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Madeleine Albright Quotes

Former United States Secretary of State

Former United States Secretary of State, born on May 15, 1937. Madeleine Albright was a key figure in American foreign policy during the Cold War and served as the first female Secretary of State under the Clinton administration.

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All Thinking People States Ifs World America Secretary Policy Men Knows

Famous Madeleine Albright Quotes

“A lot of people think international relations is like a game of chess. But it's not a game of chess, where people sit quietly, thinking out their strategy, taking their time between moves. It's more like a game of billiards, with a bunch of balls clustered together.”

People Thinking Together Moving Games Balls Relation Strategy International Chess Bunch International Relations Billiards

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I really think that there was a great advantage in many ways to being a woman. I think we are a lot better at personal relationships, and then have the capability obviously of telling it like it is when it's necessary.”

Thinking Way Advantage Capability Being A Woman Personal Relationships Telling It Like It Is

Author:Madeleine Albright

“If we have to use force, it is because we are America. We are the indispensable nation. We stand tall. We see further into the future.”

Ifs Use America Force Nations Tall Indispensable

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I do believe that in order to be a successful negotiator that as a diplomat, you have to be able to put yourself into the other person's shoes. Unless you can understand what is motivating them, you are never going to be able to figure out how to solve a particular problem.”

Believe Persons Problem Able Order Successful Figures Particular Shoes Solve Diplomats

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I am a beneficiary of the American people's generosity, and I hope we can have comprehensive immigration legislation that allows this country to continue to be enriched by those who were not born here.”

People Country Hope Born Immigration Generosity Legislation Comprehensive Beneficiaries

Author:Madeleine Albright

“Hate, emotionalism, and frustration are not policies.”

Hate Policy Frustration

Author:Madeleine Albright

“We will not be intimidated or pushed off the world stage by people who do not like what we stand for, and that is, freedom, democracy and the fight against disease, poverty and terrorism.”

People World Fighting Poverty Democracy Stage Disease Terrorism Intimidated

Author:Madeleine Albright

“Even before I went to the UN, I often would want to say something in a meeting - only woman at the table - and I'd think, 'OK well, I don't think I'll say that. It may sound stupid.' And then some man says it, and everybody thinks it's completely brilliant, and you are so mad at yourself for not saying something.”

Thinking Men Want Wells May Sound Stupid Tables Mad Meetings Brilliant

Author:Madeleine Albright

“Well I do think, when there are more women, that the tone of the conversation changes, and also the goals of the conversation change. But it doesn't mean that the whole world would be a lot better if it were totally run by women. If you think that, you've forgotten high school.”

Ifs Thinking World Wells Mean Whole Would Be Running School Goal Conversation High School Forgotten Whole World Tone Setting Goals

Author:Madeleine Albright

“The best book, like the best speech, will do it all - make us laugh, think, cry and cheer - preferably in that order.”

Thinking Book Order Laughing Cry Speech Cheer

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I love being a woman and I was not one of these women who rose through professional life by wearing men's clothes or looking masculine. I loved wearing bright colors and being who I am.”

Men Color Clothes Rose Who I Am Masculine Being A Woman Professional Life Bright Colors

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I think that we all know what evil is. We have a sense of what's evil, and certainly killing innocent people is evil. We're less sure about what is good. There's sort of good, good enough, could be better - but absolute good is a little harder to define.”

People Thinking Knows Littles Enough Evil Harder Absolutes Killing Innocent Good Enough

Author:Madeleine Albright

“It's one thing to be religious, but it's another thing to make religion your policy.”

Religious One Thing Policy

Author:Madeleine Albright

“And so I think that the idea of America working with other countries to solve problems is good for us, and it is part of digging us out of the “my way or the highway” approach that was evident in the previous eight years.”

Thinking Way Years Ideas Country Problem America Approach Eight Solve My Way Other Countries Evident Highways Digging Working With Others

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I hope I'm wrong, but I am afraid that Iraq is going to turn out to be the greatest disaster in American foreign policy - worse than Vietnam, not in the number who died, but in terms of its unintended consequences and its reverberation throughout the region.”

Turns Term Numbers Policy Consequence Died Iraq Disaster Regions Vietnam Foreign Policy Unintended Consequences American Foreign Policy Reverberation

Author:Madeleine Albright

“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.”

“The day-to-day making of policy is arguing all the time. You're trying to get the right approach and the right answer, and there are moments that aren't very pleasant. But in the end, you look at the overall product.”

Trying Looks Ends Moments Answers Policy Products Approach Arguing Pleasant Day To Day Right Answers

Author:Madeleine Albright

“If you look at my life, generally, I've been put in situations which were difficult and which I conquered.”

Ifs Looks Difficult Situation

Author:Madeleine Albright

“Women have to be active listeners and interrupters - but when you interrupt, you have to know what you are talking about.”

Knows Talking Active Listeners

Author:Madeleine Albright

“Women can't do everything at the same time, we need to understand milestones in our lives comes in segments.”

Needs Our Lives Milestone

Author:Madeleine Albright

“And frankly, I don't understand - I mean, I'm obviously a card-carrying Democrat - but I can't understand why any woman would want to vote for Mitt Romney, except maybe Mrs. Romney.”

Want Mean I Can Vote Democrat Cards Romney

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I have to tell you, my seven-year-old granddaughter said to my daughter, her mother, 'So what's the big deal about Grandma Maddy having been Secretary of State? Only girls are Secretaries of State.' Most of her lifetime, it's true. But at the time it really was a big deal.”

Years Said States Bigs Mother Girl Deals Daughter Lifetime Seven My Daughter Secretary Seven Years Big Deal Grandma Granddaughter Grand Daughter

Author:Madeleine Albright

“The magic of America is that we're a free and open society with a mixed population. Part of our security is our freedom.”

America Magic Security Population Patriotic

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I think women are really good at making friends and not good at networking. Men are good at networking and not necessarily making friends. That's a gross generalization, but I think it holds in many ways.”

Thinking Men Way Gross Networking Generalization Making Friends

Author:Madeleine Albright

“Jewelry and pins have been worn throughout history as symbols of power, sending messages. Interestingly enough, it was mostly men who wore the jewelry in various times, and obviously crowns were part of signals that were being sent throughout history by people of rank.”

People Men Has Beens Enough Messages Various Symbols Crowns Worn Signals Pins Jewelry Sending A Message

Author:Madeleine Albright

“One of the issues I kept saying to my students is you have to learn to interrupt. When you raise your hand at a meeting, by the time they get to you, the point is not germane. So the bottom line is active listening. If you are going to interrupt, you look for opportunities. You have to know what you're talking about.”

Ifs Knows Looks Hands Opportunity Lines Talking Issues Students Listening Raises Meetings Bottom Active Bottom Line

Author:Madeleine Albright

“As strong as the United States is, we can't deal with terrorism alone.”

States Strong United Deals United States Terrorism

Author:Madeleine Albright

“For somebody who loves foreign policy, being Secretary is the best job in the world - but it doesn't happen twice.”

World Happens Jobs Policy Foreign Policy Secretary Best Job

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I was a little girl in World War II and I'm used to being freed by Americans.”

World Littles War Used Girl War Of The Worlds World War Ii

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I've never seen America as an imperialist or colonialist or meddling country.”

Country America Meddling

Author:Madeleine Albright

“The U.N. bureaucracy has grown to elephantine proportions. Now that the Cold War is over, we are asking that elephant to do gymnastics.”

War Cold Asking Proportion Cold War Elephants Bureaucracy Gymnastics Government Bureaucracy

Author:Madeleine Albright

“We live in an image society. Speeches are not what anybody cares about; what they care about is the picture.”

Care Speech

Author:Madeleine Albright

“While democracy in the long run is the most stable form of government, in the short run, it is among the most fragile.”

Long Government Running Form Democracy Fragile Stable Long Runs Forms Of Government

Author:Madeleine Albright

“Hussein has chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies.”

Building Weapons Mass Destruction Democratic Democrat Iraq Chosen Hussein Palaces Lied Weapons Of Mass Destruction Mass Destruction Iraq War Wmd Gulf War Wmds In Iraq Cronies

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I can't imagine what it is like to be raised in a society where their only statues that exist are to you and your father.”

I Can Father Imagine Raised Statues

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I loved being Secretary of State, that's probably evident to everyone who watched me.”

States Secretary Evident

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I loved what I did. I could've been secretary of state for ever.”

States Secretary

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I spent my life studying communism and Soviet systems.”

Study Communism Soviet

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I was in Europe and it was at this stage that I fell in love with Americans in uniform. And I continue to have that love affair.”

Stage Europe Affair Uniforms Love Affair

Author:Madeleine Albright

“My mind-set is Munich. Most of my generation's is Vietnam.”

Mind Generations Vietnam My Generation Mind Set Munich

Author:Madeleine Albright

“My parents were of the generation who thought they were the children of a free Czechoslovakia, the only democracy in central Europe.”

Children Parent Democracy Generations Europe Czechoslovakia

Author:Madeleine Albright

“NATO has been a thread throughout my life.”

Has Beens Thread Nato

Author:Madeleine Albright

“No matter how hard we might wish, we will not be able to transform China's behavior overnight.”

Matter Hard Might Able Wish Behavior China

Author:Madeleine Albright

“Nobody's ever said that pins are a tool of diplomacy.”

Said Tools Diplomacy Pins

Author:Madeleine Albright

“People are finding it harder and harder to relate to foreign policy.”

People Policy Findings Harder Relate Foreign Policy

Author:Madeleine Albright

“The greatest thrill in my life was to represent the United States of America.”

States America United United States United States Of America Thrill

Author:Madeleine Albright

“To be safe at the expense of the liberty of other people is a difficult equation.”

People Difficult Liberty Safe Expenses Equations

Author:Madeleine Albright

“What a blast it is to be here with Michael Moore.”

Blast

Author:Madeleine Albright

“And so I have studied, I have to tell you, revolutions and uprisings for a long time. They are all slightly different, but what they all look for is some kind of a mechanism to go from an authoritarian system to an open, democratic system.”

Looks Kind Long Different Revolution Long Time Democratic Mechanism Uprising

Author:Madeleine Albright

“I saw what happened when a dictator was allowed to take over a piece of a country and the country went down the tubes. And I saw the opposite during the war when America joined the fight.”

War Country America Fighting Saws Pieces Happened Opposites Dictator Tubes

Author:Madeleine Albright

About the Author

Born: May 15, 1937
Known for: Former United States Secretary of State
Quotes: 231

Books & Sources

Madam SecretaryRelated source material

Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948Related source material

De hel en andere bestemmingen: Memoires 2001-2019Related source material

Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel BoxRelated source material

The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs – A Bold Critique and Call for Moral Consensus in an Era of Religious TerrorismRelated source material

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