Quotes Library

June 2, 2025

You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.

Mario Cuomo (1932–2015), American Democratic politician and governor, New Republic, Washington, D.C, 8 April 1985, Jay p.107

Do you? Can you even imagine governing in poetry?

Of course, voting is an emotional act, so the process of wooing the voter naturally involves something akin to the poetic or romantic. Government involves moving a massive enterprise forward, and that means dealing with every sort of prosaic problem.


More Quotes

February 1, 2025
The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.
November 16, 2025
There is no more ungraceful figure than that of a humanitarian with the eye to main chance.
August 10, 2025
A committee is organic rather than mechanical in its nature: it is not a structure but a plant.
Page 122 of 124