Quotes from Condoleezza Rice

After all, when the world looks to America, they look to us because we are the most successful political and economic experiment in human history.

The foreign ministers were unsettled too by the buzz around the report's insistence on a new diplomatic push that would involve talking to Iran—a kind of regional solution to the Iraq problem. They were rightly suspicious that the Iranians would use their enhanced diplomatic perch that would come with U.S. consultations to further their influence in the region, and the ministers wanted a promise that the United States was not about to sell out to Tehran to end the war in Iraq.

As James Madison put it in Federalist No. 40, "The choice must always be made, if not one of the lesser evil, at least of the GREATER, not the PERFECT good." And in the last of the Federalist Papers, he said, "I never expect to see a perfect work from imperfect man.

The first step for a leader is to be right with yourself. Integrity is the basis of leadership.

The paradox of democracy is that its stability is born of its openness to upheaval through elections, legislation, and social action. Disruption is built into the fabric of democracy.

One of the hardest things about diplomacy is to put yourself into someone else's shoes without compromising your own principles.

Education is transformational. It changes lives. That is why people work so hard to become educated and why education has always been the key to the American Dream, the force that erases arbitrary divisions of race and class and culture and unlocks every person's God-given potential.

The essence of America – that which really unites us — is not ethnicity, or nationality or religion – it is an idea — and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things. That it doesn't matter where you came from but where you are going.

Prejudice and bigotry are brought down...by the sheer force of determination of individuals to succeed and the refusal of a human being to let prejudice define the parameters of the possible.

it's good to have female or minority role models. But the important thing is to have mentors who care about you, and they come in all colors.

if you are overdressed, it is a comment on them. If you are under dressed, it is a comment on you.

Race is a constant factor in American life. Yet reacting to every incident,real or imagined, is crippling, tiring, and ultimately counterproductive.

You never cede control of your own ability to be successful to something called racism.

People may oppose you, but when they realize you can hurt them, they'll join your side.

Societies that treat women badly are dangerous societies. The empowerment of women is not only morally right it is also practical in the positive impact it has on so many social ills.

For 60 years, my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region, here in the Middle East, and we achieved neither.

I would rather be ignored than patronized, I said, pointing to the tendency of the Democratic party to talk about women, minorities and the poor. I hated identity politics and the self-satisfied people who assume that they were free of prejudices when in fact they too could not see beyond color to the individual.

I'm an American, nothing is impossible.

I would rather be ignored than patronized

The fact is, race is a constant factor in American life. Yet reacting to every incident, real or imagined, is crippling, tiring, and ultimately counter productive. I grew up in a family that believed that you might not be able to control your circumstances, but you can control your reaction to them. There was no room for being a victim or depending on the white man to take care of you.

somewhat vague) new relationship between the United States

if the nation were to be stable, individual rights had to be exercised according to rules that all people could understand and trust.

the Founders were concerned that the will of the people could easily become the preferences of the mob.

Madison and others reserved their harshest criticism for state religions obsessed with earthly wealth and power. Their argument was two-pronged: State religion was bad for the individual citizen, interfering with his most basic and personal of choices, and it was bad for religion, condemning the church to worldliness and corruption.