John Bolton Quotes & Sayings

You know, as somebody who writes op-eds and appears on the television, I appreciate as well as anybody that ... there is a limit to what that accomplishes. — John Bolton

I've never attended any Tea Party functions. — John Bolton

The only thing that will stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons is regime change in Tehran. — John Bolton

I've been in the government bureaucracy, I've practiced law, I've done a lot of different things. — John Bolton

I don't much believe in bumper sticker characterizations of foreign policy. — John Bolton

I think the International Criminal Court could be a threat to American security interests, because the prosecutor of the court has enormous discretion in going after war crimes. And the way the Statute of Rome is written, responsibility for war crimes can be taken all the way up the chain of command. — John Bolton

The U.N. is one of many competitors in a marketplace of global problem solving. — John Bolton

If I were doing the Security Council today, I'd have one permanent member, the United States, because that's the real reflection of the distribution of power in the world. All international laws are invalid, meaningless attempts to constrict American power. — John Bolton

When you have a regime that would be happier in the afterlife than in this life, this is not a regime that is subject to classic theories of deterrence. — John Bolton

I think some of this fascination with the 'Arab Spring' is just a grand experiment with Israel's survival. — John Bolton

It's not natural disasters that are to blame for the deprivation of the North Korean people, but the failed policies of Kim Jong Il. — John Bolton

Everybody pursues their national interests. The only one who gets blamed for it is the United States. — John Bolton

I've been subject to how many security clearance procedures and I must say as irritating as some people may find them I think they are absolutely essential to making sure that people who work in sensitive positions in the national security field in our government are entirely loyal to the United States. — John Bolton

It's very personal in its politics, very bitter and very negative. — John Bolton

I don't think there is any good answer to the question why shouldn't gays and lesbians who want to serve their country be allowed to do it. — John Bolton

I think that, especially among conservatives, there's a clear understanding that there are three legs to the conservative stool. There are the free-market economics conservatives, the social conservatives, and the national-security conservatives. — John Bolton

My priority is to give the United States the kind of influence it should have. — John Bolton

Let there be no ambiguity about the American view that Syria's lack of cooperation .. is not acceptable. — John Bolton

North Korea is going to get away with keeping its nuclear weapons. — John Bolton

Negotiation is not a policy. It's a technique. It's something you use when it's to your advantage, and something that you don't use when it's not to your advantage. — John Bolton

We estimate that once Iraq acquires fissile material - whether from a foreign source or by securing the materials to build an indigenous fissile material capability - it could fabricate a nuclear weapon within one year. — John Bolton

A lot of people have said to me, 'That's a great idea, running for president. You'll get booked for more speeches. You can write a book.' — John Bolton

Just like Sept. 11, only with nuclear weapons this time, that's the threat. I think that is the threat. I think it's just facing reality. It's not a happy reality, but it's reality and if you don't deal with it, it will become even more unpleasant. — John Bolton

In the United States, there is a broadly shared view that the U.N. is one of many potential instruments to advance U.S. issues, and we have to decide whether a particular issue is best done through the U.N. or best done through some other mechanism. — John Bolton

Don't get me wrong: I would love to be president. — John Bolton

Every country has an aspect to it that rubs up people the wrong way. — John Bolton

There is no excuse for waste, fraud, and abuse in the Defense Department budget. — John Bolton

Politicians, like generals, have a tendency to fight the last war. — John Bolton

Our biggest national security crisis is Barack Obama — John Bolton

Diplomacy is not an end in itself if it does not advance U.S. interests. — John Bolton

Obviously, you make preparations before you engage in any meeting. — John Bolton

People say you favor assassination, what do you think war is? Except that it's assassination on a much larger scale, a much more horrific scale. — John Bolton

Well, I'm a libertarian conservative, so I believe in limited government/maximum individual freedom. — John Bolton

I don't do carrots. — John Bolton

People don't like to talk about victory and defeat anymore. — John Bolton

I want to make sure that, not only in the Republican Party but in the body politic as a whole, people are aware of threats that remain to the United States. — John Bolton

I am all in favour of democracy in Iraq. — John Bolton

I don't think Hamas will be satisfied simply ruling the Gaza Strip. — John Bolton

I would not run as a one-issue candidate. Anybody who does that is declaring himself to be marginal. — John Bolton

As you know, I have over the years written critically about the U.N. I have consistently stressed in my writings that American leadership is critical to the success of the U.N., an effective U.N., one that is true to the original intent of its charter's framers. — John Bolton

You don't need to spend tens of millions of dollars on political consultants to tell you what you think when you already know what you think. — John Bolton

I am not a neoconservative. — John Bolton

I don't think I would have to run a campaign that's financed like General Motors. — John Bolton

I'm a conservative Republican. I have been since I was 15 years old and participated in the 'Goldwater for President' campaign in 1964. — John Bolton

There is no such thing as the United Nations. — John Bolton

There's no doubt that Iran funds and supplies Hamas with weapons. — John Bolton

There is no patriotic obligation to help advance the career of a politician who is otherwise pursuing interests that are fundamentally antithetical to your values. That's not the call of patriotism. — John Bolton

I'm not running around the world looking for ways to create hostilities. — John Bolton

If Iran obtains nuclear weapons, then almost certainly Saudi Arabia will do the same, as will Egypt, Turkey and perhaps others in the region. — John Bolton

I haven't given up on the possibility that sweet reason will prevail. — John Bolton

Well, you could take several stories off the buildings of most U.S. government agencies and we'd all probably be better for it too. — John Bolton

Swapping Bergdahl for illegal enemy combatants (terrorists, in common parlance) signaled unmistakably to Taliban and al Qaeda that Obama is determined to withdraw from Afghanistan no matter what the cost to the United States or those in Afghanistan fighting to remain free. — John Bolton

Reform is not a one-night stand. — John Bolton

I've been surrounded by some of the best economic minds in the country, and hopefully I've absorbed some of that. — John Bolton

There's no religious test under the constitution. That's what it says. Period. — John Bolton

I have decided not to run for president. — John Bolton

I am not a professional politician. — John Bolton

I'm not sure history has ended. — John Bolton

Let me ask, who died and made him king? Who gave him the authority to endanger 300 million Americans? That's not the way it works, and if he thinks he can get away with that, he's got another think coming. — John Bolton

Obama sees America as another country on the UN role call. Somewhere between Albania and Zimbabwe. — John Bolton

The Nobel Peace Prize has become hopelessly politicized. I think it cheapens the prize itself. — John Bolton

There's no such thing as the United Nations. If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference. — John Bolton

I'm obviously aware that people are quite focused on the economy rather than foreign policy issues, but that is something that should and can be altered as people see the nature of the threats around the world that we face. — John Bolton

Maybe it's my libertarian philosophy: but being in government is hard. — John Bolton

My philosophy is not a bean-counting, accounting 'look at this.' It is a philosophy that smaller government is better government, and government that is closer to the people is best of all. — John Bolton

I think that Ronald Reagan had it right, being against abortion except in certain limited, defined circumstances. — John Bolton