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Position Quotes

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Position Quotes

“I have often been amused by our vulgar tendency to take complex issues, with solutions at neither extreme of a continuum of possibilities, and break them into dichotomies, assigning one group to one pole and the other to an opposite end, with no acknowledgment of subtleties and intermediate positions and nearly always with moral opprobrium attached to opponents.”

Source: The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History

“From the circumstances of my position, I was often thrown into the society of horse-racers, card-players, fox-hunters, scientific and professional men, and of dignified men; and many a time have I asked myself, in the enthusiastic moment of the death of a fox, the victory of a favorite horse, the issue of a question eloquently argued at the bar, or in the great council of the nation, well, which of these kinds of reputation should I prefer? That of a horse-jockey, a fox-hunter, an orator, or the honest advocate of my country's rights?”

Source: The writings of Thomas Jefferson: being his autobiography, correspondence, reports, messages, addresses, and other writings, official and private

“The extreme positions of the Crossfire Syndrome require extreme simplification - framing the debate in terms which ignore the real issues.”

Real Term Issues Position Extremes Debate Syndromes Simplification Framing Crossfire

Author:Michael Crichton

“There are advantages to being the chairman. One of my favorite perks was picking out an issue and doing what I called a "deep dive." It's spotting a challenge where you think you can make a difference - one that looks like it would be fun - and then throwing the weight of your position behind it. Some might justifiably call it "meddling." I've often done this just about everywhere in the company.”

“Most complaints, you know, aren't won or lost on their own merits, but rather on larger issues--politics and the position of the planets.”

Knows Lost Issues Position Planets Merit Complaints

Book:Three Plays of the Absurd

Source: Three Plays of the Absurd

“Political scientists don't work at banks which is a problem. As political issues become more important for the markets, analysts at banks are asked all sorts of questions they don't have the ability to answer. And if you're getting paid to answer questions as analysts at banks are you never want to be in the position of saying you don't know.”

Ifs Knows Want Important Problem Political Ability Answers Issues Position Scientist Paid Analysts Political Issues

Author:Ian Bremmer

“According to our social science, we can be or become wise in all matters of secondary importance, but we have to be resigned to utter ignorance in the most important respect: we cannot have any knowledge regarding the ultimate principles of our choices, i.e. regarding their soundness or unsoundness... We are then in the position of beings who are sane and sober when engaged in trivial business and who gamble like madmen when confronted with serious issues.”

“Gay marriage is a tricky issue for the Democrats due to the fact that - like taxes, defense and education - they are forced to lie about their position when running for office. In other words, Democrats are gay marriage supporters trapped in the bodies of candidates who oppose gay marriage. And no issue-reassignment surgery can help them.”

Facts Helping Body Running Lying Issues Position Gay Taxes Office Democrat Dues Defense Candidates Trapped Surgery Supporter Gay Marriage Tricky Running For Office

Author:Ann Coulter

“Meiklejohn's position is that free speech in a democracy is not an absolute flowing from the boundless source of some presumed 'natural right.' It is a practical necessity of 'self-government by universal suffrage,' for if the citizens are not permitted to argue out the issues of government, how can they be what they must be in a democracy - the rulers as well as the ruled?”

“What is portrayed as high-minded positions on issues sometimes is just designed to carve out some of their commercial interests.”

Sometimes Interest Issues Position Nsa

Author:Barack Obama

“For a lot of women, one of the hardest things about leadership is the desire to be liked by everyone. That's often inconsistent with leadership. It's certainly inconsistent with taking positions on very controversial issues.”

Desire Leadership Issues Position Hardest Hardest Thing Controversial Inconsistent Controversial Issues

Author:Sarah Weddington

“Insofar as theology is an attempt to define and clarify intellectual positions, it is apt to lead to discussion, to differences of opinion, even to controversy, and hence to be divisive. And this has had a strong tendency to dampen serious discussion of theological issues in most groups, and hence to strengthen the general anti-intellectual bias.”

Strong Differences Christianity Opinion Issues Groups Position Serious Intellectual Theology Tendencies Discussion Bias Controversy Theological Differences Of Opinion

Author:Bill Vaughan

“The general public doesn't know and probably doesn't care about punctuated equilibria nor indeed should they, or the greenhouse effect on some other planet - they barely have the ability to cope with the greenhouse effect on their own planet. So I think you have to distinguish between the broad visibility of a scientist when he or she is speaking to a general public and trying to address general issues and the continued position that a scientist may have into the history of a particular subject.”

Thinking Knows Should Trying May Care Ability Issues Subjects Effects Position Particular Planets Scientist Addresses Broads Equilibrium Greenhouses General Public Visibility

Author:Richard Lewontin

“The Secret Service has announced it is doubling its protection for John Kerry. You can understand why - with two positions on every issue, he has twice as many people mad at him.”

People Two Secret Issues Position Mad Protection John Kerry Secret Service Mad At Him

Author:Jay Leno

“We must make an issue, create an event, and establish a national position for ourselves: and never may expect to be respected as men and women, until we have undertaken some fearless, bold, and adventurous deeds of daring . . .”

Men May Issues Events Position Men And Women Deeds Fearless Daring Adventurous

Author:Martin Delany

“If, two people have good minds and they're looking at problems, if they agree all the time it means one of them is not thinking. If they disagree all the time, it means one of them is not thinking. They're just allowing their political position to dictate their position on an issue. And I think that's unhealthy. And the public knows better.”

People Ifs Thinking Knows Mind Mean Two Problem Political Issues Position Agree Allowing Disagree Unhealthy Good Mind

Author:William J. Clinton

“At least in popular parlance, what makes religious folks religious today is not so much that they believe in Jesus' divinity or Buddhism's Four Noble Truths but that they hold certain moral positions on bedroom issues such as premarital sex, homosexuality, and abortion.”

Believe Today Certain Jesus Sex Religious Moral Issues Four Position Buddhism Folks Noble Abortion Divinity Bedroom Homosexuality

Author:Stephen Prothero

“I don't feel passionately about politics, i'm not a political person. Is it easy for me to get fired up about someone's position on climate change? No, it's not. On most of these issues, I can see both sides.”

Feels Persons I Can Political Politics Easy Sides Change Issues Position Climate Climate Change Both Sides Fired Up

Author:Rachel Maddow

“There are some issues where ministers should come and talk to the prime minister, if the prime minister hasn't already talked to them. Any issue which a minister thinks is going to be profoundly controversial, where we do not have a clear existing position, it is important that there be a conversation between the minister and the prime minister. I think they all understand that and I think it is working very well.”

Ifs Thinking Should Wells Important Issues Clear Position Conversation Ministers Prime Prime Minister Controversial

Author:Tony Abbott

“For a novelist, it’s kind of an onerous burden to represent an entire culture. That said, I’m in a unique position to speak on behalf of Afghanistan on certain issues that I feel are important, particularly the issue of Afghan refugees.”

Feels Kind Said Important Certain Culture Speak Issues Position Unique Burden Novelists Afghanistan Refugee Behalf Afghan

Author:Khaled Hosseini

“I think it's important for us to recognize that although historically black communities have been very progressive with respect to issues of race and with respect to struggles for racial equality, that does not necessarily translate into progressive positions on gender issues, progressive positions on issues of sexuality and in the latter 1990s we have to recognize the intersectionality, the interconnectedness of all of these institutions and attitudes.”

“Where we are now is we have resolved the revenue issue and the question is what are we going to do about spending. I wish the president would lead us in this discussion rather than putting himself in a position of having to be dragged kicking and screaming to the table to discuss the single biggest issue confronting our future.”

Wish President Issues Position Tables Spending Discussion Our Future Revenue Kicking Confronting

Author:Mitch McConnell

“You have to decide what those issues are for you. What do you think disqualifies a person from holding public office? I believe that the endorsement of the right to kill unborn children disqualifies a person from any position of public office. It's simply the same as saying that the endorsement of racism, fraud, or bribery, would disqualify him - except that child-killing is more serious than those.”

Thinking Believe Children Persons I Believe Issues Position Serious Office Racism Killing Abortion Fraud Unborn Endorsements Public Office Bribery Unborn Child

Book:A Godward Life: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life

Source: A Godward Life: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life

“I think most people, when they take a look at the candidates and the positions of the candidates, realize that protecting this country and keeping this economy going are the two most important issues. And you can't protect the country if you retreat from overseas, and you can't keep the economy growing if you raise taxes. And that's exactly what the Democrats in the House would like to do.”

People Ifs Thinking Looks Two Important Country House Realizing Economy Issues Growing Position Protect Taxes Raises Democrat Candidates Retreat Important Issues

Author:George W. Bush

“On religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this Supreme Being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly.”

“The intelligence services would probably be in a better position to make an assessment of the advancement of the Iranian nuclear program than Podhoretz or Ledeen. They don't have access to any specific information. So for them to dismiss it has no great value because they have no authority whatsoever on this issue. For them to push forward with their efforts to get a war started between the U.S. and Iran, you certainly cannot say that Iran does not have a nuclear program. If you say that, then the justification for war has basically been eliminated.”

Ifs Doe War Values Effort Issues Information Position Authority Program Access Nuclear Iran Justification Advancement Assessment Iranian Great Value Intelligence Services

Author:Trita Parsi

“I wasn't in a position to defend myself. Sometimes it's a brutal profession. The first thing I thought of at the time was revenge. I have a more levelheaded take on the issue today.”

Firsts Sometimes Today Issues Position Revenge Profession Brutal

Author:Patrik Sinkewitz

“One group of scholars or persons, most of them politically motivated, say the Holocaust occurred. Then there is the group of scholars who represent the opposite position and have therefore been imprisoned for the most part. Hence, an impartial group has to come together to investigate and to render an opinion on this very important subject, because the clarification of this issue will contribute to the solution of global problems.”

Persons Important Problem Together Opinion Issues Groups Subjects Position Solutions Opposites Motivated Holocaust Scholar Clarification

Author:Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

“The problem of journalism is simple. Journalists are rarely in a position to establish the truth of an issue themselves, since they didn't' witness it personally. They are entirely dependent on self-interested sources to supply their facts. Every part of the news-making process is defined by this relationship; everything is colored by this reality.”

Self Facts Problem Reality Process Simple Issues Position Source News Defined Journalism Witness Journalist Dependent

Author:Edward Jay Epstein

“I'm the kind of person who embarks on an endless leapfrog down the great moral issues. I put a position, rebut it, refute the rebuttal and rebut the refutation. Endlessly.”

Kind Persons Moral Issues Position Endless Moral Issues Refutation Rebuttal

Book:Tom Stoppard in Conversation

Source: Tom Stoppard in Conversation

“I am interested in making photographs which comment on the experience of a place as well as describe it. My position has not typically been one of advocacy for or against any political position. But I regard photographs as commentary, and that includes, at times, taking a specific political viewpoint on an issue.”

Wells Political Issues Position Regard Photograph Comment Commentary Viewpoints Advocacy Political View

Author:Mark Klett

“My position on the POW issue has been widely misquoted and taken out of context. What I originally said and have continued to say is that the POW's are lying if they assert it was North Vietnamese policy to torture American Prisoners.”

Ifs Has Beens Said Lying Issues Taken Policy Position Torture Prisoner Vietnamese Of Context Pow

Author:Jane Fonda

“I've pretty much always used my positions as a bully pulpit. What that means is strongly advocating for the things I feel are really important. Gun violence, to me, is the highest-priority public-health issue, and I have to make sure Congress is aware of it, the American people are aware of it, the president is aware of it, and that we all begin together to develop policies to exterminate the disease - the epidemic, really - of gun violence.”

“But I also want to change the dynamics of this debate, which has kept us gridlocked into positions which caused people to shoot at abortion clinics and other Americans to view it as the only issue in American politics, ... There are areas we can agree on. ... We need to work together to eliminate abortion.”

People Want Needs Together Views Issues Position Areas Agree Debate Abortion Working Together American Politics Dynamics Clinic

Author:John McCain

“There`s no greater risk to the Israeli position in Washington than to make itself a partisan issue.”

Issues Greater Risk Position Israeli Partisans

Author:Joy-Ann Reid

“The fact that we have been able to develop a successful science, which issues in ever more accurate predictions and broader explanations, is the real ground for confidence that we are in a position to gain knowledge of the world around us. At the same time, one might ask how it is that the cognitive equipment we have came about, and here, no doubt, our evolutionary origins are relevant.”

World Has Beens Real Facts Might Able Asks Issues Successful Doubt Position Gains Explanation No Doubt Relevant Accurate Predictions Equipment Cognitive Knowledge Of The World

Author:Hilary Kornblith

“Anybody's position on an issue, anything they've said about an issue, and any way they've voted on an issue is fair game. You have every right to question that and go after it aggressively.”

Way Said Games Issues Position Fairs Fair Game

Author:Roger Ailes

“[Donald Trump] put this issue at the center of this presidential campaign in the Republican primaries. And his position and his principles have been absolutely consistent. We're going to secure the border. We're going to build a wall, have a physical barrier. We're going to enforce the laws of this country, end sanctuary cities, implement E-Verify.”

Has Beens Ends Country Law Cities Principles Issues Position Wall Trump Republican Campaigns Secure Primaries Presidential Borders Consistent Barriers Sanctuary Verify Presidential Campaign

Author:Mike Pence