Otto von Bismarck — People

A steel helmet rests beside a partly rolled scroll and scattered leaves on a muted gray surface. — Original artwork

A conquering army on the border will not be stopped by eloquence.

Otto von Bismarck

I must protest that I would never seek foreign conflicts just to go over domestic difficulties; that would be frivolous. I was speaking of conflicts that we could not avoid, even though we do not seek them.

Otto von Bismarck

An uneven metal balance holds several weights on one pan and a single weight on the other above a granite base. — Original artwork

Not by speeches and votes of the majority, are the great questions of the time decided — that was the error of 1848 and 1849 — but by iron and blood.

Otto von Bismarck

Politics is not an exact science.

Otto von Bismarck

Politics is the art of the possible.

Otto von Bismarck

They treat me like a fox, a cunning fellow of the first rank. But the truth is that with a gentleman I am always a gentleman and a half, and when I have to do with a pirate, I try to be a pirate and a half.

Otto von Bismarck