A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen.
All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome.
The function of the politician, therefore, is one of continuous watchfulness and activity, and he must have intimate knowledge of details if he would work out grand results.
The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious.
It will take some time before a politician will capture the imagination of the American people and have the vision and understanding to do what is necessary for a better future for the people of America and the world.
A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.
Politicians like to tell people what they want to hear - and what they want to hear is what won't happen.
The purpose of thinking about the future is not to predict it but to raise people's hopes.
Politicians are just Daily Mail journalists writ large, aren't they? They're always telling us what's going to happen, and we know they don't know!
An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today.