Susan Rice > Quotes

“Our parents taught us, quite matter-of-factly, that we needed to be twice as good as the next (white) kid, because that is what it would take to be considered almost equal.”
― Susan Rice, Tough Love

“Don’t take no for an answer when the question is: can I? Family comes first and must stand together. Don’t forget where you come from.”
― Susan Rice, Tough Love

“I still believe that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice, but nobody is going to do the hard bending, if not you and me. It’s our choice, and I have always believed we must choose each other.”
― Susan Rice, Tough Love

“Now, it was clear: I may be black; but objectively by their standards, I was also the best. They had to deal with that. My father’s daughter, I decided to let race be their problem, not mine.”
― Susan Rice, Tough Love

“we can and must bend the arc of the moral universe—toward both justice and unity.”
― Susan Rice, Tough Love

“Presidential Decision Directive 25 (PDD-25): “U.S. Policy on Reforming Multilateral Peace Operations,”
― Susan Rice, Tough Love

“influence”
― Susan Rice, Tough Love

“president, Kerry, Moniz, Sherman, and many others, we obtained more than the necessary support. The congressional review period expired without a vote of disapproval. The deal was done! The Iran agreement is proof of the value of tough sanctions, when combined with skillful, relentless diplomacy, to accomplish the seemingly unachievable in international affairs. The JCPOA was a finely detailed agreement that effectively closed all pathways to Iran developing a nuclear weapon and ensured Iran would face the most rigorous, intrusive international inspections regime ever established. It was never able, nor was it intended, to halt all of Iran’s nefarious behavior—its support for terrorism, its destabilization of neighboring states, its hostility toward Israel, or its ballistic missile program. Still, it effectively addressed our biggest concern and that of the international community—preventing Iran from posing a far more dangerous threat to the region and the world through its acquisition of nuclear weapons. Understandably, Israel always said it viewed Iran’s nuclear program as an existential threat. So, surely, the removal of that threat would be welcome news to Israel, our Gulf partners, and their backers. In reality, we discovered that removing the nuclear threat was not in fact their principal motivation. Rather, Israel and the Gulf Arab countries aimed to put permanent and crippling economic and military pressure on Iran such that either the regime collapsed, or it was too weak to wield meaningful influence in the region. The nuclear deal, which allowed Iran to access much of its own frozen assets held abroad under sanctions, in exchange for full and verifiable compliance with the terms of the agreement, was deemed worse than no deal at all by those who prioritized keeping the international community’s boot on Iran’s neck above halting its”
― Susan Rice, Tough Love