George W. Plunkitt Quotes

I rope them all in by givin’ them opportunities to show themselves off. I don’t trouble them with political arguments. I just study human nature and act accordin’. <small>p. 26</small>

I want to add that no matter how well you learn to play the political game, you won’t make a lastin’ success of it if you're a drinkin’ man. <small>p. 77</small>

I honestly believe that drink is the greatest curse of the day, except, of course, civil service, and that it has driven more young men to ruin than anything except civil service examinations. <small>p. 78</small>

Some young men think they can learn how to be successful in politics from books, and they cram their heads with all sorts of college rot. They couldn’t make a bigger mistake. <small>p. 7</small>

There’s always a certain number of suckers and a certain number of men lookin’ for a chance to take them in, and the suckers are sure to be took one way or another. It’s the everlastin’ law of demand and supply. <small>p. 60</small>

The boys and men don’t get excited any more when they see a United States flag or hear “The Star-Spangled Banner.” They don’t care no more for firecrackers on the Fourth of July. And why should they? What is there in it for them? <small>p. 14</small>

Another kind of honest graft. Tammany has raised a good many salaries. There was an awful howl by the reformers, but don’t you know that Tammany gains ten votes for every one it lost by salary raisin’? <small>p. 6</small>

If I have a good thing to hand out in private life, I give it to a friend. Why shouldn’t I do the same in public life? <small>p.6</small>

Ought these good people be subjected to the immoral influence of money taken from the saloon tainted money? Out of respect for the tender consciences of these pious people, the Raines law ought to exempt them from all contamination from the plunder that comes from the saloon traffic. Say, mark that sarcastic. Some people who ain’t used to fine sarcasm might think I meant it. <small>p. 85</small>

I knew what was comin’ when a young Irishman drops whisky and takes to beer and long pipes in a German saloon. That young man is today one of the wildest Anarchists in town. <small>p. 12</small>

They learned how to put up a pretty good bluff—and bluff counts a lot in politics. <small>p. 18</small>

Richard Croker used to say that tellin’ the truth and stickin’ to his friends was the political leader’s stock in trade. <small>p. 35</small>

Every good man looks after his friends, and any man who doesn’t isn’t likely to be popular. <small>p. 5</small>

You can’t study human nature in books. Books is a hindrance more than anything else. <small>p. 25</small>

Everybody is talkin’ these days about Tammany men growin’ rich on graft, but nobody thinks of drawin’ the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft. <small>p. 3, first line</small>