P. J. O'Rourke Quotes

In the American political system, you're only allowed to have real ideas if it's absolutely guaranteed that you can't win an election

P. J. O'Rourke

• Real
• American
• Political
• Ideas
• Winning

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Quotes to Explore

• A British porch is a musty, forbidding non-room in which to fling a sodden umbrella or a muddy pair of boots; a guard against the elements and strangers. By contrast the good ol' American front porch seems to stand for positivity and openness; a platform from which to welcome or wave farewell; a place where things of significance could happen.

  

  Dan Stevens
  • Good
  • American
  • Stand

• In American films, Russians are often portrayed like cartoon villains without clear motivations.

  

  Yuliya Snigir
  • American
  • Often
  • Cartoon

• President Obama has contempt for real money.

  

  P. J. O'Rourke
  • Real
  • Money
  • President

• Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.

  

  H. L. Mencken
  • American
  • Funny
  • Nobody

• Motivated more by partisan politics than by national security, today's Democratic leaders see America as an occupier, not a liberator. And nothing makes this Marine madder than someone calling American troops occupiers rather than liberators.

  

  Zell Miller
  • American
  • America
  • Today

• I have new ideas every day, and I always want to take on new challenges.

  

  Dane Cook
  • Day
  • Ideas
  • Challenges

• Islam is a violent, I was going to say religion, but it's not a religion. It's a political system. It's a violent political system bent on the overthrow of the governments of the world and world domination. That is the ultimate aim.

  

  Pat Robertson
  • World
  • Political
  • Religion

• There is resistance to change. There's a resistance to ideas.

  

  Abdullah II of Jordan
  • Change
  • Ideas
  • Resistance

• I just don't consider myself to be, you know, an American actor. I don't want that life.

  

  Damian Lewis
  • Life
  • American
  • Myself

• The pursuit of happiness, which American citizens are obliged to undertake, tends to involve them in trying to perpetuate the moods, tastes and aptitudes of youth.

  

  Malcolm Muggeridge
  • Trying
  • American
  • Happiness

• Over my career, I've reinvented myself numerous times. I covered the Pentagon, the State Department, and the CIA. I wrote about labor wars, trade wars and real wars. I chronicled a nuclear plant meltdown and the defeat of Communism. I co-founded a couple of media businesses.

  

  Walt Mossberg
  • Real
  • Career
  • Myself

• My skin may have wrinkles but it's because I'm smiling so much. That might sound like some terrible American greetings card, but I feel it's immoral for me to castigate my body for getting older, when it does everything I ask of it.

  

  Olivia Williams
  • May
  • American
  • Body

• There's some real dark days where you just feel like the story is falling apart in every one. Just keep moving forward, even when you are bluffing, even when you don't quite know what is going to happen next.

  

  Dan Scanlon
  • Real
  • Moving
  • Dark

• The political environment we create matters because a disturbed person cannot always tell the difference between explosive rhetoric and explosive actions.

  

  Madeleine M. Kunin
  • Political
  • Environment

• Once you are satisfied with your goal, it is the real happiness.

  

  Saina Nehwal
  • Real
  • Happiness
  • Goal

• It's so inspiring to be around other people who have ideas you haven't thought of, and all of a sudden you're like, 'Wow! That's so amazing!' I definitely want everything I do to just get better and better.

  

  Banks
  • People
  • Amazing
  • Ideas

• You know, sometimes the little victories that I have throughout the season are not necessarily obvious on the track. Maybe they're another aspect of what I'm doing, winning little victories here and there to get everything in line to be able to perform from top to bottom on race day.

  

  Danica Patrick
  • Day
  • Winning
  • Season

• The real rulers in Washington are invisible, and exercise power from behind the scenes.

  

  Felix Frankfurter
  • Real
  • Power
  • Exercise

• We all exist in similar systems that mirror and reproduce the same American culture for the most part. What Oscar Wilde said about the lucky author who has a non-literary day job no longer holds, if it ever did. Artists seek validation as much as they seek money. The creation and invention of culture and canon is where most of the trouble lies.

  

  Fady Joudah
  • Money
  • Job
  • American

• I always say that people should not rush to change religions. There is real value in finding the spiritual resources you need in your home religion.

  

  Dalai Lama
  • People
  • Real
  • Home

• Smart cities are those who manage their resources efficiently. Traffic, public services and disaster response should be operated intelligently in order to minimize costs, reduce carbon emissions and increase performance.

  

  Eduardo Paes
  • Smart

• Whenever I read stories of people doing huge pranks on set, all I think is, 'These people have too much time on their hands.' Besides, I don't want to make some poor assistant clean up someone's trailer after I've filled it with, say, Cadbury eggs. See? I can't even think of a good prank.

  

  Amy Poehler
  • People
  • Up
  • Time

• Right before I go out, we usually put on some Lauryn Hill or Fugees, and I'll do a shot of tequila just to calm my nerves.

  

  Maren Morris
  • Calm

• In the American political system, you're only allowed to have real ideas if it's absolutely guaranteed that you can't win an election

  

  P. J. O'Rourke
  • Real
  • American
  • Political