We are doomed to coexist. Henry A. Kissinger More Quotes by Henry A. Kissinger More Quotes From Henry A. Kissinger When you travel as secretary, one problem you have is that the press comes with you and wants an immediate result because it justifies their trip. And sometimes the best result is that you don't try to get a result but try to get an understanding for the next time you go to them. Henry A. Kissinger understandingwanttrying Left to its own devices, the State Department machinery tends toward inertia rather than creativity; it is always on the verge of turning itself into an enormous cable machine. Henry A. Kissinger machinescreativitygovernment I am being frank about myself in this book. I tell of my first mistake on page 850. Henry A. Kissinger pagesmistakebook Blessed are the people whose leaders can look destiny in the eye without flinching but also without attempting to play God. Henry A. Kissinger eyeblessedinspirational We are all the President's men. Henry A. Kissinger loyaltypresidentmen I do not stand on protocol. If you just call me Excellency, it will be okay. Henry A. Kissinger protocolokaycall-me The history of things that didn't happen has never been written. Henry A. Kissinger writtenhappens The statesman's duty is to bridge the gap between his nation's experience and his vision. Henry A. Kissinger gapsvisionbridges We have three things in common: Irish wives, the ability to speak for 17 minutes without a verb, and the fact that we both speak with an accent. Henry A. Kissinger verbswifethree One thing I don't want around me is a military intellectual. I don't have to worry about you on that score. Henry A. Kissinger intellectualmilitaryworry 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 A. Kissinger duresscaptivitywant If the six-nation forums dealing with Iran and North Korea suffer comparable failures, the consequence will be a world of unchecked proliferation, not controlled by either governing principles or functioning institutions. A modern, strong, peaceful Iran could become a pillar of stability and progress in the region. This cannot happen unless Iran's leaders decide whether they are representing a cause or a nation - whether their basic motivation is crusading or international cooperation. The goal of the diplomacy of the Six should be to oblige Iran to confront this choice. Henry A. Kissinger koreamotivationstrong Diplomats operate through deadlock, which is the way by which two sides can test each other's determination. Even if they have egos for it few heads of government have the time to resolve stalemates, their meetings are too short and the demands of protocol too heavy. Henry A. Kissinger two-sidesgovernmentdetermination In the hands of a determined Secretary, the Foreign Service can be a splendid instrument, staffed by knowledgeable, discreet, and energetic individuals. They do require constant vigilance lest the convictions that led them into a penurious career tempt them to preempt decision-making. Henry A. Kissinger careersdecisionhands I want to thank you for stopping the applause. It is impossible for me to look humble for any period of time. Henry A. Kissinger stoppinghumblelooks Jews were segregated from 1933 on. We could only play against other Jewish teams. This wasn't just social segregation; this was the beginning of the extermination of the Jews. That's why my family left Germany in 1938. Henry A. Kissinger germanyteamplay Competing pressures tempt one to believe that an issue deferred is a problem avoided; more often it is a crisis invited. Henry A. Kissinger issuespressurebelieve The reason prophets are so rarely honored in their own country is that their role is to transcend the limits of their contemporaries' experience and imagination. They achieve recognition only when their vision has been turned into experience - in short, when it is too late to benefit from their foresight. Henry A. Kissinger visionimaginationcountry We are not just any nation. Henry A. Kissinger nations4th-of-july The essence of Richard Nixon is loneliness. Henry A. Kissinger transcendentalismlonelinessessence
