Diplomacy Quotes

Before the thunderous clamor of political debate or war set loose in the world, love insisted on its promise for the possibility of human unity: between men and women, between blacks and whites, northerners and southerners, haves and have-have-nots, self and self.

~ Aberjhani

Where are Haldad my father, and Haldad my brother? If the king of Doriath fears a friendship between Haleth and those who have devoured her kin, then the ways of the Eldar are strange to Men.

~ J.r.r. Tolkien

A civilian-based diplomacy supports noncommercial, nonprofit, and publicly-subsidized media to counteract the corporate-controlled, for-profit, private media that dominate political discourse; and works to place media control, ownership, and lobbying at the center of public policy debate.

~ Nancy Snow

But people misunderstand warfare and think it is an end unto itself. But on the international stage, war is nothing more than another tool of diplomacy. If your country doesn’t have a credible, powerful military force capable of bringing pain, death, and destruction to an enemy, then your diplomats can’t get much done, because you simply aren’t powerful—there’s no threat of pain they can wield. That’s why the western Pacific island nation of Nauru doesn’t have a seat on the UN Security Council. Not recognizing this principle is shortsighted (no disrespect intended to the fine people of Nauru).

~ Jamie Smith

Mounting tensions in Eastern Europe send shivers down the spine. Barely a quarter of a century after the end of the Cold War we seem to be sliding inexorably towards another.

~ Alex Morritt

The Communist leaders respect only firmness and have contempt for persons who continually give in to them.

~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Your name? George asked him directly. He had probably seen the man a dozen times before yet did not know anything about him. King Davit would have no doubt have known half the man's history already.Henry.George took Henry's hand firmly in his own and looked into his eyes. This had to be done delicately, to make sure this Henry did not think him a fool. He tried to think of how his father would do it.Thank you, Henry, for your concern. It is a comfort to know I am so well guarded. I will make sure to praise you when next I speak to the lord general. But for now I think there is no need to worry.

~ Mette Ivie Harrison

The mentality of being the super power globally or regionally has contributed strongly to the development of very negative aspects to the political cohabitation the countries of the region than proving the capability of producing solutions that would meet the needs of the public.

~ Nilantha Ilangamuwa

The sea is a lonely and hostile place, Captain,' Jansen said coldly. 'It is always best not to make enemies of those who might be your friends. You never know when your ships may cross

~ Jocelyn Murray

I think there is a substantial difference between hypocrisy and diplomacy: hypocrisy is not saying things, diplomacy is knowing how to say things.

~ Luigina Sgarro

The French, it seems to me, strike a happy balance between intimacy and reserve. Some of this must be helped by the language, which lends itself to graceful expression even when dealing with fairly basic subjects.... And there's that famously elegant subtitle from a classic Western.COWBOY: Gimme a shot of red-eye.SUBTITLE: Un Dubonnet, s'il vous plait.No wonder French was the language of diplomacy for all those years.

~ Peter Mayle

the very least we can live with is an agreement that does not reduce us to slaves of imposition, but makes us partners of consent. Yes, we are compelled to make peace, we submit to force majeure, but leave us at least a piece of clothing to cover our nudity. This is the motivation behind every formula of diplomatic contrivance that is sometimes described as face-saving, and wise indeed is the victor who knows that, in order to shield his own rear from the elements, he must not denude his opponents.

~ Wole Soyinka

In the movies you get even; in life, diplomacy is best.

~ Lee Marvin

A timid question will always receive a confident answer.

~ Lord Darling

Let us agree not to step on each other's feet said the cock to the horse.

~ English Proverb

If a person has no delicacy he has you in his power.

~ William Hazlitt

Tact is the intelligence of the heart.

~ Anonymous

Silence is not always tact and it is tact that is golden not silence.

~ Samuel Butler

Diplomats are useful only in fair weather. As soon as it rains they drown in every drop.

~ Charles De Gaulle

A distinguished diplomat could hold his tongue in ten languages.

~ Anonymous

Negotiation in the classic diplomatic sense assumes parties more anxious to agree than to disagree.

~ Dean Acheson

Diplomacy the art of saying 'nice doggie' till you can find a rock.

~ Wynn Catlin

If any pilgrim monk come from distant parts with wish as a guest to dwell in the monastery and will be content with the customs which he finds in the place and does not perchance by his lavishness disturb the monastery but is simply content with what he finds he shall be received for as long as he desires. If indeed he find fault with anything or expose it reasonably and with the humility of charity the Abbott shall discuss it prudently lest perchance God had sent him for this very thing. But if he have been found gossipy and contumacious in the time of his sojourn as guest not only ought he not be joined to the body of the monastery but also it shall be said to him honestly that he must depart. If he does not go let two stout monks in the name of God explain the matter to him.

~ Saint Benedict

An ambassador is an honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of his country.

~ Henry Wotton

British diplomats and Anglo-American types in Washington have a near-superstitious prohibition on uttering the words 'Special Relationship' to describe relations between Britain and America, lest the specialness itself vanish like a phantom at cock-crow.

~ Christopher Hitchens

By the time the Freedom Flights, to use the US description, came to an end, more than 260,000 Cubans had been airlifted to the United States, every one of them registered by the Swiss before they left Cuba.

~ Clare O'dea

War is failure of diplomacy.

~ John Dingell

Take the diplomacy out of war and the thing would fall flat in a week.

~ Will Rogers

To say nothing, especially when speaking, is half the art of diplomacy.

~ Will Durant

The soft power of science has the potential to reshape global diplomacy.

~ Ahmed Zewail

Diplomacy: the art of restraining power.

~ Henry Kissinger

For many years, Myanmar's leadership was largely shut out from the world of international diplomacy.

~ Najib Razak

New kinds of heroics need to be celebrated - like love, thoughtfulness, forgiveness, diplomacy - or we're not going to get there.

~ Patty Jenkins

Diplomacy, n. is the art of letting somebody else have your way.

~ David Frost

The anchors of the Arab consensus have long been Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and both are now weakened forces in Arab politics and diplomacy.

~ Elliott Abrams

One of my goals upon becoming Secretary of State was to take diplomacy out of capitals, out of government offices, into the media, into the streets of countries.

~ Hillary Clinton