"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."

"Men are so simple and yield so readily to the desires of the moment that he who will trick will always find another who will suffer to be tricked."

"Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain."

"Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others."

"The Leader of the Opposition's constitutional obligation - the obligation to Parliament - it's the reason we did the merger! - is to make sure Canadians have an alternative for government."

"The distance between ambition and reality is bridged solely by consistent effort. Let this simple maxim guide your daily deeds — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command."

"Peace comes when you talk to the guy you most hate. And that's where the courage of a leader comes, because when you sit down with your enemy, you as a leader must already have very considerable confidence from your own constituency."