Richard M. Nixon

“Don't get the impression that you arouse my anger. You see, one can only be angry with those he respects.”

“The greatest honor history can bestow is that of peacemaker.”

“I played by the rules of politics as I found them.”

“Finishing second in the Olympics gets you silver. Finishing second in politics gets you oblivion.”

“I don't know anything that builds the will to win better than competitive sports.”

“What starts the process, really, are laughs and slights and snubs when you are a kid. If your anger is deep enough and strong enough, you learn that you can change those attitudes by excellence, personal gut performance.”

“Remember, always give your best. Never get discouraged. Never be petty. Always remember, others may hate you. But those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.”

“I've analyzed the best I can... and I have not found an impeachable offense, and therefore resignation is not an acceptable course.”

“Politics would be a helluva good business if it weren't for the g-------d people.”

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

“Any change is resisted because bureaucrats have a vested interest in the chaos in which they exist.”

“In the long term we can hope that religion will change the nature of man and reduce conflict. But history is not encouraging in this respect. The bloodiest wars in history have been religious wars.”

“I don't think that a leader can control, to any great extent, his destiny. Very seldom can he step in and change the situation if the forces of history are running in another direction.”

“I can take it. The tougher it gets, the cooler I get.”

“I wish I could give you a lot of advice, based on my experience of winning political debates. But I don't have that experience. My only experience is at losing them.”

“People react to fear, not love they don't teach that in Sunday School, but it's true.”

“Americans admire a people who can scratch a desert and produce a garden. The Israelis have shown qualities that Americans identify with: guts, patriotism, idealism, a passion for freedom. I have seen it. I know. I believe that.”

“We must always remember that America is a great nation today not because of what government did for people but because of what people did for themselves and for one another.”

“Sure there are dishonest men in local government. But there are dishonest men in national government too.”

“Under the doctrine of separation of powers, the manner in which the president personally exercises his assigned executive powers is not subject to questioning by another branch of government.”

“It is necessary for me to establish a winner image. Therefore, I have to beat somebody.”

“I can see clearly now... that I was wrong in not acting more decisively and more forthrightly in dealing with Watergate.”

“You must pursue this investigation of Watergate even if it leads to the president. I'm innocent. You've got to believe I'm innocent. If you don't, take my job.”

“Life isn't meant to be easy. It's hard to take being on the top - or on the bottom. I guess I'm something of a fatalist. You have to have a sense of history, I think, to survive some of these things... Life is one crisis after another.”