"Galvanized people can do careless things. It is in the extreme and emotion-laden moments that distance and coolness are most required. I am tempted to...












A century is about events. A decade is about people.

More George Friedman quotes
"A president must know what it is he does not know, and he should remain calm in pursuit of it, but there is no obligation to be honest about it.
"The reality is that the American people have no desire for an empire. This is not to say that they don't want the benefits, both economic and strategi...
"Presidents and other politicians manage the appearance of things, largely by manipulating the air and hope.
"Long-term solutions are more attractive and cause much less controversy than short-term solutions, which will affect people who are still alive and vo...
"The worst president is closer by nature to the best then either is to anyone who has not gone through what it requires to become president.
"While you and I are allowed the luxury of our pain, president isn't. A president must take into account how his citizens feel and he must manage them ...
"Their job as leader was not to solve the problem – the president really has little control over the economy – but to convince the public not only that...