101 Quotes by Jean Chrétien

I presume Mr. Martin knew what his lawyer was saying,

chose to ignore or distort the clear evidence.

But I tell you I was very proud of them, because they took it with such great class. Both of them. They said, 'We are not judges, we've done our best.' And it was a fabulous performance, and I am told that in Canada they had a strong reaction, and even in the United States.

But I accepted that because God gave me other qualities and I’m grateful.

Aline and I have travelled a very long, very hard road together, from our working class homes in rural Quebec to the palaces of London, Paris, Moscow, and Beijing. Politics was the route, public service the reward.

A successful politician must not only be able to read the mood of the public, he must have the skill to get the public on his side. The public is moved by mood more than logic, by instinct more than reason, and that is something that every politician must make use of or guard against

The problem was, I enjoyed Question Period too much and loved the challenge it provided. Far from being a dreaded burden, it had become an exciting part of my life; opposition members attacked me, I fought back, I won or lost or held them to draw, and the next day we did it all over again.

Over the years, I have seen too many politicians ruin their careers because they could not accept defeat graciously.

I've never believed in seeking perfection at the risk of losing everything.