George Mitchell > Quotes

“In order to understand what another person is saying, you must assume it is true and try to imagine what it might be true of.”
― George Mitchell

“There were no aisles, so to get to the empty cot I had to climb over other senators. The first was Ted Kennedy. He was a big man, and at that moment he looked to me like Mount Everest.”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir

“God does not take sides in American politics, and in America disagreement with the policies of the government is not evidence of lack of patriotism.”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir

“Another practice I adopted was to have my staff select each day several of the most negative letters I’d received from Maine. I read each letter carefully, then from my office in the evening I telephoned each of the letter writers. Almost everyone I reached was surprised and many doubted that it really was their senator calling. Once I was able to convince them that the call was genuine, I told them that I had read their letter, that while we disagreed I welcomed their views and appreciated that they had taken the time to write to me.”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir

“The three hundred immigrants from the Middle East and their families living in Waterville in the 1920s were known as Syrians. They did not describe themselves as Lebanese, nor did anyone else, until later, when the independent nation of Lebanon was created. Over time, as a Lebanese identity became established in the Middle East, the name began to be used more frequently in this country and the name Syrian fell into disuse.”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir

“It may be a sad commentary, but it is a fact that many people equate political campaigns with television advertising. If you’re on the air, you’re campaigning; if you’re not on the air, you’re nowhere. Just days after the first ad appeared, several people I encountered commented on it.”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir

“As Reagan gingerly sipped from the steaming mug he explained that for years he’d sipped on very hot water before major appearances because it relaxed his throat and lowered his voice a couple of octaves. “Frank Sinatra told me about it. He swore that it helped him get through many long performances.”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir

“If you want people to work hard and succeed, there are times when you’ve got to let them find their own way. Overmanaging is a constant danger.”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir

“When I returned to Washington in January 1983, I felt that I should not try to spend the rest of my working life in the Senate. I didn’t know exactly when, but I knew that at some point I would term-limit myself. I would leave while the people of Maine wanted me to stay rather than wait until they asked me to leave.”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir

“to be an American, a citizen of what I believe to be, despite its many serious imperfections, the most open, the most free, the most just society in all of human history. In America no one should be guaranteed success, but everyone should have a fair chance to succeed.”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir

“Maron was a priest and hermit who lived in the early part of the fifth century in the mountains of what is now central Lebanon. He devoted his life to prayer and good works, living simply and frugally. Eventually the Maronite Church was created in his name. In the sixteenth century it permanently joined with and became part of the Roman Catholic Church. Although its liturgy and practices were once significantly different from those of the Roman Catholic faith, over time the differences have diminished and the two are now virtually indistinguishable, especially as they operate in the United States.”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir

“I began to have second thoughts about having given up a federal judgeship for the Senate. I had been a dignified person in a black robe; now, here I was, lying on a narrow, uncomfortable cot in my suit with a bunch of old men in suits, while a few senators spent the whole night on the Senate floor talking but saying little. I began to feel a sense of regret, even self-pity, when I rolled over on the cot and looked, on the next cot, directly into the sleeping face of Senator John Warner of Virginia. He then was married to Elizabeth Taylor. After a few minutes of wallowing in self-pity I thought, “Who am I to feel sorry for myself? There, just a few inches away from me is a man who could be home, legally in bed with Elizabeth Taylor, but who instead is spending the night with me.” At that moment I recalled what we all know to be true: No matter how bad off you may think you are, somebody is worse off. You can waste your time in self-pity, or you can do something about whatever problems you face. Then and there, I decided that’s what I would do. I haven’t felt any self-pity since, thanks to John Warner,”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir

“I had been shocked by the findings of the polls, and several newspaper reports, that a large number of voters didn’t know who I was.”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir

“Mainers is the name for those who choose to live in Maine, whether born there or elsewhere. Mainiacs is the name for those who are born in Maine but choose to live elsewhere.”
― George Mitchell, The Negotiator: A Memoir