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Susan Rice

Susan Rice Quotes

United States Ambassador to the United Nations

Susan Rice is an American diplomat and academic who served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations under President Barack Obama. She is recognized for her influence on U.S. foreign policy and her dedication to human rights advocacy.

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Famous Susan Rice Quotes

“I'm not watching any TV shows, frankly.”

Shows Tvs Tv Shows

Author:Susan Rice

“I have great ambitions for when I get out of government. I will watch a broader range of stuff.”

Government Stuff Watches Ambition Range Great Ambition

Author:Susan Rice

“Since I've had a career, my hair has been more or less professional.”

Has Beens Careers Hair

Author:Susan Rice

“I don't get drunk, I get a little happy on rare occasion, and I'm probably dancing if I'm that happy.”

Ifs Littles Dancing Drunk Occasions Rare Occasion

Author:Susan Rice

“I was working with a number of African heads of state. And after their initial surprise, I think many of them just treated me as they would anybody else. They had to deal with me as a representative of the United States of America, and the United States of America was too important to be dismissed or ignored on any grounds.”

Thinking Important States America United Deals Numbers United States Surprise Treated Representatives United States Of America Ignored Initials Head Of State

Author:Susan Rice

“The youth thing never really, from my vantage point, slowed me down. I think the harder audience for me to gain acceptance from was the career diplomatic corps that worked with and for me in the Africa Bureau.”

Thinking Careers Audience Acceptance Youth Gains Harder Diplomatic Vantage Point

Author:Susan Rice

“There are plenty of meetings, receptions, dinners, and so if you are [at the U.N.] any length of time, and I was there for four and a half years, you formed pretty significant relationships with people from all over the world. And that's important to the work you do. If you're trying to rally the General Assembly to vote for something that matters to the United States, those personal relationships count.”

“One of the things I love about negotiations is that you have to be able to play it like an orchestra, different instruments for different circumstances. There's sweetness, and encouragement, and cajoling. There's pressure, there's drama, there's ultimatums.”

Different Play Able Circumstances Drama Encouragement Pressure Instruments Sweetness Negotiation Orchestra Things I Love

Author:Susan Rice

“The notion that I had become a political lightning rod was painful for me to experience.”

Political Notion Painful Lightning

Author:Susan Rice

“I was very happy in my job at the United Nations.”

Jobs Nations United Very Happy United Nations

Author:Susan Rice

“I think it's very, very important that in foreign policy and national security decision making, as in any other realm, that there be a range of diversity that reflects the full complexity of America. We should draw on those experiences to inform our decision making.”

Thinking Should Important America Decision Security Policy Diversity Draws Range Realms Complexity Decision Making Foreign Policy National Security

Author:Susan Rice

“I am blunt when I want to be.”

Author:Susan Rice

“I am blunt sometimes; I am diplomatic sometimes; I am all things in between. Abrasive, you know, I guess it's in the eye of the beholder.”

Knows Sometimes Eye All Things Blunt Diplomatic Beholder Eye Of The Beholder

Author:Susan Rice

“What I would say about me is: What you see is what I get.”

Author:Susan Rice

“I am straight forward; I am not manipulative; I am not two-faced. And I think that that has served me well in all of my roles, particularly as a diplomat, because people knew if I said something, I meant it. If I said no, I meant no, and if I said we could make this work, we would make it work.”

People Ifs Thinking Wells Said Two Roles Diplomats Manipulative

Author:Susan Rice

“I think people have confidence that I will fairly and accurately represent their point of view to the President, and that I'm not going to put a spin on it, even if I may disagree with it.”

People Ifs Thinking May President Views Point Of View Disagree Have Confidence

Author:Susan Rice

“I don't worry about how folks want to characterize me.”

Want Worry Folks

Author:Susan Rice

“Be who you are. If you spend all of your time worrying about how people view you, you will not be either faithful to yourself or effective in what you're trying to do.”

People Ifs Trying Views Worry Who You Are Faithful Be Who You Are

Author:Susan Rice

“If you're trying to get something done, there will always be people who don't want to see you get something done, or who have a stake in the status quo. And if they approach that through ad hominem criticism of you, you've got to have enough confidence and thickness of skin to be able to endure.”

People Ifs Want Trying Done Enough Able Approach Criticism Skins Endure Stakes Ads Status Quo Want To See You Thickness

Author:Susan Rice

“I'm sort of in this rhythm where we want to make the most of the time we have, but when it's done it will be time for it to be done.”

Want Done Rhythm

Author:Susan Rice

“President Obama is an extraordinary person to work with and for.”

Persons President Extraordinary President Obama Extraordinary Person

Author:Susan Rice

“President Obama is perhaps the smartest person I've ever worked with.”

Persons President President Obama

Author:Susan Rice

“President Obama has got the most moderate temperament.”

President President Obama Temperament Moderates

Author:Susan Rice

“President Obama is funny, he's thoughtful, he's challenging, he's fun to work with - and it's been an extraordinary privilege.”

Fun President Challenges Extraordinary Privilege Thoughtful President Obama

Author:Susan Rice

“I may not be able to work for anybody else again. I may just have to work for myself.”

May Able I May Not Be

Author:Susan Rice

“It is manifestly in the interest of the United States to deal with the very real threat that climate change poses. And that's why President Obama has worked so hard to reduce our own emissions and to lead internationally in forging the Paris climate agreement.”

Real Hard States President Interest United Deals United States Threat Climate Climate Change Paris Agreement President Obama Emissions Forging

Author:Susan Rice

“It's in our interest to continue with the Paris Agreement and to deal with climate change as the real threat it actually is.”

Real Interest Deals Threat Climate Climate Change Paris Agreement

Author:Susan Rice

“There are no cookie-cutter solutions that you can apply from one circumstance to another. They're different. Our interests, as implicated, are different. The tools we have at our disposal are different.”

Different Interest Circumstances Solutions Tools Cookies Cutters Cookie Cutters

Author:Susan Rice

“The United States of America is the leading power in the world. Our friends and our adversaries respect us in large measure because they know that we are steady. We are fact-based. We are serious.”

Knows World States Facts America United United States Serious Steady United States Of America Adversaries

Author:Susan Rice

“The notion that -- which some people are trying to suggest, that by asking for the identity of an American person, that is the same as leaking it, is completely false. There's no equivalence between so-called unmasking and leaking.”

People Trying Identity

Author:Susan Rice

“We should learn to tolerate nuclear weapons of North Korea just like we did the Soviet Union.”

Soviet Nuclear Weapons Tolerate Soviet Union North Korea

Author:Susan Rice

“We have been very clear that Israel has an undeniable right to self-defense and that the rockets that it has faced coming out of Gaza incessantly, the tunnels that are legion and are being used to infiltrate into Israel are very legitimate security concerns, for which they have an obligation - against which they have an obligation to act.”

Security Concern Obligation Gaza Legion Incessantly

Author:Susan Rice

“The problem is, Hamas is using force to try to extort progress on its political objectives.”

Trying Problem Political Progress Hamas

Author:Susan Rice

“We know that weapons, heavy weapons continue to flow across the border from Russia into Ukraine. And we have now, in recent days, indications that Russians - Russian military units themselves have, on occasion, fired into Ukraine.”

Author:Susan Rice

“We also have begun to assess with the Ukrainians the scope of their larger security assistance requirements. We have had teams out making that assessment with the Ukrainians. And we have already provided various forms of equipment and support to Ukraine.”

Support Team Security Various

Author:Susan Rice

“The Russians are clearly already engaged in a proxy war against the government of Ukraine. And that is something that we and the rest of the world have actively condemned and sanctioned Russia already heavily for, particularly the United States, as we have imposed now meaningful, tough sanctions in critical sectors, including the defense sector, the financial sector, and the energy sector.”

World War Energy Tough Financial Meaningful

Author:Susan Rice

“The United States really only accounts for about 3 percent of the economic engagement with Russia. Europe is 40 percent, and so Europe's contribution to this pressure is far more than symbolic. It's very practical. And that's one of the many reasons why we have worked hard to remain in close coordination with our European partners.”

Reason Economic

Author:Susan Rice

“I am a team player - and that is what you need to be an effective point guard. You gotta see the court, you gotta set up the play, and you gotta let others execute for the most part. I don't throw elbows for the sake of throwing elbows, but if somebody throws one at me and it's necessary to respond in kind, I suppose I can if I have to.”

Ifs Needs Kind I Can Play Player Team Court Sake Throwing Elbows Inspirational Team Team Player Point Guard

Author:Susan Rice

“I think most Americans understand that we went through a period in which American leadership was judged quite critically internationally.”

Thinking Periods Judged American Leadership

Author:Susan Rice

“The larger picture here is that a North Korea with nuclear weapons adds to the larger proliferation risk.”

Risk Weapons Add Nuclear Nuclear Weapons Korea North Korea Proliferation Nuclear Proliferation

Author:Susan Rice

“If we are to garner sustained U.S. domestic support for future trade agreements, we have to make sure those Americans who have suffered as a consequence of past agreements have an effective social safety net, adjustment assistance, opportunities for retraining and new job creation that enables all Americans to thrive.”

Ifs Jobs Past Opportunity Social Support Creation Consequence Safety Trade Thrive Agreement Assistance Adjustment New Job Safety Net Job Creation Trade Agreements

Author:Susan Rice

“If you want change, you have to make it. If we want progress we have to drive it.”

Ifs Want Change Progress

Author:Susan Rice

“Thirty years ago, about 80% of a company's assets resided in its plant and equipment, with 20% in the knowledge of its people. Today, the reverse is true. The knowledge of our staff is our principal asset”

People Years Today Business Company Years Ago Economics Management Plant Happy Thirty Productive Assets Reverse Principal Staff Equipment Thirty Years

Author:Susan Rice

“Well, I think by any expectation South Africa has come a tremendously long way. We've seen a society that many people thought couldn't withstand a peaceful transition to democracy without a great deal of violence, in fact, make that transition and do it in relative peace and security.”

People Thinking Way Wells Long Facts Deals Democracy Violence Security Expectations South Peaceful Transition Relative South Africa Long Way Peace And Security

Author:Susan Rice

“I don't have time to think about the false controversy.”

Thinking Concentration Controversy Time To Think

Author:Susan Rice

“Once you've learned to study in a bathing suit on the grass with muscled men throwing frisbees over your head, you can accomplish almost anything.”

Men Study Accomplish Suits Grass Over You Throwing Bathing Bathing Suits Frisbee

Author:Susan Rice

“The U.S. cannot go it alone simply when it is convenient.”

Author:Susan Rice

“I would rather be alone and a loud voice for action than be silent.”

Action Voice Silent Loud Loud Voices

Author:Susan Rice

“Progress is the product of human agency. Things get better because we make them better. Things go wrong when we get too comfortable, when we fail to take risks or seize opportunities.”

Humans Opportunity Progress Failing Risk Products Comfortable Get Better Agency Seize The Opportunity

Author:Susan Rice

“Bashar al-Assad and those who still stand by him are now responsible for the deaths of more than 20,000 in Syria.”

Stills Responsible Israel Als Syria Assad Bashar Al Assad

Author:Susan Rice

About the Author

Born: November 17, 1964
Known for: United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Quotes: 103

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