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Idealism without pragmatism is impotent. Pragmatism without idealism is meaningless. The key to effective leadership is pragmatic idealism.

Richard M. Nixon

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Richard M. Nixon
Age: 81 †
Born: 1913
Born: January 9
Died: 1994
Died: April 22
Autobiographer
Lawyer
Military Officer
Politician
President
Statesperson
Yorba Linda
California
Richard Milhous Nixon
Nixon
President Nixon
Dick Nixon
Tricky Dick
R. Nixon
R. M. Nixon
Richard M. Nixon
Keys
Leadership
Without
Pragmatism
Impotent
Pragmatic
Idealism
Meaningless
Effective

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The great question of the seventies is, shall we surrender to our surroundings, or shall we make our peace with nature and begin to make reparations for the damage we have done to our air, to our land, and to our water?
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Anybody who wants to be an ambassador, wants to pay at least $250,000.
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I'm not for women, frankly, in any job. I don't want any of them around. Thank God we don't have any in the Cabinet.
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[The public lands represent] in a sense, the breathing space of the nation.
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It is not enough just to be for peace. The point is, what can we do about it?
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I'll speak for the man, or against him, whichever will do him the most good.
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Let us begin by committing ourselves to the truth to see it like it is, and tell it like it is, to find the truth, to speak the truth, and to live the truth.
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In his heart everyone knows that the only people who get rich from the get rich quick books are those who write them.
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The language of politics is poetry, not prose. Jackson is poetry. Cuomo is poetry. Dukakis is a word processor.
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Those who hate you don't win unless you hate them back.
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What starts the process, really, are laughs and slights and snubs when you are a kid. If your anger is deep enough and strong enough, you learn that you can change those attitudes by excellence, personal gut performance.
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The student who invades an administration building, roughs up a dean, rifles the files and issues 'non-negotiable demands' may have some of his demands met by a permissive university administration. But the greater his 'victory' the more he will have undermined the security of his own rights.
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I can see clearly now... that I was wrong in not acting more decisively and more forthrightly in dealing with Watergate.
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Never say no when a client asks for something, even if it is the moon. You can always try, and anyhow there is plenty of time afterwards to explain that it was not possible.
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What we have done with the American Indian is its way as bad as what we imposed on the Negroes. We took a proud and independent race and virtually destroyed them. We have to find ways to bring them back into decent lives in this country.
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Look at the Justice Department, it's full of Jews...The lawyers in government are damn Jews.
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The average American is just like the child in the family. You give him some responsibility and he is going to amount to something. He is going to do something. If, on the other hand, you make him completely dependent and pamper him and cater to him too much, you are going to make him soft, spoiled and eventually a very weak individual.
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I don't think a woman should be in any government job whatever. I mean, I really don't. The reason why I do is mainly because they are erratic and emotional.
Richard M. Nixon
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Solutions are not the answer.
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The successful leader does not talk down to people. He lifts them up.
Richard M. Nixon