Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg, known as Otto von Bismarck, was a conservative Prussian statesman who dominated German and European affairs from the 1860s until 1890. In the 1860s he engineered a series of wars that unified the German states, significantly and deliberately excluding Austria, into a powerful German Empire under Prussian leadership. With that accomplished by 1871 he skillfully used balance of power diplomacy to preserve German hegemony in a Europe which, despite many disputes...
NationalityGerman
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth1 April 1815
CitySchonhausen, Germany
CountryGermany
Otto von Bismarck quotes about
Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied.
Earthly majesty is always akin to the fallen angel, who is proud and unhappy, beautiful but troubled, and whose plans and efforts, though vast, are denied access.
I have often regretted what I have eaten, but never what I have drunk.
When a man says he approves of something in principle, it means he hasn't the slightest intention of carrying it out in practice.
You can't destroy the polish national-consciousness or Poles on the battlefield, but if you give them power, they will destroy themselves
Preventive war is like committing suicide out of fear of death.
Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness.
When you want to fool the world, tell the truth.
It is the destiny of the weak to be devoured by the strong.
I have always found the word 'Europe' on the lips of those who wanted something from others which they dared not demand in their own names!
Even the most favorable outcome of the war will never lead to the decomposition of the main forces of Russia, which is based on millions of Russian ... The latter, even if they break up international treaties, just as quickly re-connect with each other, like pieces of a particle of mercury ...
One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even rely upon it; but one can never expect anything from the gratitude of a nation.
The most significant event of the 20th century will be the fact that the North Americans speak English.
Politics are not a science based on logic; they are the capacity of always choosing at each instant, in constantly changing situations, the least harmful, the most useful.