Bill Richardson Quotes

The main purpose of dialogue is to come to an agreement on how the two parties can work together, realize their mutual interests, and avoid conflict as much as possible

The best way to promote and protect opportunity is through collaboration, consensus-building, and pragmatic problem-solving. Throughout nearly 30 years in public service, I have approached tough challenges by making room for as many people as possible around the table in search of common ground.

A good compromise is one where everybody makes a contribution.

Solutions must be based on compromises.

Through mutual understanding, sincerity and goodwill, and with great wisdom and broad views, the leaders on both sides should jointly initiate new opportunities for peace, stability, cooperation and mutual benefit.

Do we have to talk in order to agree or agree in order to talk?

If you listen, you'll learn. If you talk over each other, you don't accomplish anything.

It's more important to fly midpoint in deals and work together than to try to haggle for the last dollar.

Negotiations can create conditions that can lead to solutions.

if we stop talking at one another, and start talking with one another, we can get a lot done.

By nature, I am a unifier. I am a builder of consensus. I don't believe in sloppy compromise. But I do believe in bringing people together.

Choose the path of dialogue rather than the path of unilateral decisions.

A leader's job is to find common ground.

From collaborating with other people, you make concessions, and those concessions are great because sometimes you are definitely wrong.

There's a time for debate and a time for consensus. There's a time for advocacy and time for first principles.

We come to reason, not to dominate. We do not seek to have our way, but to find a common way.

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.

I've grown up a little bit. I understand the importance of the negotiation. It is a collective act.

Partnership is the way. Dictatorial win-lose is so old-school.

Unless you are willing to compromise, society cannot live together.

Without accepting the other person's thinking, you cannot further your own interest. You need the other's help to get results.

You get nothing done if you don't listen to each other.

My opinion on who's wrong or who's right has nothing to do with the fact that we have to bring together people who are against each other, to transform antagonism into cooperation.

Costa Rica believes in building bridges, in looking for solutions to problems, and not clinging to positions.

Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.