gets angry when he is wrong. We are angry at each other much of the time.

The best reason why Monarchy is a strong government is, that it is an intelligible government. The mass of mankind understand it, and they hardly anywhere in the world understand any other.

Books ARE a form of political action. Books are knowledge. Books are reflection. Books change your mind.

Every reform movement has a lunatic fringe.

Well, Nigeria has played a constructive role in peacekeeping in various parts of West Africa. But unless and until Nigeria itself is democratic and respects human rights, it too may well be a source of much greater instability as political repression limits the ability of the people of Nigeria to achieve their full potential.

If you want government to intervene domestically, you’re a liberal. If you want government to intervene overseas, you’re a conservative. If you want government to intervene everywhere, you’re a moderate. If you don’t want government to intervene anywhere, you’re an extremist.