Mike Mansfield

“I learned early on to listen to both sides, and that's the way it's been all my life.”

“When you're in the minority, you're in the best position to see how the other side thinks.”

“The crisis you have to worry about is the one you don't see coming.”

“Senators are a breed apart. They are not beholden to anyone except the people of their states.”

“The U.S.-Japan relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, bar none.”

“We are in the wrong place, and we are fighting the wrong war.”

“It takes two to make a peace.”

“You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too.”

“A politician has to be able to see ahead, to see around corners.”

“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts.”

“The Vietnamese, and the Asian peoples, are very patient people. They can wait for years, and they have.”