Joseph Nye quotes

Joseph Nye is an American political scientist, renowned for developing the concept of "soft power" in international relations. His work has significantly influenced both academic theory and practical diplomacy around the world. He continues to be a leading voice on global power dynamics and U.S. foreign policy. Here are 34 of his quotes:

Some observers feel it is harder to change public opinion in democracies than it is to change policies in totalitarian countries. (Joseph Nye)
Chamberlain's sins were not his intentions, but rather his ignorance and arrogance in failing to appraise the situation properly. And in that failure he was not alone. View quote
Joseph Nye
As we think of power in the 21st century, we want to get away from the idea that power's always zero sum - my gain is your loss and vice versa. Power can also be positive sum, where your gain can be my gain. View quote
Joseph Nye
America rests on shared values rather than shared ethnicity. View quote
Joseph Nye
Leadership experts and the public alike extol the virtues of transformational leaders - those who set out bold objectives and take risks to change the world. We tend to downplay 'transactional' leaders, whose goals are more modest, as mere managers. View quote
Joseph Nye
American power in the world relies on these ideals of openness and critical debate. View quote
Joseph Nye
At some point, consequences matter. View quote
Joseph Nye
Some say precipitating events are like buses - they come along every ten minutes. View quote
Joseph Nye
The cure to misunderstanding history is to read more, not less. View quote
Joseph Nye
When words are both descriptive and prescriptive, thyey become political words used in struggles for power. View quote
Joseph Nye
No one can tell the whole story of anything. (Joseph Nye)
If Thucydides were plopped down in the Middle East or East Asia, he would probably recognize ... the situation quite quickly. View quote
Joseph Nye
Governments now have to share the stage with actors who can use information to enhance their soft power and press governments directly, or indirectly by mobilizing their publics. View quote
Joseph Nye
I have found in my experience in government that I could ignore neither the age-old nor the brand-new dimensions of world politics. View quote
Joseph Nye
In foreign policy, as in medicine, leaders must "first do no harm.”. View quote
Joseph Nye
Systems can create consequences not intended by any other of their constituent actors. View quote
Joseph Nye
Cooperation is difficult in the absence of communication. View quote
Joseph Nye
Any sense of global community is weak. View quote
Joseph Nye
Power, like love, is easier to experience than to define or measure. View quote
Joseph Nye
Anarchy means without government, but it does not necessarily mean chaos or total disorder. View quote
Joseph Nye
Power conversion is the capacity to convert potential power, as measured by resources, to realized power, as measured by the changed behavior of others. (Joseph Nye)
Humans sometimes make surprising choices, and human history is full of uncertainties. View quote
Joseph Nye
The best hope for the future is to ask what is being determined as well as who determines it. View quote
Joseph Nye
Attention rather than information becomes the scarce resource, and those who can distinguish valuable information from the background clutter gain power. View quote
Joseph Nye
Just as gunpowder and infantry penetrated and destroyed the medieval castle, so have nuclear missiles and the internet made the nation-state obsolete. View quote
Joseph Nye

Joseph Nye

Joseph Nye - Image
Occupation: American Educator
Born: January 19, 1937
Died: May 6, 2025
Quotes count: 34
Wikipedia: Joseph Nye

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