Hell and Other Destinations Quotes

“EVERYONE WHO CAN should write a memoir, whether for publication or just to deposit in a drawer or beam to the cloud. There is drama in every life. Fame is irrelevant to one’s worth and can sometimes be an obstacle to an appropriate appreciation of others. Further, the effort to reflect on our opportunities and choices is, for all of us, a challenge worth attempting.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“Because I have no interest in death, I feel that death should have no interest in me.”
― Madeleine Albright, De hel en andere bestemmingen: Memoires 2001-2019

“Until I am carried out, I will carry on.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“Though I had never written a memoir, I was confident that given enough time, I could do a serviceable job. Not elegant, but blunt, informative and funnier than most readers would expect.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir

“How can one be bored in a world where a billion examples of human ingenuity, peculiarity, pigheadedness, and compassion are on regular view?”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“Loved ones who depart leave holes that cannot be patched up. Their absence does not stop us, when something dramatic happens, from wanting to get in touch with them to compare impressions. When a new idea pops into our heads, we would like to share it and see what they think. For a time, the urge to contact lingers, like a reflex awaiting the stimulus to respond.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“Good people do good things and bad people do bad things,” I was told, “but for good people to do bad things, that takes religion.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“Robert Frost: “Now when I am old my teachers are the young.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“Silence may be golden,” I said, “but it won’t win many arguments. If you have something to say, don’t keep your ideas locked up; unclench your jaws and set those thoughts free. And don’t be afraid to interrupt, because that may be the only way you are going to be heard.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“When, at a party, a woman (half socialite, half journalist) told me how “brave” she thought I had been for not getting a facelift, I was tempted to comment on the courage she had shown in dealing with the results of hers.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“I once experimented with meditation, cleared my mind, and immediately remembered a phone call I had to make; that was that.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“in my name to train young women for global leadership. Wellesley’s twelfth and thirteenth presidents, Diana Chapman Walsh and Kim Bottomly, embraced the idea and, over several years, helped put the pieces together. In January 2010, I traveled to Massachusetts for the inaugural session. The Albright Institute was founded on the belief that a student doesn’t have to major in international relations to have a global mind-set. By giving young women the chance to work in partnership with peers from a variety of disciplines and countries, we encourage them to see differences of perspective as a strength and even as a tool to help solve complex problems. To that end, we provide an intense course of study over a three-week period between the fall and spring semesters, complemented by summer internships. Of the hundreds of Wellesley juniors and seniors who apply annually, forty are selected. In the first two weeks of each session, we offer classes run by professors, former government officials, nonprofit leaders, and businesspeople. During the final seven days, the fellows work in teams to analyze and make recommendations regarding a thorny international problem. At the end, they present their findings, which we pick apart and discuss.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“Were they humble? No. They were, in their own minds, human skyscrapers, fragrant with testosterone; backslapping, hand-crunching, sports-talking deal makers who spoke a language alien to me and, while swearing imaginatively at one another, often giggled like kids.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“... in any group, someone has to lead, and it might as well be a woman - provided she has done the work necessary to prepare.”
― Madeleine Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir

“A commander in chief who tries to circumvent the Constitution should be restrained by the legislature and judiciary.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“instill enough confidence in the value of collaborative problem solving that participants are eager to nourish that same attribute in others.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“What are a country’s strengths, and where is it vulnerable? Is its political system controlled from the top or driven by pressures from below? Are neighbors friendly or hostile? What is the nation’s self-image? Are the people in charge decisive and visionary, or insecure and unable to see beyond the present?”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“Instead, we prepare for the next jump, then the one after, until after a lifetime of motion is past, we are startled, at least a little, by where we are and by what we have become.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“Promoters of free institutions, myself included, love to say that liberty is a universal yearning, but so is the wish to eat.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“person who is learning has less time to think about growing old. I also enjoy surprising people,”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“A speechmaker’s gravest sin is to leave the listener indifferent. I was determined not to be dull.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“the description of myself that I like best is that of problem-solver, or doer.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“While disease is a mugger, age is a cat burglar who steals but a single day each night; and the thief has learned patience.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“To highlight this point, many months ago I began running around the country proclaiming, “It’s Article One time!” to people who have no clue what I mean. I explain that Article I is where the U.S. Constitution spells out the privileges and obligations of the legislative branch. I argue that—lest it be steamrollered by whoever is in the White House—Congress must reassert itself as a coequal partner in government. How? Lawmakers have the right to hear testimony from executive branch officials, demand information from agencies, investigate cases of wrongdoing for referral to the courts, and evaluate the integrity and competence of persons nominated for positions of trust. They have a duty, as well, to help set the nation’s agenda so that urgent economic, social, and security needs are not lost amid political posturing. Internationally, they have a chance to reassure allies that America will stand with them in moments of stress; they can also set an example for democracies worldwide by collaborating with one another for the common good.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“The institute is but one program, of modest size, at a single college. It isn’t going to transform civilization or save it. However, by preparing young women for central roles in unraveling the mysteries of tomorrow, it is a contributor of value. That is all we can claim, and it is enough.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“On June 7, after months of wins slightly outweighed by losses, Clinton conceded, arguing that her opponent had proven by his strength and grit that the United States was ready for an African American president. As for women, she told supporters, “Although we weren’t able to shatter that hardest, highest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it’s got about eighteen million cracks in it. And the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier the next time.” She was right that there would be a next time, wrong that it would be easier.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“Over the decades, I have given speeches of many types, but commencement addresses (along with remarks at funerals) are the hardest to prepare. At my own graduation, the principal speaker was the secretary of defense, who advised the young ladies of Wellesley to find suitable husbands and raise smart children.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“For students, the highlight of the term is role-play weekend, when they are asked to assume the identities of ambassadors, cabinet ministers, and White House officials while I am privileged to impersonate the president. Since 2017, however, I have been in denial about the presidency and so, for the purpose of role-play, insist that the chief executive’s name is “Pence.” To provide the proper setting and adequate sustenance for our drama, the classrooms are divided into a combination UN Security Council, White House Situation Room, and food court.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“Powell, alone among senior officials, raised questions about the wisdom of what was being planned. Interviewed later, he recalled telling Bush: It isn’t just a simple matter of going to Baghdad. I know how to do that. What happens after? You need to understand, if you take out a government, take out a regime, guess who becomes the government and regime responsible for the country? You are. So if you break it, you own it. You need to understand that 28 million Iraqis will be standing there looking at us, and I haven’t heard enough of the planning for that eventuality.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State

“Who am I kidding? It’s a wonderful feeling to walk into a shop and see your life story on display, even when customers are striding past it in search of the latest Grisham. My mood lightened further when, just about this time, I was summoned to jury duty. Walking into the cavernous room at the DC courthouse where prospective jurors are made to cool their heels, I sat down next to a young woman. After a moment, she gave me a sidelong glance, as strangers in such a situation will do. I peered at the volume she was holding in her lap—Madam Secretary. The young woman did a double take, our eyes met, we bumped fists, and I yearned on the spot to adopt her.”
― Madeleine K. Albright, Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir – A Revealing Political Memoir by America's First Female Secretary of State