Laws are like sausages. You sleep far better the less you know about how they are made.
Otto Von BismarckRead
Politics are not a science based on logic; they are the capacity of always choosing at each instant, in constantly changing situations, the least harmful, the most useful.
Interpretation
Politics involves strategic decision-making in complex and dynamic environments, prioritizing practical outcomes over pure logic.
In this quote, Bismarck emphasizes that political decision-making is not rooted solely in scientific logic but rather in the ability to navigate ever-changing circumstances. Politicians must assess situations continuously and make choices that minimize harm while maximizing utility, highlighting the pragmatic nature of politics.
In practice
During a political debate, when discussing the challenges of governance, one could reference this quote to illustrate the complexity of political choices.
Laws are like sausages. You sleep far better the less you know about how they are made.
Preventive war is like committing suicide out of fear of death.
With a gentleman I am always a gentleman and a half, and with a fraud I try to be a fraud and a half.
Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable β the art of the next best
It is the destiny of the weak to be devoured by the strong.
A generation that has taken a beating is always followed by a generation that deals one.
Political figures who talk a lot about liberty and freedom invariably turn out to mean the freedom to not pay taxes and discriminate based on race; freedom to hold different ideas and express them, not so much.
The great constitutional corrective in the hands of the people against usurpation of power, or corruption by their agents is the right of suffrage; and this when used with calmness and deliberation will prove strong enough.
As in forming a political society, each individual contributes some of his rights, in order that he may, from a common stock of rights, derive greater benefits, than he could from merely his own; so, in forming a confederation, each political society should contribute such a share of their rights, as will, from a common stock of these rights, produce the largest quantity of benefits for them.
You will find that the State is the kind of organization which, though it does big things badly, does small things badly, too.
The very first time a politician puts you in his target is sometimes a disappointment, because perhaps you thought you were friends and getting along well... But it is not something that you dwelled on. At least, I did not.
We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty.
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