Where position is felt to be a birthright, generosity is possible (though not guaranteed); flexibility is not inhibited by a commitment to perpetual success.

Now we have a whole series of problems - energy, environment, proliferation - which go beyond the nation. And we also know that a conflict between major powers would be a catastrophe for which there is no compensation in anything you can gain.

In the end, peace can be achieved only by hegemony or by balance of power.

The statesman's duty is to bridge the gap between his nation's experience and his vision.

Clearly security without values is like a ship without a rudder. But values without security are like a rudder without a ship.

In the period after the Second World War, there were still leaders in Europe who represented weak countries, but possessed a sense of global foreign policy. Nowadays, on the other hand, there are politicians who represent pretty powerful countries, but whose citizens are not prepared to sacrifice themselves for the state.

The real distinction is between those who adapt their purposes to reality and those who seek to mold reality in the light of their purposes.