Not everything you write needs to be literary genius. Sometimes you just can’t improve on perfection. Which is why I often drop quotes into my columns from others who put it better than anything I could come up with.
“A quotation in a speech, article or book is like a rifle in the hands of an infantryman,” said Brendan Behan. “It speaks with authority.”
See what I mean?
Well, my friend and longtime conservative campaign strategist, Jameson Campaigne, sent me a list of 15 of his favorite quotes that can be specifically used in politics. Check ‘em out…
- “Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.” – Mark Twain
- “I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two are lawyers, and three or more are the government.” – John Adams
- “I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts!” – Will Rogers
- “We hang petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.” – Aesop
- “Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” – Plato
- “Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.” – Nikita Khrushchev
- “Politicians are people who, when they see light at the end of the tunnel, go out and buy some more tunnel.” – John Quinton
- “Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich by promising to protect each from the other.” – Oscar Ameringer
- “I offered my opponents a deal: If they stop telling lies about me, I will stop telling the truth about them”. – Adlai Stevenson
- “A politician is a fellow who will lay down your life for his country.” – Texas Guinan
- “I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.” – Charles de Gaulle
- “Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.” – Doug Larson
- “I contend that for a nation to try and tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” – Winston Churchill
- “A government which robs Peter to pay Paul, can always depend on the support of Paul!” – Will Rogers
- “The problem we face today is because the people that work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.” – George Bernard Shaw
Use these to start your own list of quotes for possible future reference and add to it as you come across new ones.
In fact, if you’d like to become an author – and EVERY candidate should! – without writing anything yourself, publishing a “quote book” is a quick, simple way to do so.
Did this myself a few years ago after my marketing coach suggested it. In less than 72 hours I had “101 Greatest Conservative Quotes of All Time” researched, typeset, cover designed, and sent to the printer.
I still use the book as a gift for donors and prospective donors. And if the gift is large enough, I’ll even autograph it!
Dr. Chuck Muth, PsD
THE CAMPAIGN DOCTOR
Professor of Psephology*
(homeschooled)
* Psephology (see-FOLLOW-gee): The study of campaigns and elections.