Quotes About Political realism

Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.

We must face the fact that international relations are governed by interests and not by moral principles.

I think Bernie Sanders is a realist.

In a system created by Putin, it is only possible for Putin to win. I am realistic about who will become the president.

A democracy, the realistic observer is forced to conclude, is likely to be idealistic in its feelings about itself, but imperialistic about its practice.

One of the things that's unique about Louisiana politics is that people here have a much more realistic attitude about who their politicians are. They know they are human and not saints or Mormons or Eagle Scouts.

Truth might be heroic, but it was not within the range of practical domestic politics.

Naiveté, optimism, generosity—we encounter them among botanists, specialists in the pure sciences, explorers, never among politicians, historians, or priests.

Morgenthau quotes

What passes for political realism may make for lively academic debates. But it often functions, ironically, as a tool of social control, rendering us passive with an analysis that overwhelms and paralyzes us.

I am kind of an idealist but I became a DUP member because I believe politics should have a footing in harsh reality.

Sharon was a realist. He recognized, as did Ben-Gurion and Dayan, that the Arabs had as legitimate a claim to this land as we did, and that they possessed pride and courage and anger, against which no rejoinder existed except the sword.

Most of Gingrich's moderate positions are rooted in a realpolitik that transcends ideology.

After two years in Washington, I often long for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood.

He never stooped to trying to sell us on stupidities about electability and realism, or the pitfalls of purity. Instead, he stared right into the flaming-hot sun of shameless lies and cynical horseshit that is our politics, and he described exactly what he saw - probably at serious cost to his own mental health, but he benefit to is was Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72.

Idealism is like a castle in the air if it is not based on a solid foundation of social and political realism.

In the Middle East, we don't have the luxury to indulge in fantasy.

We should cease to talk about vague and unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of the living standards, and democratization. The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are then hampered by idealistic slogans, the better.

Folks, the zombies are not on television - they are in Washington, D.C., and they meet at the Capitol Hill Club and call themselves 'Realists.'

Then what explains war among states? Rousseau's answer is really that war occurs because there is nothing to prevent it.

A world without war is not in the cards.

We do ourselves as politicians no favours if we are seen to peddle unachievable moonshine.

There can be no greater error than to expect or calculate upon real favors from nation to nation.

I've consciously tried not to romanticize anything, especially not intelligence work. I've always said that I've been writing a series of episodic, naturalistic novels. The people just happen to be spies, politicians, civil servants.