George Will quotes

George Will is an American political commentator and author, renowned for his conservative analysis and elegant prose style. His columns and essays have shaped public debate on politics, culture, and governance for decades. He continues to be a leading voice in American journalism and political thought. Here are 108 of his quotes:

The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised. (George Will)
Football is a mistake. It combines the two worst elements of American life. Violence and committee meetings. View quote
George Will
Voters don't decide issues, they decide who will decide issues. View quote
George Will
A politician's words reveal less about what he thinks about his subject than what he thinks about his audience. View quote
George Will
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal. View quote
George Will
The future has a way of arriving unannounced. View quote
George Will
Americans are overreaching; overreaching is the most admirable and most American of the many American excesses. View quote
George Will
A society that thinks the choice between ways of living is just a choice between equally eligible "lifestyles" turns universities into academic cafeterias offering junk food for the mind. View quote
George Will
This is an age in which one cannot find common sense without a search warrant. View quote
George Will
Taking offense has become America's national pastime; being theatrically offended supposedly signifies the exquisitely refined moral delicacy of people who feel entitled to pass through life without encountering ideas or practices that annoy them. View quote
George Will
World War II was the last government program that really worked. (George Will)
For Conservatives, seeing is believing; for liberals, believing is seeing. View quote
George Will
The pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement. View quote
George Will
Pessimism is as American as apple pie - frozen apple pie with a slice of processed cheese. View quote
George Will
I grew up in central Illinois midway between Chicago and St. Louis and I made an historic blunder. All my friends became Cardinals fans and grew up happy and liberal and I became a Cubs fan and grew up embittered and conservative. View quote
George Will
Conservatives define themselves in terms of what they oppose. View quote
George Will
Machiavelli, however, took his bearings from people as they are. He defined the political project as making the best of this flawed material. He knew (in words Kant would write almost three centuries later) that nothing straight would be made from the crooked timber of humanity. View quote
George Will
Being elected to Congress is regarded as being sent on a looting raid for one's friends. View quote
George Will
Politicians fascinate because they constitute such a paradox; they are an elite that accomplishes mediocrity for the public good. View quote
George Will
Childhood is frequently a solemn business for those inside it. View quote
George Will
A decrease in the quantity of legislation generally means an increase in the quality of life. (George Will)
When a politician says, concerning an issue involving science, that the debate is over, you may be sure the debate is rolling on and not going swimmingly for his side. View quote
George Will
The realistic way to reduce the amount of money in politics is to reduce the amount of politics in money -- the importance of government in allocating wealth and opportunity. View quote
George Will
Look, three love affairs in history, are Abelard and Eloise, Romeo and Juliet and the American media and this President at the moment. But this doesn't matter over time. Reality will impinge. If his programs work, he's fine. If it doesn't work, all of the adulation of journalists in the world won't matter. View quote
George Will
Leadership is, among other things, the ability to inflict pain and get away with it - short-term pain for long-term gain. View quote
George Will

George Will

George Will - Image
Photo: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
Occupation: American Journalist
Born: May 4, 1941
Quotes count: 108
Wikipedia: George Will

Related authors

Charles Krauthammer  116 
American Journalist
Bill Kristol - thumbnail
Bill Kristol  38 
American Politician
David Brooks - thumbnail
David Brooks  86 
American Journalist
Peggy Noonan - thumbnail
Peggy Noonan  33 
American Author
Thomas Sowell - thumbnail
Thomas Sowell  196 
American Economist
Jonah Goldberg - thumbnail
Jonah Goldberg  109 
American Journalist
Donna Brazile - thumbnail
Donna Brazile  17 
American Author
Kathleen Parker - thumbnail
Kathleen Parker  7 
American Journalist
Maureen Dowd - thumbnail
Maureen Dowd  27 
American Journalist
George Stephanopoulos - thumbnail
George Stephanopoulos  5 
American Journalist