QuoteProject
Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable β€” the art of the next best
Otto Von Bismarck
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Politics involves finding practical solutions within the limits of what can be achieved.

This quote by Otto Von Bismarck highlights the essence of politics as a discipline concerned with what is feasible and realistic rather than idealistic visions. It suggests that effective political action often requires compromise and the ability to pursue the most achievable goals rather than perfect ones, recognizing the limitations imposed by reality.

Themes

PoliticsPossibilityGovernanceRealismCompromise

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be referenced during a political debate to emphasize the need for practical solutions.

More from Otto Von Bismarck

Laws are like sausages. You sleep far better the less you know about how they are made.
Otto Von BismarckRead
Preventive war is like committing suicide out of fear of death.
Otto Von BismarckRead
With a gentleman I am always a gentleman and a half, and with a fraud I try to be a fraud and a half.
Otto Von BismarckRead
It is the destiny of the weak to be devoured by the strong.
Otto Von BismarckRead
A generation that has taken a beating is always followed by a generation that deals one.
Otto Von BismarckRead
The less people know about how sausages and laws are made, the better they'll sleep at night
Otto Von BismarckRead

Similar quotes

Even the most cynical can hardly be surprised by the antics of Nixon and his accomplices as they are gradually revealed. It matters little, at this point, where the exact truth lies in the maze of perjury, evasion, and of contempt for the normal - hardly inspiring - standards of political conduct.
Noam ChomskyRead
Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought necessary.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
Despotism often presents itself as the repairer of all the ills suffered, the support of just rights, defender of the oppressed, and founder of order.
Alexis De TocquevilleRead
Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government. Public servants at such a distance, and from under the eye of their constituents, must, from the circumstance of distance, be unable to administer and overlook all the details necessary for the good government of the citizens; and the same circumstance, by rendering detection impossible to their constituents, will invite public agents to corruption, plunder and waste.
Thomas JeffersonRead
Iraq may have been a preview of that, but it's still redeemable if we get out fast. In a war with Iran, we'll get dragged down for 20 or 30 years. The world will condemn us. We will lose our position in the world.
Zbigniew BrzezinskiRead
Aristocrats fear the people, and wish to transfer all power to the higher classes of society.
Thomas JeffersonRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Otto Von Bismarck | QuoteProject