Bismarck
Iron Chancellor of Germany
Sayings by Bismarck
Politics is not an exact science.
The world is governed by very little wisdom indeed.
The statesman's task is to secure the future of his country.
Trust in God and keep your powder dry.
The whole of Europe today is a powder keg and the leaders are like men smoking in an arsenal... A single spark will set off an explosion that will consume us all.
The only healthy basis for a great state is national egoism, not romanticism.
It is not by speeches and majority resolutions that the great questions of the time are decided — that was the great mistake of 1848 and 1849 — but by iron and blood.
To retain the existing state of things, one must be master of the sword.
A really great man is known by three signs: generosity in the design, humanity in the execution, moderation in success.
The statesman's duty is to make the best of a bad bargain.
Politics is the science of the possible.
The secret of success in politics is to be able to tell what is coming next and to be ready to meet it.
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
It is easier to make a constitution than to make a pudding.
The statesman's task is to read the signs of the times.
The statesman who is worthy of the name must always have one ear open to the voice of the people, the other to the voice of God.
The more you read and learn, the more you realize how little you know.
Politics is the art of governing men by deceiving them.
When a man says he approves of something in principle, it means he hasn't the slightest intention of carrying it out in practice.
Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.