If I had to fault President [Barack] Obama, I would say that sometimes governs like a visitor from a morally superior civilization. — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If you thought Donald Trump was going to be swallowed up by the conventional Republican Party or by Washington, you were wrong. — David Brooks Copy Share Image
I don't know if I'm sexist, though I have not paid much attention to the women's bracket. — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If you go in a confirmation process, you're going to be asked about the embarrassing or stupid things you said. You should… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If we got rid of everybody in Washington who sold access for donations, then the town would be empty. But it's unseemly. — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If you just rely on one model, you tend to amputate reality to make it fit your model. — David Brooks Copy Share Image
Maybe you're willing to tolerate a lot of bigotry from Donald Trump if you say, just change things, just change things. — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If we are going to stop wars on this earth, we are going to have to make war on hunger our number… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
I'm beginning to think [Ted] Cruz had a good convention, that if [Donald] Trump goes down, Cruz is pretty well positioned to… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If you know that most processing is below the level of awareness, you learn the value of sleep. You're brain is working… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
I think the voters who voted for Donald Trump certainly are willing to tolerate a lot of ugliness, but maybe, if you're… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
Our system is not only based on rules, but a series of self-restraints that we won't be as barbaric as we could… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
The message of the summoned life is that you don't need to panic if you don't yet know what you want to… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
Often, I go and see films where I can see the beats coming. So, if I read something where I don't see… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
The gun becomes this psychological totem, this thing of who I am. And it's almost as if using the gun is going… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
When you're running for president, you're a guest in the living room for four years. And if people don't think you're going… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If Donald Trump is just tweeting about a union guy, then he's just being the bully we have seen. But if he… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
[Mitch Daniels] was not a bad governor. He could be playful, but - or communicator.I'm just saying it will - I think… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If I were Donald Trump, I would definitely not pick Mitt Romney because it's very easy for Mitt Romney to have have… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
It's important for presidents to emotionally connect, with the country in times of crisis, but also with people in Washington. If you… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If you do have to look at polls, you should do it no more than once every few days, to get a… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
You have a country that is 20 percent liberal, 40 percent conservative. You have a country where maybe 22 percent have faith… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If there is a series of attacks like that or, God forbid, if ISIS is really sending soldiers across Europe and maybe… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
For the Democrats, they're trying to avoid having the Sanders-Clinton debate over and over again. But, to some degree, they're sentenced to… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
People have been raised in a morality that says, "If it feels all right for you, it's probably OK." — David Brooks Copy Share Image
Woe to you who insults the intelligence community, if you're president. — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If you grow up in a home where actions don't lead to predictable consequences, you don't develop strategies to control your impulses. — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If you're a soldier or marine in an Arab country, Islam is the solution. And you need to show respect. — David Brooks Copy Share Image
Certainly, the country can't have two presidents at once, so the tradition has been to hang back if you're the president-elect and… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If you do something really cognitively demanding, like buying furniture, it turns out buying furniture is one of the most difficult things… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If you're cutting deals with one company or another, eventually, there's going to be a quid pro quo. There's going to be… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
I do think trying to live each day as a bunch of moral occasions, did I live up to what I would… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
If we're in some sort of Hobbesian state of nature, where you just want a strong man who has no compassion Donald… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
Donald Trump tried to set up this debate where it was going to be globalists vs. nationalists, and the Republicans were going… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
We are all fundamentally equal souls, and if you make a zillion dollars, you're not any better than anybody else spiritually. You're… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
Republicans are living in a hermetically sealed Republican universe, just as Democrats are. And so they're responding to their own universe, even… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
I don't blame the Democrats for fighting. They have got a very energized base. And there is a lot to complain about… — David Brooks Copy Share Image
The brain is not the mind. It is probably impossible to look at a map of brain activity and predict or even understand the… — David Brooks Copy Share
When you're running for president, you're a guest in the living room for four years. And if people don't think you're going to be… — David Brooks Copy Share
“I’ve come to think that flourishing consists of putting yourself in situations in which you lose self-consciousness and become fused with other people, experiences,… — David Brooks Copy Share
We have rapidly increasing technology, which is making life very good for people who are good at using words, and not so good for… — David Brooks Copy Share
I think Barack Obama's foreign policy will be regarded more failure than success. — David Brooks Copy Share
If you know that most processing is below the level of awareness, you learn the value of sleep. You're brain is working on the… — David Brooks Copy Share
Trade has suddenly become massively unpopular. I think that's massively unjust. I think free trade has been wonderful for America on balance. — David Brooks Copy Share
Politics is based on social identity, and so, again, there is going to be differences between rural and urban and between left and right. — David Brooks Copy Share
It’s worth noting that you can devote your life to community service and be a total schmuck. You can spend your life on Wall… — David Brooks Copy Share
I do think Donald Trump is a fundamentally unstabilizing force and that the people who swore to uphold the Constitution are going to have… — David Brooks Copy Share
Tim Kaine has been obviously a governor. He's been a senator. He's one of the smartest rising stars in the Democratic Party. He is… — David Brooks Copy Share
“Women, in general, are less visually aroused than men, a trait that has nearly cut the market for pornography in half.” — David Brooks Copy Share
I wasn't born with a tie or with Mark Shields stapled to my left hip. I have another life. — David Brooks Copy Share
![“If I had to fault President [Barack] Obama, I would say that sometimes governs like a visitor from a morally superior civilization.” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/david-brooks-644_barack_if-i-had-to-fault-president-barack-obama_2823971.png)
![“I'm beginning to think [Ted] Cruz had a good convention, that if [Donald] Trump goes down, Cruz is pretty well positioned to be the Republican major figure in four, six or even within two years.” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/david-brooks-644_conventions_i-m-beginning-to-think-ted-cruz-had-a-go_674746.jpg)
![“[Mitch Daniels] was not a bad governor. He could be playful, but - or communicator.I'm just saying it will - I think will be - every candidate comes into the White House, assuming if [Hillary Clinton] wins, or if she does win, with strengths and weaknesses. This will be a weakness, because this…” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/david-brooks-644_assuming_mitch-daniels-was-not-a-bad-governor-he_2973434.png)
![“It's important for presidents to emotionally connect, with the country in times of crisis, but also with people in Washington. If you can't emotionally connect - and [Barack] Obama is not the greatest, but he can at least do it - then people won't be with you when the times are hard.” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/david-brooks-644_barack_it-s-important-for-presidents-to-emotion_2274357.png)
![“If there is a series of attacks like that or, God forbid, if ISIS is really sending soldiers across Europe and maybe across the world for a barrage of these things, then the political climate is revolutionized here. And maybe the [Donald] Trump speech will look like a precursor to a climate that…” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96f/david-brooks-644_attacks_if-there-is-a-series-of-attacks-like-tha_2798089.png)
![“Certainly, the country can't have two presidents at once, so the tradition has been to hang back if you're the president-elect and wait for your time in office. [Donald] Trump is not a hang-back kind of guy.” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/david-brooks-644_country_certainly-the-country-can-t-have-two-pre_2648045.jpg)
![“I don't blame the Democrats for fighting. They have got a very energized base. And there is a lot to complain about a lot of these nominees. But I think, if you are actually going to turn someone down from a president's [Donald Trump] own Cabinet, it better be a lot more egregious than the cases…” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/207/david-brooks-644_blame_i-don-t-blame-the-democrats-for-fighting_1374569.jpg)