I've often said that the desire to lecture China on how it should behave in the world is wrong. China was around for thousands of years even before America existed. It could even be that China's growing power will allow itself to be slowed down. But as long as this immense empire doesn't fall apart, it will become an important factor in global politics.

No country can act wisely simultaneously in every part of the globe at every moment of time.

An expert is someone who articulates the needs of those in power.

The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the other, whom he assumes to have perfect vision.

President Nixon in his inaugural address indicated that he wanted an era of negotiation. Our reasoning was that whatever our ideological differences, whatever our geopolitical differences, we were condemned to coexistence by nuclear weapons.

I want to thank you for stopping the applause. It is impossible for me to look humble for any period of time.

Leaders are responsible not for running public opinion polls but for the consequences of their actions.