Adlai Stevenson I Quotes & Sayings

Why is it that when political ammunition runs low, inevitably the rusty artillery of abuse is always wheeled into action? — Adlai Stevenson I

I have been told that one of the reasons the astronomers of the world cooperate is the fact that there is no one nation from which the entire sphere of the sky can be seen. Perhaps there is in that fact a parable for national statesmen, whose political horizons are all too often limited by national horizons. — Adlai Stevenson I

A wise man does not try to hurry history. Many wars have been avoided by patience, and many have been precipitated by reckless haste. — Adlai Stevenson I

Power corrupts, but lack of power corrupts absolutely. — Adlai Stevenson I

Bad administration, to be sure, can destroy good policy; but good administration can never save bad policy. — Adlai Stevenson I

The sound of tireless voices is the price we pay for the right to hear the music of our own opinions. — Adlai Stevenson I

Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses. — Adlai Stevenson I

Our strength lies, not alone in our proving grounds and our stockpiles, but in our ideals, our goals, and their universal appeal to all men who are struggling to breathe free. — Adlai Stevenson I

Eggheads, unite! You have nothing to lose but your yolks. — Adlai Stevenson I

It is in the nature of cats to do a certain amount of unescorted roaming. — Adlai Stevenson I

[I]t is difficult to picture the great Creator conceiving of a program of one creature (which He has made) using another living creature for purposes of experimentation. There must be other, less cruel ways of obtaining knowledge. — Adlai Stevenson I

Carelessness about our security is dangerous, carelessness about our freedom is also dangerous. — Adlai Stevenson I

Self-Criticism is the secret weapon of democracy, and candor and confession are good for the political soul. — Adlai Stevenson I

A lie is an abomination unto the Lord, and a very present help in trouble. — Adlai Stevenson I

A wise man who stands firm is a statesman, a foolish man who stands firm is a catastrophe. — Adlai Stevenson I

A man doesn't save a century, or a civilization, but a militant party wedded to a principle can. — Adlai Stevenson I

The tragedy of our day is the climate of fear in which we live, and fear breeds repression. Too often sinister threats to the Bill of Rights, to freedom of the mind, are concealed under the patriotic cloak of anti-communism. — Adlai Stevenson I

Your public servants serve you right; indeed often they serve you better than your apathy and indifference deserve. — Adlai Stevenson I

Here, in the dread tribunal of last resort, valor contended against valor. Here brave men struggled and died for the right as God gave them to see the right. — Adlai Stevenson I

Men may be born free; they cannot be born wise; and it is the duty of the university to make the free wise. — Adlai Stevenson I