Faust complained about having two souls in his breast, but I harbor a whole crowd of them and they quarrel. It is like being in a republic.
Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.
A bad plan that is well executed will yield much better results than a good plan that is poorly executed.
The statesman’s task is to hear God’s footsteps marching through history, and to try and catch on to His coattails as He marches past.
History is simply a piece of paper covered with print: the main thing is to make history, not to write it.
The Catholic priest, from the moment he becomes a priest, is a sworn officer of the pope.
A really great man is known by three signs: generosity in the design, humanity in the execution, moderation in success.
I must protest that I would never seek foreign conflicts just to go over domestic difficulties; that would be frivolous. I was speaking of conflicts that we could not avoid, even though we do not seek them.
Our German forefathers had a very kind religion. They believed that, after death, they would meet again all the good dogs that had been their companions in life. I wish I could believe that too.
Beware of sentimental alliances where the consciousness of good deeds is the only compensation for noble sacrifices.
The most significant event of the 20th century will be the fact that the North Americans speak English.
To retain respect for sausages and laws, one must not watch them in the making.
A conquering army on the border will not be stopped by eloquence.
I have only one ambition left: I should like to have a good epitaph.
I consider even a victorious war as an evil, from which statesmanship must endeavor to spare nations.
Better pointed bullets than pointed words.
We Germans fear God, but nothing else in the world.
A generation that has taken a beating is always followed by a generation that deals one.
I have found that nothing so deceives your adversaries as telling them the truth.
The nation that has the schools has the future.