Otto von Bismarck

"The secret of politics is to make use of the moment"

"When the situation is not ripe, do nothing but wait"

"One can resist the invasion of armies; one cannot resist the invasion of ideas"

"I would rather die than agree to any terms whatsoever"

"A politician who steps on the toes of the king will be kicked from the kingdom"

"The words I speak are not my own; they flow through me from forces greater than myself"

"Patience and courage are not the virtues of the ordinary man"

"Man has to take responsibility for his character and his deeds"

"I wanted to sleep, but I could not, so I wandered the streets till I found a policeman"

"The secret of successful statesmanship is to perceive the inevitable and to act accordingly"

"To be great is to be misunderstood"

"Germany does not look to Prussia's liberalism, but to its power"

"One cannot build a state on ignorance, lies, and crime"

"I learned my lesson late in life"

"A prudent man neither runs away nor rushes forward"

"Wars are not won with defensive strategies"

"The secret of a successful diplomat is to know when to shut up"

"One-third of the members of Congress are crooks. The rest are not smart enough to be"

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration"

"Before beginning the battle, I always take time to understand the terrain"

"A man's life is neither so easily summed up nor so easily judged"

"The statesman's task is to hear God's footsteps marching through history"

"Memory is like a cat; it comes and goes"

"I have not even read my own memoirs"

"When Alexander the Great was thirty-two years old, Caesar was dead, but Alexander had not yet ruled"

"The biggest lies of statistics are those told by those who have a poor understanding of statistics"

"Trust is good, but control is better"

"When a doctor is sick, Nature cures him"

"My first wife was my life, my second was my love, my third was my wealth"

"I have been guided by many teachers, but above all by time itself"