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The 65 best quotes of Richard Nixon

The 65 best quotes of Richard Nixon

April 4, 2024

Richard Nixon he was one of the most controversial presidents of the United States of America, among other things for his involvement in the Watergate scandal and for his participation in coup initiatives in Latin America. Its mandate, in the heat of Cold War, was the reflection of an epoch characterized by the confrontation and the constant fear.

Take a look at Richard Nixon's most memorable quotes It serves to better understand their way of thinking and the social and political climate of a stage of the second half of the 20th century.

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Phrases by Richard Nixon

Next we will see the most outstanding phrases of Richard Nixon, that let glimpse his philosophy and his way of doing politics.


1. I have disappointed my friends, I have disappointed my country.

A phrase that allows us to glimpse to what extent in politics the actions undertaken affect both the public and the private sphere.

2. I just want to say one thing; I won and lost, but winning is the most fun.

A look back to value a life marked by access to power.

3. Those who do not take risks will not suffer defeats, however, they will never have victories.

About the need to test and tempt fate when it comes to obtaining great results.

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4. The highest honor that history can give a man is the title of peacemaker.

About the way in which History deals with its most outstanding figures.


5. Any nation that decides that the only way to achieve peace is through peaceful methods, will soon be part of another nation.

This is one of the phrases of Richard Nixon that express his departure from idealism.

6. Politics is the art of the possible in the service of the people. But I believe that the limits of the possible can be widened thanks to effort, intelligence, solidarity and trust.

An enumeration of different personal qualities to which we must add the possibility of exercising politics.

7. I do not have that resignation of my parents and I do not fully participate in this philosophy. But his patience, his courage, his willingness not to be let down, whatever the physical emotional tension, are one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. And that sustained me, by the way, in difficult times. And it will sustain me always.

A reflection on a value to claim: the effort and the ability to work hard .


8. You will not have Nixon to mistreat him more, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.

Another of the statements of this politician that reveal the wear that suffered his credibility after passing through the presidency.

9. We promise to always tell the truth, see things as they are, and enunciate them as they are; Find the truth, tell the truth and live with the truth.

Remarking once again how much it insists on the value of honesty and transparency in politics, regardless of what is done to practice.

10. Latin America does not matter to anyone.

One of the most controversial Nixon phrases.

11. What I'm trying to say is that if the President does, then it's not illegal.

Showing clearly a double yardstick.

12. Certainly, in the next 50 years we will see a woman president, maybe sooner than you think. 13. A woman can and should be able to perform any kind of political office that a man can perform.

Some statements in favor of equality in a time marked by a clear machismo.

14. A man is not finished when he is defeated. It is finished when it leaves.

About the importance of not giving up.

15. The people should know if their president is a thief or not.

About the need to maintain credibility.

19. Make the Chilean economy scream.

A phrase related to the government of Salvador Allende .

17. A major obstacle in our clean energy program is the fact that we can not currently burn coal or oil without discharging its sulfur content into the air. We need a new technology that makes it possible to remove the sulfur before it is emitted into the air.

A reflection on part of the environmental measures to be undertaken.

18. A public man must never forget that he loses his usefulness when he as an individual, instead of his politics, becomes the subject.

On the need to leave personal interests aside.

19. Voters quickly forget what a man says.

About the imperfection of rational analysis of voters.

20. The press is the enemy.

On the power that journalism can accumulate when it comes to overseeing politicians.

twenty-one.The more you stay in this type of work, the more you realize that a public figure, an important public figure, is a lonely man.

Access to power isolates others.

22. The same is paid for doing something half-heartedly than for finishing it. Therefore it is better to finish it.

On the need to finalize the projects undertaken.

23. You know, it's funny: every one of these bastards who want to legalize marijuana is Jewish. What the hell is wrong with these Jews, Bob? I guess it's that most of them are psychiatrists.

A clearly ethnical commentary by Richard Nixon.

24. At the end of this long and difficult war, I would like to address a few special words for the American people: their steadfastness in supporting our insistence on peace with honor has made peace with honor possible.

One of the propaganda and patriotic declarations of President Nixon.

25. I can see clearly now ... that I had been wrong in not acting more decisively and more frankly in my dealings with Watergate.

An assessment of the case that ended his political life.

26. It is necessary that I establish a winning image. Therefore, I have to beat someone.

A reflection that shows once again the Machiavellian vision that Nixon had about politics.

27. You must follow this Watergate investigation, even if it leads to the presidency. I'm innocent. You have to believe that I am innocent. If you do not, take my job.

More Nixon statements about the Watergate scandal.

28. Life is not meant to be easy. It's hard to accept being on top - or in the background. I guess I'm something of a fatalist.

A phrase about the importance that hierarchical systems had for Nixon .

29. I think, to survive some of these things ... Life is one crisis after another.

Another look at the philosophy of life of this politician.

30. It is very seldom possible to enter and change the situation if the forces of history are executing in another direction.

About the limited power of the individual.

31. Once you get into this great stream of history, you can not leave.

Once again, a commentary based on determinism.

32. I do not believe that a leader can control, to a large extent, his destiny.

About free will.

33. Americans admire people who can scratch a desert and produce a garden. The Israelis have demonstrated qualities with which Americans identify: guts, patriotism, idealism, passion for freedom.

A comment on his vision of Israel.

34. People react to fear, not love.

About human emotion.

35. If you want to make beautiful music, you have to play to play the black and white notes together.

A reflection on the duality of political actions: good for some, bad for others.

36. I reject the cynical view that politics is a dirty business.

About the moral character of politics.

37. Politics would be good business, if it were not for the people.

About the way in which people corrupt ideals .

38. Remember: always give your best. Do not be discouraged. Never be mean.

One of the phrases of Richard Nixon with a clear moralistic character.

39. The government can offer opportunities. But opportunity does not mean anything if people are not willing to take advantage of it.

Beyond the possibilities is the action.

40. In the age of television, the fundamental distinction is between the candidate who can speak in poetry and the candidate who can only speak in prose.

On the importance of the ability to seduce.

41. I have played by the rules of the policy as I found them.

Nixon believed that all the actions of a politician are delimited by the set of rules that govern the context of their actions.

42. Finished second in the Olympic Games gets silver. Finishing second in politics leads to oblivion.

A comparison that shows the hardness of the world of politics.

43. Watergate had become the center of the media universe.

About what can change the introduction of a topic in the media agenda.

44. Let's start by committing ourselves to the truth, to see things as they are.

Seeing things objectively is also an action with social repercussions.

45. A true politician is always half expecting to be invited to give a speech.

On the way of life of politicians.

46. ​​The Cold War is not melting, it burns with deadly heat. Communism is not sleeping.

Another phrase from Nixon linked to the era in which he exercised as a policy: the Cold War .

47. I do not know anything about what builds the will to win better than competitive sports.

Sports competition can be an expression of success in other aspects of life.

48. In the long term, we can hope that religion will change the nature of man and reduce conflicts. But history is not encouraging in this regard. The bloodiest wars in history have been religious wars.

On the role of religion in History.

49. We do not learn by inference and deduction and the application of mathematics to philosophy, but by direct relationships and sympathy.

On the importance of emotions in our day to day, above reason.

50. No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and now it's misremembered.

Nixon complained about an alleged manipulation related to the Vietnam War.

51. Only if you have been in the deepest valley, will you know how great it is to be on the highest mountain.

About our ability to value success.

52. Never bend your head. Never give up, do not feel, or grieve. Find another way.

A motivating phrase about growth in adversity.

53. The American dream does not reach those who fall asleep.

About the need to leave the comfort zone.

54. What kind of nation are we going to be, in what kind of world will we live, if we model the future in the image of our hopes? It is our power to determine it with our actions and our choices.

Beyond ideals, you have to get involved in getting what you want.

55. Do you want to make a comment or do you want to make a change?

Relieve tensions by complaining it can be an excuse to do nothing .

56. Vietnam can not defeat or humiliate the United States. Only Americans can do that.

A peculiar way of understanding sovereignty.

57. Nothing the Kremlin would like more than to make the people of this country elect a second-rate president.

Once again, Nixon speaks puts the focus on an outside enemy when assessing the internal politics of the United States.

58. We can not learn from each other until we stop shouting at each other, until we speak in a low voice so that our words can be heard as well as our voices.

About the need for dialogue.

59. If, when things fail, the most powerful nation in the world, the United States of America, acts like a pitiful and helpless giant, the forces of totalitarianism and anarchy will threaten free nations and free institutions around the world .

An alarmist statement related to the martial atmosphere of the Cold War.

60. Never let your head fall. Never give up, sit down and cry. Find another way. And do not pray when it rains if you do not pray when the sun shines.

A phrase on resilience .

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61. Never say no when a customer asks for something, even if it is the moon. You can always try, and anyway there is a lot of time afterwards to explain that it was not possible.

A way to see the relationships marked by the transactions.

62. What a strange creature is the man who makes a mistake in his own nest.

Another of Nixon's phrases about the imperfections of the human being.

63. The two most difficult words to say are: "I was wrong".

About how difficult it is to admit mistakes.

64. Idealism without realism is impotent. Realism without idealism is immoral.

About the dialectic between these two moral principles.

65. Communism denies God, enslaves men and destroys justice.

One of Nixon's phrases about what was considered "anti-American" at that time.


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