Henry Kissinger quotes - page 3

It is not often that nations learn from the past, even rarer that they draw the correct conclusions from it. (Henry Kissinger)
It is not a matter of what is true that counts, but a matter of what is perceived to be true. View quote
Henry Kissinger
If you believe that their real intention is to kill you, it isn't unreasonable to believe that they would lie to you. View quote
Henry Kissinger
Military men are "dumb, stupid animals to be used" as pawns for foreign policy. View quote
Henry Kissinger
Any fact that needs to be disclosed should be put out now or as quickly as possible, because otherwise the bleeding will not end. View quote
Henry Kissinger
The essence of Richard Nixon is loneliness. View quote
Henry Kissinger
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. View quote
Henry Kissinger
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. View quote
Henry Kissinger
While we should never give up our principles, we must also realize that we cannot maintain our principles unless we survive. View quote
Henry Kissinger
People are generally amazed that I would take an interest in any form that would require me to stop talking for three hours. View quote
Henry Kissinger
If I should ever be captured, I want no negotiation - and if I should request a negotiation from captivity they should consider that a sign of duress. (Henry Kissinger)
Art is man's expression of his joy in labor. View quote
Henry Kissinger
Leaders are responsible not for running public opinion polls but for the consequences of their actions. View quote
Henry Kissinger
Leaders must invoke an alchemy of great vision. View quote
Henry Kissinger
If it's going to come out eventually, better have it come out immediately. View quote
Henry Kissinger
Covert action should not be confused with missionary work. View quote
Henry Kissinger
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. View quote
Henry Kissinger
Most foreign policies that history has marked highly, in whatever country, have been originated by leaders who were opposed by experts. View quote
Henry Kissinger
You can't make war in the Middle East without Egypt and you can't make peace without Syria. View quote
Henry Kissinger
The statesman's duty is to bridge the gap between his nation's experience and his vision. View quote
Henry Kissinger
We are all the President's men. (Henry Kissinger)
A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone. View quote
Henry Kissinger
The American foreign policy trauma of the sixties and seventies was caused by applying valid principles to unsuitable conditions. View quote
Henry Kissinger
High office teaches decision making, not substance. It consumes intellectual capital; it does not create it. Most high officials leave office with the perceptions and insights with which they entered; they learn how to make decisions but not what decisions to make. View quote
Henry Kissinger
It is, after all, the responsibility of the expert to operate the familiar and that of the leader to transcend it. View quote
Henry Kissinger