The main thing is to make history, not to write it.
He who has his thumb on the purse has the power.
I have seen three emperors in their nakedness, and the sight was not inspiring.
Universal suffrage is the government of a house by its nursery.
The statesman's task is to hear God's footsteps marching through history, and to try and catch on to His coattails as He marches past.
With bad laws and good civil servants it's still possible to govern. But with bad civil servants even the best laws can't help.