Otto von Bismarck

Be polite write diplomatically even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness.

Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war.

People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or before an election.

When you want to fool the world, tell the truth.

To retain respect for sausages and laws, one must not watch them in the making.

Politics is the art of the possible.

Politics ruins the character.

Politics is the art of the next best.

Politics is not an exact science.

Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied.

The secret of politics? Make a good treaty with Russia.

The main thing is to make history, not to write it.

The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood.

A government must not waiver once it has chosen it's course. It must not look to the left or right but go forward.

Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.

An appeal to fear never finds an echo in German hearts.