Francis Urquhart Quotes

His deepest need was that people should like him. An admirable trait that; in a spaniel. Or a whore.

You might very well think that - I couldn't possibly comment.

Morality, Sir, is the monologue of the unexcited and the unexcitable, the revenge of the unsuccessful, the punishment of those who tried and failed, or who never had the courage to try at all.

Loyalty is like the Doctrine of Celibacy—easy to proclaim but damned difficult to live by.

There is no need to outrun the lion. All that is necessary for a man to do in order to survive is to outrun his friends.

La política requiere sacrificio. El sacrificio de los demás, por supuesto. No importa qué pueda conseguir un hombre sacrificándose por su país, siempre se saca mayor provecho dejando que otros lo hagan primero.

Loyalty is like instant coffee: it’s cheap and ultimately unsatisfying.

A prime minister can chose his friends and his Cabinet but not his relatives. Part Chairman Lord Williams

This was suburban Surrey, the land of the A and B social classes in the terminology of pollsters, where passports lay at the ready and Range Rovers stood in the driveway. Range Rovers? The only time they ever encountered mud was when being driven carelessly over front lawns late on a Friday night or when dropping off their little Johnnies and Emmas at their private schools.

No es el respeto, sino el miedo lo que motiva a un hombre; así se construyen imperios y se ponen en marcha revoluciones. Ése es el secreto de los grandes hombres. Cuando un hombre tiene miedo de que lo aplastes, de que lo destruyas por completo, su respeto siempre vendrá detrás. El temor más elemental siempre es embriagador, abrumador, liberador. Siempre es más intenso que el respeto

Cristóbal Colón fue una gran decepción. Cuando zarpó no tenía ni idea de adónde iba y cuando llegó no tenía ni idea de dónde estaba. Si quieres joder a los nativos, es mucho mejor quedarse en casa.

¿Por qué desperdiciar la vida buscando un epitafio? «Te recordamos con cariño.» ¿Quién salvo un idiota quiere algo así cincelado sobre su cabeza? No es más que incontinencia sentimental.

In an Englishwoman her abruptness would have been viewed as bad manners, but it was normal to afford Americans somewhat greater license. They talked, ate, dressed differently, were even different in bed so Urquhart had been told, although he had no firsthand experience.

La política requiere sacrificio. El sacrificio de los demás, por supuesto.

In an Englishwoman her abruptness would have been viewed as bad manners, but it was normal to afford Americans somewhat greater license.

It seemed scarcely a moment since she had made it back home,

silk handkerchief that erupted out of the breast pocket, an affectation he had adopted to distance himself from the Westminster hordes in their banal Christmas-stocking ties and Marks & Spencer suits.

You might think that, I could not possibly comment

Actually, the Italian Renaissance thinker would probably have been much more taken by the other FU, Francis Urquhart from the BBC's version of House of Cards. Francis Urquhart is every bit as devious and ruthless as Underwood. But he is much better at the how as well as the why. Unlike Underwood, Urquhart is careful to maintain a reputation for neutrality and integrity (“It becomes us to be humble and honest, good old Francis Urquhart still”). Also, he has a clear view of what is good for the nation and simply believes that he is the right person to secure it (“Britain must be governed, and you know who will do it best”). It

Some people come to the edge of the cliff and they look over, then run away in fear. They never realize it’s possible to fly, to soar away, to be free. They spend their lives crawling along cliff tops without ever finding the courage. Don’t spend your life crawling,

Nada dura para siempre. Ni la risa, ni la lujuria, ni siquiera la vida en sí. Para siempre, no. Por eso le sacamos el máximo jugo a lo que tenemos.