Julian Baggini Quotes

It's so much easier to throw rocks than it is to govern.

The important thing is that we recognize our President's leadership, that he is not saying: I am going to walk away from this. He is saying: I am going to do the right thing.

But I think that sensitivity is also a good counsellor when it comes to enforcing one's interests.

I don't want to go down in history as a man who allowed blood to be shed.

I'm a mediator by training and inclination.

We must keep on trying to solve problems, one by one, stage by stage, if not on the basis of confidence and cooperation, at least on that of mutual toleration and self-interest.

I'm not looking for a battle with anybody, neither the council nor our labor partners.

You have to pick your battles on set.

If I don't agree with something, I let people know, and it occasionally leads to tension. But I usually iron things out.

How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They said that they couldn't do it; it would destroy them. I said they had to do it. And I finally got support from Hoffman on it.

I was always the mediator.

The most important thing in an argument, next to being right, is to leave an escape hatch for your opponent, so that he can gracefully swing over to your side without too much apparent loss of face.

I think most conflicts do end with negotiated settlements; some don't, but most do.

The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

Between an uncontrolled escalation and passivity, there is a demanding road of responsibility that we must follow.

Harsh counsels have no effect; they are like hammers, which are always repulsed by the anvil.

Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. As a peacemaker the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough.

It is an excellent rule to be observed in all disputes, that men should give soft words and hard arguments; that they should not so much strive to vex as to convince each other.

There is only one way under high heaven to get the best of an argument—and that is to avoid it.

Only negotiations can resolve long standing grievances.

There is no conflict that can’t be solved.

If after negotiations there are still some differences outstanding between us, the differences will be adjusted by arms.

Peace" is when nobody's shooting. A "just peace" is when our side gets what it wants.

There is no such thing as a conflict that cannot be ended.

Treaties take away something that we take for granted—that you can change something the does not work. They stop us from fixing our mistakes.