Governance Quotes

Do you not know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed?

I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.

Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable, the art of the next best.

The art of governing mankind by deceiving them.

People always suffer for what governments have done.

No one is able to rule unless he is also able to be ruled.

I swear to you, sitting a throne is a thousand times harder than winning one.

Power without authority is tyranny.

No people likes to be ruled by foreigners.

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.

A republic—if you can keep it.

Democracy is a very bad form of government ... but all the others are so much worse.

My view was that government officials could not sit on the board of the central bank, and I am very happy that has been upheld.

Our commitment to Afghanistan is a long-term one. We put a huge amount of resources into trying to make sure there is peace in that country, a huge amount of development assistance, a huge amount of political support for the government.

Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.

In a democracy, people usually get the kind of government they deserve, and they deserve what they get.

Tyranny is always better organized than freedom.

I would rather be governed by the first 2,000 people in the Boston phone book than the faculty of Harvard University.

In politics stupidity is not a handicap.

Today, we should look for people with great organizational skills to run a government - not just leaders, who are good with people.

Democracy is like a street car. You get off when you reach your destination.

Democracy doesn't mean electing a dictator every five years.

Better a hundred years of tyranny than one day of anarchy.

Make but few laws but see them well observed when once made.

Study history. Study history. In history lie all the secrets of statecraft.