P. J. O'Rourke Quotes

Politics is the business of getting power and privilege without possessing merit. A politician is anyone who asks individuals to surrender part of their liberty- their power and privilege- to State, Masses, Mankind, Planet Earth, or whatever. This state, those masses, that mankind, and the planet will then be run by ... politicians.

P. J. O'Rourke

• Business
• Power
• Earth

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Quotes to Explore

• I joined a radical group at the age of 16 because I'm a passionate man; the good news is that I turned myself around since then. But my character is still quite free and passionate.

  

  Maajid Nawaz
  • Good
  • Character
  • Age

• I have not been a good father, but no father has loved his children more. Like my father, I decided the best thing I could do for my kids was work and provide. Fortunately, I've been able to do that. Unfortunately, my work was on the road, and that's meant a life of one-nighters.

  

  B. B. King
  • Life
  • Good
  • Work

• This is something I've wanted to do my whole life is play baseball, and I think just the opportunity to put on a big-league uniform every day is just... you know, people dream of it, but not everybody gets to do it. I'm thankful every day I get to do it.

  

  Jacob deGrom
  • People
  • Life
  • Dream

• There's nothing wrong with constructive criticism, and I learn from that and better myself. I'm not expecting anyone to be sycophantic in any way; I never expected that.

  

  Victoria Beckham Spice Girls
  • Myself
  • Learn
  • Criticism

• Nothing is so aggravating than calmness.

  

  Oscar Wilde
  • Nothing
  • Calmness
  • Aggravating

• No one escapes from the past without bearing some of its burdens.

  

  Edmund Morgan
  • Past
  • Without
  • Some

• A woman who places a high priority on performance and excellence is seen as imperial. A man is seen as demanding and tough.

  

  Faye Wattleton
  • High
  • Man
  • Woman

• I would love the opportunity to create my own program. I feel like a TV show with a format of monologue with lots of sketches thrown in could be really fun. But you know, that may never happen. Minimally, I just want to keep making stand-up.

  

  Hari Kondabolu
  • Up
  • Love
  • May

• It's abhorrent to me that somebody is just evil, and you can't explain it.

  

  Forest Whitaker
  • Evil
  • Explain
  • Abhorrent

• Men enter local politics solely as a result of being unhappily married.

  

  C. Northcote Parkinson
  • Men
  • Politics
  • Married

• A lot of people love the idea of improvising but are terrified of it, so I tried to make a book that was not a chef's book about improvising but a real home cook's book with a real home cook's pantry, supermarket ingredients, that sort of thing.

  

  Sally Schneider
  • People
  • Real
  • Love

• There's always going to be silly stuff out there in the media that you can't worry too much about, and I don't. We just keep on trucking, and I like the way my... I think there should be 'professional is professional, and personal is personal,' and that's just how I'm going to keep it.

  

  Aaron Rodgers
  • Worry
  • Professional
  • Media

• One can be a great poet and be politically stupid.

  

  Umberto Eco
  • Great
  • Stupid
  • Poet

• Ordinarily if an actor gets chosen for the lead in a film, he or she has already built up a repertoire, and everyone knows what he or she is capable of.

  

  Zhang Ziyi
  • Up
  • She
  • Film

• Being surrounded by love and people that care about your heart is the dream. That's what I would like on my last day.

  

  Rachel Boston
  • People
  • Heart
  • Love

• I have eighteen titles in the German language. I had a number one song in 1965.

  

  Wanda Jackson
  • Song
  • Language
  • German

• I love having wine with my meals. And if I splurge, I'm going to splurge big, because if I deny my cravings, it just ends up backfiring on me, you know?

  

  Rachel Nichols
  • Know
  • Ends
  • Deny

• I'm in a monogamous relationship and very happy.

  

  Frances Bean Cobain
  • Happy
  • Relationship
  • Very

• The two inventions of the century, the car and the computer, are gradually coming closer together.

  

  Martin Winterkorn
  • Together
  • Car

• I'm not sure history has ended.

  

  John Bolton
  • History

• I believe in that gladiatorial mind-set. I love it.

  

  Adam Peaty
  • Believe
  • Mind
  • I Believe

• Death's got an Invisibility Cloak?" Harry interrupted again. "So he can sneak up on people," said Ron. "Sometimes he gets bored of running at them, flapping his arms and shrieking.

  

  Joanne Rowling
  • People
  • Up
  • Death

• Every producer I have met has asked me to change my hair. I have always said 'No.' I finally change it for me... and now everyone in the business is like, 'You have to go back to having brown hair.'

  

  Marissa Jaret Winokur
  • Business
  • Hair

• Politics is the business of getting power and privilege without possessing merit. A politician is anyone who asks individuals to surrender part of their liberty- their power and privilege- to State, Masses, Mankind, Planet Earth, or whatever. This state, those masses, that mankind, and the planet will then be run by ... politicians.

  

  P. J. O'Rourke
  • Business
  • Power
  • Earth