Quote By Henry Kissinger

The state is a fragile organization, and the statesman does not have the moral right to risk its survival on ethical restraint.

Former US Secretary Of State And National Security Advisor

Born: May 27, 1923

Died: November 29, 2023

Henry Kissinger, Nobel laureate and former U.S. Secretary of State, played a key role in shaping 20th-century diplomacy with a realpolitik approach.

Explanation Of The Quote

This quote underscores the precariousness of the state and implies that leaders must sometimes make tough, pragmatic decisions to ensure its survival, even if those decisions may not always align with strict ethical standards.

More Quotes By Henry Kissinger

Corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad.

Henry Kissinger

Because complexity inhibits flexibility, early choices are especially crucial.

Henry Kissinger

Americans have a tendency to believe that when there's a problem there must be a solution.

Henry Kissinger

Facts are rarely self-explanatory; their significance, analysis, and interpretation—at least in the foreign policy world—depend on context and relevance.

Henry Kissinger

The reason that university politics is so vicious is because stakes are so small.

Henry Kissinger

It is not often that nations learn from the past,even rarer that they draw the correct conclusions from it.

Henry Kissinger

Behind the slogans lay an intellectual vacuum.

Henry Kissinger

Every victory is only the price of admission to a more difficult problem.

Henry Kissinger

A country that demands moral perfection in its foreign policy will achieve neither perfection nor security.

Henry Kissinger

The nice thing about being a celebrity is that if you bore people they think it's their fault.