Politics is what a man does in order to conceal what he is and what he himself does not know.

Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them.

Politics is the art of making the people believe that they are in power, when in fact, they have none.

Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles.

Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.

Politics may be defined as: the method adopted in governments for obtaining motivation toward a monopoly. In all political actions, a monopoly of control and method is sought.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.

Politics is the art of the possible.

Politics is the business of getting power and privilege without possessing merit. A politician is anyone who asks individuals to surrender part of their liberty— their power and privilege— to State, Masses, Mankind, Planet Earth, or whatever. This state, those masses, that mankind, and the planet will then be run by ... politicians.

Politics is the art of stopping people from minding their own business.

The art of politics is learning to walk with your back to the wall, your elbows high, and a smile on your face. It's a survival game played under the glare of lights.

Politics is the art of the possible,the science of the relative.

...Politics is an activity in which you recognize the simultaneous existence of different groups, interests and opinions. You try to find some way to balance or reconcile or compromise those interests, or at least a majority of them. You follow a set of rules, enshrined in a constitution or in custom, to help you reach these compromises in a way everybody considers legitimate.

The downside of politics is that people never really get everything they want. It’s messy, limited and no issue is ever really settled. Politics is a muddled activity in which people have to recognize restraints and settle for less than they want. Disappointment is normal.

But that’s sort of the beauty of politics, too. It involves an endless conversation in which we learn about other people and see things from their vantage point and try to balance their needs against our own. Plus, it’s better than the alternative: rule by some authoritarian tyrant who tries to govern by clobbering everyone in his way....

Politics is the name we give to the orchestration of power in any society.