Bismarck

Kissing the hand of the Pope is not a sin, but to let him kiss your hand is a sin.

The life of a nation is the life of a single man. It is not measured by the number of years, but by the number of deeds.

I am not an optimist, but a fatalist.

It is not by speeches and majorities that the great questions of the day are decided, but by iron and blood.

If there is ever another war in Europe, it will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans.

Gratitude is a dog's virtue.

The King is like a piece of wood, and I am the carpenter.

An appeal to fear never finds an echo in German hearts.

I am a Junker, and I will remain one.

The greatest enemy of any government is the press. They print what they want, and they make people believe what they want.

He who has the youth has the future.

Every country has the government it deserves.

I am more afraid of the German professors than of the French army.

One must make policy with the head, not with the heart.

The strongest arguments are those that are not spoken.

To govern is to foresee.

I have always found that the best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him a friend.

The statesman's first duty is to be a good citizen.

The art of governing is not to let the people see how you do it.

Politics is not a science, but an art.