Henry Kissinger, the enigmatic diplomat and strategist, is renowned for his insightful and often controversial quotes that reflect his deep understanding of international relations. As a key figure in shaping American foreign policy during the Cold War era, Kissinger's words carry weight and provoke thought on matters of diplomacy, power, and global affairs.
From his musings on the balance of power to his reflections on the nature of diplomacy, Henry Kissinger's quotes offer a glimpse into the mind of a statesman who navigated the intricate web of international politics with finesse and cunning. With a blend of pragmatism and idealism, Kissinger's words capture the essence of realpolitik while also hinting at the moral dilemmas inherent in the pursuit of national interests.
Quotes By Henry Kissinger (2024)
Delve into the profound wisdom and sharp wit of Henry Kissinger with this collection of unique and thought-provoking quotes:
"Power is the great aphrodisiac."
"The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously."
"The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been."
"Even a paranoid can have enemies."
"Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes. There's too much fraternizing with the enemy."
"The illegal we do immediately; the unconstitutional takes a little longer."
"Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem."
"Military men are just dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy."
"A diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure."
"The conventional army loses if it does not win. The guerrilla wins if he does not lose."
"People are generally astonished that I would take an interest in any form that would require me to stop talking for three hours."
"There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full."
"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives."
"The security of Israel is a moral imperative for all free peoples."
"Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation."
"No foreign policy - no matter how ingenious - has any chance of success if it is born in the minds of a few and carried in the hearts of none."
"The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer."
"The statesman's duty is to bridge the gap between his nation's experience and his vision."
"Art is man's expression of his joy in labor."
"If it's going to come out eventually, better have it come out immediately."
"The longer I am out of office, the more infallible I appear to myself."
"A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone."
"Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac."
"Military men are dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns for foreign policy."
"To be absolutely certain about something, one must know everything, or nothing, about it."
"Leaders must invoke an alchemy of great vision."
"If you don’t know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere."
"University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small."
"The task of diplomacy is to extend the area of peace."
"In crises, the most daring course is often the safest."
"Accept everything about yourself - I mean everything. You are you and that is the beginning and the end - no apologies, no regrets."
"The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the other, whom he assumes to have perfect vision."
"The nice thing about being a celebrity is that if you bore people, they think it's their fault."
"The test of policy is how it ends, not how it begins."
"Nobody will ever win the Battle of the Sexes. There's just too much fraternizing with the enemy."
"Moderation is a virtue only in those who are thought to have an alternative."
"The Vietnam War required us to emphasize the national interest rather than abstract principles."
"The real distinction is between those who adapt their purposes to reality and those who seek to mold reality in the light of their purposes."
"It is, after all, the responsibility of the expert to operate the familiar and that of the leader to transcend it."
"To be absolutely certain about something, one must know everything or nothing about it."
"History knows no resting places and no plateaus."
"People are generally amazed that I would take an interest in any form that would require me to stop talking for three hours."
"If you don't know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere."
"The crises of our time, it becomes increasingly clear, are the necessary impetus for the revolution now under way."
"I am being frank about myself in this book. I tell of my first mistake on page 850."
"Accept everything about yourself - I mean everything, You are you and that is the beginning and the end - no apologies, no regrets."
"Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes. There’s too much fraternizing with the enemy."
"A self-restrained approach to foreign policy is not self-abnegation; it is rational calculation."
"In crises, the most daring course is often safest."
"Accept everything about yourself – I mean everything, you are you and that is the beginning and the end – no apologies, no regrets."
"The essence of Richard Nixon is loneliness."
"Corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad."
"Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world."
"Nobody will ever win the Battle of the Sexes. There’s just too much fraternizing with the enemy."
"To be an enemy of America can be dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal."
"The nice thing about being a celebrity is that when you bore people, they think it's their fault."
"The Statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events."
"A statesman who keeps his ear permanently glued to the ground will have neither elegance of posture nor flexibility of movement."
"We cannot always assure the future of our friends; we have a better chance of assuring our future if we remember who our friends are."
"Accept everything about yourself – I mean everything. You are you and that is the beginning and the end – no apologies, no regrets."
"The essence of statesmanship is not a rigid adherence to the past, but a prudent and probing concern for the future."
"People are generally amazed how I could have had so much done in two years. It's simple: you don't waste time."
"There is no such thing as a little country. The greatness of a nation is no longer measured by the sum of its territory."
"Accept everything about yourself—I mean everything. You are you and that is the beginning and the end—no apologies, no regrets."
"The nice thing about being a celebrity is that, if you bore people, they think it's their fault."
"A leader who confines his role to his people's experience dooms himself to stagnation; a leader who outstrips his people's experience runs the risk of not being understood."
"The security of the world requires the balance of power, and the balance of power requires that no one state become so dominant that it can dictate the outcome of international affairs."
"Nobody can be certain of the ultimate outcome of human striving or of the value of a particular action at a particular time."
"The Vietnam War required us to emphasize the national interest rather than abstract principles. What President Nixon and I tried to do was unnatural. And that is why we didn't make it."
"The American temptation is to believe that foreign policy is a subdivision of psychiatry."
"I can think of no faster way to unite the American people behind George W. Bush than a terrorist attack on an American target overseas. And I believe George W. Bush will quickly unite the American people through his foreign policy."
"No foreign policy—no matter how ingenious—has any chance of success if it is born in the minds of a few and carried in the hearts of none."
"Blessed are the people whose leaders can look destiny in the eye without flinching but also without attempting to play God."
"The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children."
"The study of history is a powerful antidote to contemporary arrogance."
"The politician's task is to find societal purpose and to articulate it."
"For other nations, utopia is a blessed past never to be recovered; for Americans, it is just beyond the horizon."
"America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests."
"There is no substitute for experience."
"There is no glory in war, yet from the blackness of its history, there emerge vivid colors of human character and courage."
"People are generally amazed how I could have had any relationship with Nixon, because he was so much different in public from the way he was in private. In public, Nixon had a certain appearance of indestructibility and all that. But in private, he was quite a different man."
"Leadership is not a popular word, but it’s necessary. It’s necessary in the sense that you sometimes have to take unpopular measures."
"It is not a matter of what is true that counts, but a matter of what is perceived to be true."
"The task of the leader is to get their people from where they are to where they have not been."
"It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you place the blame."
"The security of the world requires changing attitudes toward war, not the weapon systems."
"People are generally amazed how many things I am willing to do."
"People are generally surprised to hear that I was a failure in grade school, but I think it's very relevant."
"The most fundamental problem of politics is not the control of wickedness but the limitation of righteousness."
"Leaders are responsible not for running public opinion polls but for the consequences of their actions."
"Accept everything about yourself, I mean everything. You are you and that is the beginning and the end, no apologies, no regrets."
"Accept everything about yourself - I mean everything. You are you, and that is the beginning and the end - no apologies, no regrets."
"The task of diplomacy is not to extend the frontiers of right but to limit the frontiers of wrong."
"The politician's task is to move public opinion in the direction he desires."
"Whatever must happen ultimately should happen immediately."
"There can't be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full."
"No foreign policy – no matter how ingenious – has any chance of success if it is born in the minds of a few and carried in the hearts of none."
"The task of the leader is to provide an interpretation of reality to his people."
"People are generally amazed how similar politicians are all over the world."
"No one will ever win the battle of the sexes; there's too much fraternizing with the enemy."
In the tapestry of international relations and diplomatic discourse, Henry Kissinger's words stand as timeless threads, weaving together wisdom, insight, and strategic vision. Through his vast experience and profound understanding of global affairs, Kissinger has left behind a legacy of thought-provoking quotes that continue to resonate with leaders, scholars, and diplomats alike.
As we reflect on the myriad challenges and opportunities facing our interconnected world, let us draw inspiration from the timeless wisdom encapsulated in the "Quotes By Henry Kissinger." In a world marked by uncertainty and rapid change, his insights serve as beacons of clarity, guiding us toward a future characterized by cooperation, stability, and peace.
