We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. Aesop
There ought to be one day – just one – when there is open season on senators. Will Rogers
Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word. Charles de Gaulle
It is inexcusable for scientists to torture animals; let them make their experiments on journalists and politicians. Henrik Ibsen
Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation. Henry Kissinger
A politician is a person with whose politics you don’t agree; if you agree with him he’s a statesman. David Lloyd George
Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hardworking, honest Americans. It’s the other lousy two percent that get all the publicity. But then, we elected them. Lily Tomlin
I once said cynically of a politician, ‘He’ll double-cross that bridge when he comes to it’ Oscar Levant
The trouble with this country is that there are too many politicians who believe, with a conviction based on experience, that you can fool all of the people all of the time. Franklin P Adams
The proper memory for a politician is one that knows what to remember and what to forget. John Morley
Politicians like to tell people what they want to hear – and what they want to hear is what won’t happen. Paul Samuelson
Politicians fascinate because they constitute such a paradox; they are an elite that accomplishes mediocrity for the public good. George F Will
If people want a sense of purpose they should get it from their archbishop. They should certainly not get it from their politicians. Harold Macmillan
Politics is very gruelling. But then politicians deserve it: they deserve to be gruelled. That’s the nice thing about picking on politicians: you never have to feel bad about doing it. P J O’Rourke. (Sunday Tel 13/11/2005)
I’m human enough to have done a lot of things I shouldn’t have done but I am too much of a politician to tell you what they are. David Cameron (Daily Tel 6/1/06)
I like to think of myself as a recovering politician. Al Gore (At Sundance Film Festival 2006)
A politician ought to be born a foundling and remain a bachelor. Claudia ‘Lady Bird’ Johnson
A politician will do anything to keep his job – even become a patriot. William Randolph Hearst
The mistake a lot of politicians make is in forgetting that they’ve been appointed and thinking they’ve been anointed. Claude Pepper
We all know the principal preoccupation of politicians is how they can do down their colleagues so that they can advance their own careers. Alan Clark
A politician is a statesman who approaches every question with an open mouth. Adlai Stevenson
Be a politician; no training necessary. Will Rogers
I should prefer to have a politician who regularly went to a massage parlour than one who promised a laptop computer for every teacher. A N Wilson
Advertising men and politicians are dangerous if they are separated. Together they are diabolical. Phillip Adams
Politicians are the same all over: they promise to build a bridge even where there is no river. Nikita Khrushchev
Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks. Doug Larson
Don’t fall in love with politicians, they’re all a disappointment. They can’t help it, they just are. Peggy Noonan