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Politics has always played a central role in our everyday lives and these political quotes put it all in perspective.
The successes and failures of the President of the United States, long campaigns for new candidates, and the outcome of local elections are everywhere. In election years, we see campaigning on our phones, in our newsfeeds, and whenever we turn on the news.
Between federal, state, and local elections, the endless campaigning makes it feel like there’s always a race between Democrat and Republican somewhere.
Whoever your ideal candidate is, we’ve collected the very best quotes about politics, politicians, elections, and voting.
We’ve found that a good sense of humor is necessary when dealing with the endless rounds of debates, campaign speeches, and exit polls, so you’ll find funny political quotes here too!
“Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.”
“Political language… is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
“When the political columnists say ‘Every thinking man’ they mean themselves, and when candidates appeal to ‘Every intelligent voter’ they mean everybody who is going to vote for them.”
“In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way. “
“Mankind will never see an end of trouble until lovers of wisdom come to hold political power, or the holders of power become lovers of wisdom.”
“An empty stomach is not a good political advisor. “
“Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.”
“There are always too many Democratic congressmen, too many Republican congressmen, and never enough U.S. congressmen.”
“In politics stupidity is not a handicap. “
“A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they’re dead.”
“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.”
“We live in a world in which politics has replaced philosophy.”
“When our government is spoken of as some menacing, threatening, foreign entity, it ignores the fact that in our democracy, government is us.”
“Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.”
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.”
“Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule — and both commonly succeed, and are right.”
“Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others their principles for the sake of their party.”
“Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so.”
“It is not in the nature of politics that the best men should be elected. The best men do not want to govern their fellowmen.”
“The word ‘politics’ is derived from the word ‘poly’, meaning ‘many’, and the word ‘ticks’, meaning ‘blood sucking parasites.’”
“Politics, noun. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.”
“The best thing about this group of candidates is that only one of them can win.” – Will Rogers
“If voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal.”
“Since the majority is always wrong, might we try one election day where all the losers take office?”
“During a campaign the air is full of speeches — and vice versa.”
“Before you can begin to think about politics at all, you have to abandon the notion that there is a war between good men and bad men.”
“So, if we lie to the government, it’s a felony. If they lie to us, it’s politics.”
“Do you ever get the feeling that the only reason we have elections is to find out if the polls were right?”
“Hell, I never vote for anybody, I always vote against.” – W.C. Fields
“Politics — I don’t know why, but they seem to have a tendency to separate us, to keep us from one another, while nature is always and ever making efforts to bring us together.”
“Democracy is being allowed to vote for the candidate you dislike least.”
“Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger.” – Don Lucchese, The Godfather, Part III
“Politics are almost as exciting as war, and quite as dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in politics many times.”
“A political convention is just not a place where you come away with any trace of faith in human nature.”
“Politics is war without bloodshed, while war is politics with bloodshed.” – Mao Zedong
Quotes About Politicians
It takes a special kind of person to want to be a politician. Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes it isn’t!
Whether people are drawn into politics by the desire to serve other people and make their lives better, or because they want to be powerful and well-known, politicians do work extremely hard.
Whatever drives them, and whatever their faults may be, these are some great politician quotes.
“90% of politicians give the other 10% a bad name.” – Henry Kissinger
“A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.”
“A politician thinks of the next election – a statesman of the next generation.”
“Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word.”
“As between God, country and apple pie, politicians have done the least harm in the name of apple pie.”
“An honest man in politics shines more there than he would elsewhere.” – Mark Twain
“Statesmen tell you what is true even though it may be unpopular. Politicians will tell you what is popular, even though it may be untrue.”
“Now I know what a statesman is; he’s a dead politician. We need more statesmen!”
“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
“We are weary of politicians’ politicians. We want ours.”
“A politician is like quicksilver: if you try to put your finger on him, you find nothing underneath it. “
“Politicians and diapers should be changed frequently and all for the same reason.” – José Maria de Eça de Queiroz
“I think it’s about time we voted for senators with breasts. After all, we’ve been voting for boobs long enough.”
“Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.”
“We’d all like to vote for the best man, but he’s never a candidate.”
“In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant.”
“I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.”
“Politicians are people who, when they see light at the end of the tunnel, go out and buy some more tunnel.” – John Quinton
“Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.”
“The politicians were talking themselves red, white and blue in the face.”
“Politicians say they’re beefing up our economy. Most don’t know beef from pork.”
“A politician should have three hats. One for throwing into the ring, one for talking through, and one for pulling rabbits out of if elected.”
“A politician is a fellow who will lay down your life for his country.” – Texas Guinan
Quotes About Votes and Voting
The buzz of an election day is like no other.
Many of us can remember voting in our first election, and the fact that people queue for hours to cast their ballot is testament to the fact that people see voting as a civic duty and a privilege.
Historically, men and women have fought tirelessly to ensure that the people in their communities had equal rights and universal suffrage.
Neglecting your right to vote not only dishonors the memory of their efforts, but means you can’t complain if you don’t get the outcome you were hoping for! Hopefully these quotes about voting will inspire you to get to the polls before they close this year.
“Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.” – George Jean Nathan
“This right to vote is the basic right without which all others are meaningless. It gives people, people as individuals, control over their own destinies.”
“If we don’t vote, we are ignoring history and giving away the future.”
“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”
“You’ve got to vote, vote, vote, vote. That’s it; that’s the way we move forward.”
“Our political leaders will know our priorities only if we tell them, again and again, and if those priorities begin to show up in the polls.”
“Every election is determined by the people who show up.” – Larry J. Sabato
“The vote is precious. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society, and we must use it.”
“Democracy is not just the right to vote; it is the right to live in dignity.”
“A man without a vote is a man without protection. “
“Can’t wait for tomorrow when I get to exercise my patriotic duty as an American: Complaining about how long it’s taking to vote.”
“A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.” – Edward R. Murrow
“I believe that voting is the first act of building a community as well as building a country. “
“If you don’t vote, you lose the right to complain.” – George Carlin
“It’s not the voting that’s democracy, it’s the counting. “
“Voting isn’t the most we can do. But it is the least. “
“Voting is a civic sacrament – the highest responsibility we have as Americans. “
“Voting is as much an emotional act as it is an intellectual one.”
“I love voting day. I love the sight of my fellow citizens lining up to make their voices heard.”
“Talk is cheap, voting is free; take it to the polls.” – Nanette L. Avery
“Not voting is not a protest. It is a surrender.”
“We can all agree on the importance of voting.”
“The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.”
“Democracy is about voting and it’s about a majority vote. And it’s time that we started exercising the Democratic process.”
“By voting, we add our voice to the chorus that forms opinions and the basis for actions.”
“Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.” – Susan B. Anthony
“When we vote, we take back our power to choose, to speak up, and to stand with those who support us and each other.”
“The ignore of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all. “
“Voting is the expression of our commitment to ourselves, one another, this country, and this world.”
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
“Voting is not only our right – it is our power. “
“There’s no such thing as a vote that doesn’t matter. It all matters.” – Barack Obama
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.”
“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”
“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”
“A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won’t cross the street to vote in a national election.”
“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” – Abraham Lincoln
“The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.”
“Every citizen of this country should be guaranteed that their vote matters, that their vote is counted, and that in the voting booth, their vote has a much weight as that of any CEO, any member of Congress, or any President.”
“Don’t buy a single vote more than necessary.”
“Vote: the instrument and symbol of a freeman’s power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country.”
“Vote early and vote often.” – Al Capone
“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”
“A share in the sovereignty of the state, which is exercised by the citizens at large, in voting at elections is one of the most important rights of the subject, and in a republic ought to stand foremost in the estimation of the law…That portion of the sovereignty, to which each individual is entitled, can never be too highly prized. It is that for which we have fought and bled.”
“Vote for the man who promises least; he’ll be the least disappointing.” – Bernard Baruch
Funny Political Quotes
Authors, comedians, talk show hosts, and even politicians themselves have always managed to find the funny side of politics.
Though the reality of an election outcome can be very serious and means a lot to many people, the length of time we are exposed to political campaigns, rallies, and speeches means that we really need to be able to laugh about it too.
These quotes are all about finding the lighter side of political life!
“Don’t vote, it only encourages them.” – Billy Connolly
“Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half.”
“Why pay money to have your family tree traced; go into politics and your opponents will do it for you.”
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies.”
“If God had wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates.” – Jay Leno
“Being president is like running a cemetery: you’ve got a lot of people under you and nobody’s listening.”
“How come we choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?”
“I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”
“Instead of giving politicians the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.”
“If God had been a Liberal there wouldn’t have been Ten Commandments, there would have been Ten Suggestions.”
“Just think what my margin might have been if I had never left home at all.” – John F. Kennedy
“The Democrats are the party of government activism, the party that says government can make you richer, smarter, taller, and get the chickweed out of your lawn. Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work, and then get elected and prove it.”
“My esteem in this country has gone up substantially. It is very nice now when people wave at me, they use all their fingers.”
“The reason there are so few female politicians is that it is too much trouble to put makeup on two faces.”
“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it.”
“Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.” – Ronald Reagan
“Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.”
“I don’t know whether the White House is the finest public housing in America or the crown jewel of the American penal system.”
“Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There’s nothing to do but to stand there and take it.”
“If ignorance goes to forty dollars a barrel, I want drilling rights to George Bush’s head.”
“The problem with political jokes is that they get elected.” – Henry Cate
“I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.”
“I remember when I first came to Washington. For the first six months you wonder how the hell you ever got here. For the next six months you wonder how the hell the rest of them ever got here.”
“A promising young man should go into politics so that he can go on promising for the rest of his life.”
“Politics is just like show business. You have a hell of an opening, you coast for a while, you have a hell of a closing. “
“A lot has been said about politics; some of it complimentary, but most of it accurate.” – Eric Idle
“If I wanted to go crazy I would do it in Washington because it would not be noticed”
“There is absolutely no circumstance whatever under which I would accept that spot [the Vice Presidency]. Even if they tied and gagged me, I would find a way to signal by wiggling my ears.”
“A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward.”
“In a recent fire, Bob Dole’s library burned down. Both books were lost. And he hadn’t even finished coloring one of them.”
“We believe that to err is human. To blame it on someone else is politics.” – Hubert H. Humphries
“We have the best government that money can buy!”
“All people are born alike — except Republicans and Democrats.”
“I just received the following wire from my generous Daddy: ”Dear Jack, Don’t buy a single vote more than is necessary. I’ll be damned if I’m going to pay for a landslide.’”
“I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” – Will Rogers
We hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of quotes about politics, politicians, voting, and elections. Is your favorite political quote missing? Whether it is insightful or hilarious, share it with us below!
