1
Building a naval power takes generations, not so much to develop the necessary technology as to pass along the accumulated experience that creates good admirals.George Friedman
2
Wars are times of intense technological transformation, because societies invest — sometimes with extensive borrowing — when and where matters of life and death are at stake.George Friedman
3
Long-term solutions are more attractive and cause much less controversy than short-term solutions, which will affect people who are still alive and voting.George Friedman
4
The great presidents never forget the principle of the republic and seek to preserve and enhance them — in the long run— without undermining the needs of the moment. Bad presidents simply do what is expedient, heedless of principles. But the worst presidents are those who adhere to the principles regardless of what the fortunes of the moment demand.George Friedman
5
The threats that resurfaced in the past 10 years were not an aberration. Al Qaeda and terrorism or one such threat, but it was actually not the most serious threat that the United States faced. The president can and should speak of foreseeing an era in which these threats don't exist, but you must not believe his own rhetoric. To the contrary, he must gradually ease the country away from the idea that threats to imperial power will ever subside, then l lead it to an understanding that these threats are the price Americans pay for the wealth and power they hold. .George Friedman
6
Their job as leader was not to solve the problem — the president really has little control over the economy — but to convince the public not only that he has a plan but that he is altogether confident in the plan's success and that only a cynic or someone in different to the public's well-being would dare to question him on the details.George Friedman
7
While you and I are allowed the luxury of our pain, president isn't. A president must take into account how his citizens feel and he must manage them and lead them, but he must not succumb to personal feelings. His job is to maintain a ruthless sense of proportion while keeping the coldness of his calculation to himself.George Friedman
8
Presidents and other politicians manage the appearance of things, largely by manipulating the air and hope.George Friedman
9
The worst president is closer by nature to the best then either is to anyone who has not gone through what it requires to become president.George Friedman
10
A century is about events. A decade is about people.George Friedman
11
The reality is that the American people have no desire for an empire. This is not to say that they don't want the benefits, both economic and strategic. It simply means that they don't want to pay the price. Economically, Americans want the growth potential of open markets but not the pains. Politically, they want to have an enormous influence, but not the resentment of the world. Military, they want to be protected from dangers but not to bear the burdens of long-term strategy.George Friedman