To be frank, politics is about wanting power, getting it, exercising it, and keeping it. Jean Chretien More Quotes by Jean Chretien More Quotes From Jean Chretien It is not the government's purpose to make a profit the way a company does, because a company doesn't have to give a damn about the unemployed poor or provide services that are non-commercial by definition. Jean Chretien governmentdoegiving Our old - fashioned system is better than any new - fangled voting machine. Not only is it guaranteed to work, but there is something I find appealing in putting a mark on a piece of paper for the candidate of your choice, as opposed to pulling a lever as if you were gambling on a slot machine in Las Vegas. Jean Chretien vegasgamblingchoices The Western world is ... looked upon as being arrogant, self-satisfied, greedy and with no limits. And Sept. 11 is an occasion for me to realize it even more. Jean Chretien arrogantselfworld At one point Trudeau mentioned to me that the National Gallery wanted to buy a masterpiece by the great Italian painter Lotto, and it needed a million dollars from the Treasury Board. "Is that Lotto-Quebec or Lotto-Canada?" I joked, but I got the message, and the National Gallery got the painting. Jean Chretien dollarsboardsitalian If military action in Iraq is launched without a new U.N. resolution, Canada will not participate. Jean Chretien canadairaqmilitary You have to look at history as an evolution of society. Jean Chretien tourismhistorylooks There's no such thing as a genius in politics, or at least I have never met one. There are only human beings, some better than others, who rise or fall on the challenges they meet. Jean Chretien geniuschallengesfall Trudeau valued performance above image. He Knew he could give me a shovel if there was a mess to clean up, and he kept moving me from one mess to another. Jean Chretien cleangivingmoving It's one thing for a courier service transport letters and documents from one city to another at a cost that only big business can afford; but it's another thing to take a letter from an Indian boy studying at the University of Ottawa to his mother in Old Crow. Jean Chretien citiesmotherboys Politicians of all stripes are always in danger at looking at every problem from an abstract point of view or being briefed by officials, academics, or economists who know every science but the science of human nature. Jean Chretien stripesproblemviews I've never believed in seeking perfection at the risk of losing everything. Jean Chretien losing-everythingriskperfection Vision is not political rhetoric. Jean Chretien rhetoricvisionpolitical I didn't feel the need to have a lot of yes-men standing around me. As Mitchell Sharp once put it, the bigger the staff, the smaller the minister. Jean Chretien staffmenneeds For all its prestige, its fabulous views, its indoor pool, and its lovely garden, 24 Sussex is more like an old hotel than a modern home. Jean Chretien gardenviewshome There is nothing more nervous than a million dollars - it moves very fast, and it doesn't speak any language. Jean Chretien dollarslanguagemoving Politics is a game of friends. Jean Chretien games Obviously, I would have been happier if Canada had not been conquered in the past by the English, if this part of North America had remained French, but you can't rewrite history. Jean Chretien canadaamericapast Most Canadians don't understand the House of Commons. They turn on their televisions, see us yelling at one another, and dismiss us as a bunch of fools. Jean Chretien yellinghousetelevision I was proud to have been the anti-establishment candidate after more than twenty years in politics, a small town guy fighting for the ordinary Canadian. Jean Chretien guyfightingyears Why buy repeater carbines and nuclear armament - if this is kept at home a child can play with it Jean Chretien playhomechildren
