Harold Macmillan

If you don't believe in God, all you have to believe in is decency. Decency is very good. Better decent than indecent. But I don't think it's enough.

— Harold Macmillan

The wind of change is blowing through the continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.

— Harold Macmillan

We have not overthrown the divine right of kings to fall down for the divine right of experts.

— Harold Macmillan

It has been said that there is no fool like an old fool, except a young fool. But the young fool has first to grow up to be an old fool to realize what a damn fool he was when he was a young fool.

— Harold Macmillan

Memorial services are the cocktail parties of the geriatric set.

— Harold Macmillan

Marxism is like a classical building that followed the Renaissance; beautiful in its way, but incapable of growth.

— Harold Macmillan

Jaw-jaw is better than war-war.

— Harold Macmillan

As usual the Liberals offer a mixture of sound and original ideas. Unfortunately none of the sound ideas is original and none of the original ideas is sound.

— Harold Macmillan

At home you always have to be a politician. When you're abroad you almost feel yourself a statesman.

— Harold Macmillan

Power? It's like a Dead Sea fruit. When you achieve it, there is nothing there.

— Harold Macmillan

A Foreign Secretaryand this applies also to a prospective Foreign Secretaryis always faced with this cruel dilemma. Nothing he can say can do very much good, and almost anything he may say may do a great deal of harm. Anything he says that is not obvious is dangerous; whatever is not trite is risky. He is forever poised between the cliche and the indiscretion.

— Harold Macmillan

We do not intend to part from the Americans and we do not intend to be satellites. I am sure they do not want us to be so. The stronger we are, the better partners we shall be; and I feel certain that as the months pass we shall draw continually closer together with mutual confidence and respect.

— Harold Macmillan