Quotes About Diplomacy

At the State Department, where I oversaw our human rights diplomacy, I often confronted dictatorships like China about their censorship of the Internet, which they justified by claiming they were merely filtering out lies. Our government cannot and should not take that path.

After some of the most contentious years in state government, I've made it clear that I will, and can, work with anyone to get things done.

I believe that the purpose for which I and my fellow soldiers entered upon this war should have been so clearly stated as to have made it impossible to change them, and that, had this been done, the objects which actuated us would now be attainable by negotiation.

I have stated publicly, I want the same things for Iran that I want for Brazil. I want them to use and develop their nuclear energy for peaceful means.

The Americans have claimed they want to completely stop Iran's oil exports. They don't understand the meaning of this statement, because it has no meaning for Iranian oil not to be exported, while the region's oil is exported.

The language of any joint statement between two countries is mulled over many times before it becomes final.

If there was genuine desire on the Israeli side, even without a solution, it would be possible to solve a large percentage of the problems between Israelis and Palestinians by means of simple statements from the Israelis.

I don't comment directly on actions or statements of candidates.

We desire an expansion of relations with regional states and the establishment of extensive public contacts.

A solution of two national states - a Jewish state, Israel; an Arab state, Palestine. The Palestinians are our closest neighbors. I believe they may become our closest friends.

Let me let you in on a little secret. There is no such thing as an international community. There are self-maximizing, self-interested states that will push their interests as far as possible.

Time and again, when member states and the governments are faced with an insoluble problem, and they're under pressure to do something, that something usually ends up being referred to the U.N.

You know, a statesman is a dead politician.

The first requirement of a statesman is that he be dull.

I mean, like a lot of kids growing up in the early seventies, I was fed Dr. Kissinger with my Fruit Loops. He was the Dr. Ruth of American foreign policy, and the model statesman.

A statesman cannot afford to be a moralist.

Henry Kissinger is perhaps the best-known American statesman of the 20th century.

Former President Shimon Peres was a leader and a statesman, and an especially wonderful friend to all of us. He will be missed dearly.

To craftsmanship we shall add statesmanship in the capitol of peace.

He has conferred on the practice of vacillation the aura of statesmanship.

Compromise used to mean that half a loaf was better than no bread. Among modern statesmen it really seems to mean that half a loaf; is better than a whole loaf.

There are too many politicians in the world and too few statesmen.

Now I know what a statesman is; he's a dead politician. We need more statesmen.

It's not always easy to make polite, lunchtime conversation with a mother who for decades has had international leaders and statesmen to engage with in potentially world-changing discussions.