Manu Quotes

No other people, as a whole, is entirely our enemy. No people at all … is entirely our friend.

Let him (the king) also appoint an ambassador who is versed in all sciences, who understands hints, expressions of the face and gestures, who is honest, skilful, and of noble family. Such an ambassador is commended to a king who is loyal, honest, skilful, possessing a good memory, who knows the proper place and time for action, who is handsome, fearless, and eloquent. For the ambassador alone makes kings' allies and separates allies; the ambassador transacts that business by which kings are disunited or not.

Today we will find most nations to be both our partners and our adversaries—sometimes simultaneously.

Peace with England, and war with the world

One of the rules of the Middle East is: The enemy of your enemy can still be your enemy.

It pays to know the enemy - not least because at some time you may have the opportunity to turn him into a friend.

Americans tend to go for it all. In international politics you can’t have it all. You have to compromise.

Our plan was to have no Interest, Connection or Embarrassment in the Politicks or Wars of Europe, if we could avoid it.

Neutrality is not like a simple mathematical formula which has only to be announced and demonstrated in order to be believed and respected. It has in fact always been one of the difficult problems …. Instead of earning the respect and goodwill of both belligerents it is regarded by both with hatred and contempt.

All diplomacy is a continuation of war by other means.

[Commenting on foreign policy:] The Best politics is no politics.

We can not have peace and prosperity in Asia with any single country trying to dominate the region.

We had to avoid wounding Austria too severely; we had to avoid leaving behind in her any unnecessary bitterness of feeling or desire for revenge; we ought rather to reserve the possibility of becoming friends again with our adversary of the moment, and in any case to regard the Austrian state as a piece on the European chessboard and the renewal of friendly relations as a move open to us. If Austria were severely injured, she would become the ally of France and of every other opponent of ours; she would even sacrifice her anti-Russian interests for the sake of revenge on Prussia.

We cannot expect to make everyone our friend, but we can try to make no one our enemy.

America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests

Whoever said “Keep your enemies close” didn’t have many enemies.

When your enemies are fighting one another, don’t support one or the other. Weaken both.

There is not a more prudent maxim, than to live with one's enemies as if they may one day become one's friends; as it commonly happens, sooner or later, in the vicissitudes of political affairs.

War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy with other means.

I don't believe in ideology in international relations.

… realpolitik

Trust between allies is as important as deterrence of foes.

No country can be expected to make peace with a nation that denies its right to exist.

Let us above all things avoid as much as possible entangling ourselves with their wars and politics … America has been the sport of European wars and politics long enough.

Keep us out of war. Be neutral.