If you really want to engage in policy activity, don't make that your vocation. Make it your avocation. Get a job. Get a secure base of income. Otherwise, you're going to get corrupted and destroyed.

Economic freedom is an essential requisite for political freedom. By enabling people to cooperate with one another without coercion or central direction, it reduces the area over which political power is exercised.

And what does reward virtue? You think the communist commissar rewards virtue? You think a Hitler rewards virtue? You think, excuse me, if you'll pardon me, American presidents reward virtue? Do they choose their appointees on the basis of the virtue of the people appointed or on the basis of their political clout?

Most of the energy of political work is devoted to correcting the effects of mismanagement of government.

If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand.

If you hear of anyone proposing my name for political office, please maim him and send me the bill.

The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other.

The difference between a Republican and a Democrat is the Democrat is a cannibal they have to live off each other, while the Republicans, why, they live off the Democrats.

This country has gotten where it is in spite of politics, not by the aid of it. That we have carried as much political bunk as we have and still survived shows we are a super nation.

Here's another way of putting it. Roosevelt wants recovery to start at the bottom. In other words, by a system of high taxes, he wants business to help the little fellow to get started and get some work, and then pay business back by buying things when he's at work. Business says, 'Let everybody alone. Let business alone, and quit monkeying with us, and we'll get everything going for you, and if we prosper, naturally the worker will prosper.'

I belong to no organized political body. I am a Democrat.

I'm not a member of an organized party. I'm a Democrat.

I don't think either one of them knows what it's all about, to be honest with you. Both sides are doing nothing but just looking towards the next election.

Politics pretty quiet over the week-end. Democrats are attacking and the Republicans are defending. All the Democrats have to do is promise "what they would do if they got in." But the Republicans have to promise "what they would do" and then explain why they haven't already "done it".

If this depression stays with us, the loser Tuesday is going to be the winner.

Course, that's the trouble with politics, it breeds politics! So that makes it pretty hard to stamp out.

And, when the votes are counted, let everybody, including the candidates, get into a good humor as quick as they got into a bad one.

If you ever injected truth into politics you would have no politics.

We cuss Congress, and we joke about 'em, but they are all good fellows at heart, and if they wasn't in Congress, why, they would be doing something else against us that might be even worse.

The Senate just sits and waits till they find out what the president wants, so they know how to vote against him.

The "Ways & Means Committee" is a committee that's supposed to find the Ways to divide up the Means.

When you straddle a thing it takes a long time to explain it.

Say, did you read what this writer just dug up in George Washington's diary? I was so ashamed I sat up all night reading it.

I make a living off (politicians), so I can't knock 'em. Every time we elect some fellow we think he's terrible and then when we get another one in he's worse. So, I am always in favor of keeping the one we've got and let the other go.