“The greatest
political storm flutters only a fringe of humanity.” G.K. Chesterton
“Almost nothing
is as important as almost everything in Washington is made to appear. And the importance of a Washington
event is apt to be inversely proportional to the attention it receives.” George
Will
“Being in
politics is like being a football coach; you have to be smart enough to
understand the game, and dumb enough to think it’s important.” Eugene McCarthy
“All politics is
actually based on the indifference of the majority.” John Reston
“Americans view
politics with boredom and detachment.
For most of us, politics is increasingly abstract, a spectator sport
barely worth watching. Since the average voter believes that politics will do
little to improve his life or that of his community, he votes defensively, if
at all.” E. J. Dionne
“The Constitution
is not an instrument for government to restrain the people, it is an instrument
for the people to restrain the government‑‑lest it come to dominate our lives
and interests.” Gouvenor Morris
“Liberty
necessitates the diminutization of political ambition and concern. Liberty necessitates concentration on
other matters than mere civil governance.
Rather, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, freemen must think on these things.” Patrick Henry
“What frustrates
many Americans about politics, I think, is that their hard-earned prosperity
was supposed to produce widespread decency. It didn’t. And
as a result, we’re mad.” James Q. Wilson
“Our national
temper is sour, our attention span limited, our fuse short. We yearn childishly, for a cowboy in a
white hat to ride into town. We
are ripe for political disaster.” Simon Schama
“The voters
think Washington is a whorehouse and every four years they get a chance to
elect a new piano player. They
would rather burn the whorehouse down.” Peggy Noonan
“We are
perpetually being told that what is wanted is a strong man who will do
things. What is really wanted is a
strong man who will undo things; and that will be the real test of strength.” G.K.
Chesterton
