25 Adlai Stevenson Quotes About Truth In Politics

By Norbert Juma | Updated December 20, 2023

Adlai Stevenson quotes are the true attribution of a political figure’s thoughts and behavior.

Most of Stevenson’s quotes are popular and have a message to convey.

This is why we created this list of quotes.

Apart from our quotes section, this article also discusses Adlai Stevenson, his life, and his political career.

If interested, please continue reading!

Who is Adlai Stevenson?

Adlai Stevenson was a well-known American politician and diplomat.

Being a political figure of the Democratic Party, Stevenson was nominated two times as the nominee for President of the United States.

He also served as the 31st Governor of Illinois in the 1950s.

Stevenson is widely known as among the most decent and eloquent politicians of his era.

He was also popular for his humor, wit, and impressive speeches.

Early Life

Adlai Stevenson was born in Los Angeles on February 5, 1900.

His father was a lawyer.

Stevenson grew up in Bloomington, Illinois.

In 1922, he graduated with honors from Princeton University.

After that, he studied law at Harvard University.

Political Career

Stevenson started his political career in 1948 when he was nominated as the governor of Illinois.

He won the election and became one of the most popular governors.

Apart from this, Stevenson was also selected as the nominee for President.

He ran against Republican nominee Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Unfortunately, Stevenson was defeated in this election.

In 1956, Democratic Party once again selected him as the nominee for President.

However, Eisenhower defeated him once again.

Despite his failure, Stevenson became an influential and prominent political figure.

From 1961 to 1965, he also served as an Ambassador to the United Nations.

Adlai Stevenson’s Legacy

Adlai Stevenson was known for his political wisdom.

His campaigns for President were referred to as essential moments in history.

Although he wasn’t successful in becoming the President of the United States, he continued to express his vision and ideas through his speeches.

Below are the key aspects of Stevenson’s legacy:

Stevenson was also referred to as the champion of civil rights.
He proved to be a strong opponent of McCarthyism and the Red Scare.
He also believed in the strength of diplomacy and dialogue when resolving conflicts.
While serving in the United Nations, his policies helped devise an impressive American foreign policy.

Top 5 Adlai Stevenson Quotes

These are the best Adlai Stevenson quotes from our compilation.

1. “A hungry man is not a free man.” — Adlai Stevenson

2. “He who slings mud generally loses ground.” — Adlai Stevenson

3. “Ignorance is stubborn, and prejudice is hard.” — Adlai Stevenson

4. “It is not the years in your life but the life in your years that counts.” — Adlai Stevenson

5. “You can tell the size of a man by the size of the thing that makes him mad.” — Adlai Stevenson

Deep Adlai Stevenson Quotes

Here are some inspiring quotes by Adlai Stevenson that are deep and offer you so much to think about.

6. “In quiet places, reason abounds.” — Adlai Stevenson

7. “Change is inevitable. Change for the better is a full-time job.” — Adlai Stevenson

8. “On the plains of hesitation lie the blackened bones of countless millions who at the dawn of victory lay down to rest, and in resting died.” — Adlai Stevenson

9. “Do you know the difference between a beautiful woman and a charming one? A beauty is a woman you notice; a charmer is one who notices you.” — Adlai Stevenson

10. “Communism is the death of the soul. It is the organization of total conformity – in short, of tyranny – and it is committed to making tyranny universal.” — Adlai Stevenson

Adlai Stevenson Quotes About Politics

Check out the following Adlai Stevenson quotes about politics and the system.

11. “That which seems the height of absurdity in one generation often becomes the height of wisdom in another.” — Adlai Stevenson

12. “The hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning.” — Adlai Stevenson

13. “A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation.” — Adlai Stevenson

14. “Public confidence in the integrity of the Government is indispensable to faith in democracy; and when we lose faith in the system, we have lost faith in everything we fight and spend for.” — Adlai Stevenson

15. “I’m not an old, experienced hand at politics. But I am now seasoned enough to have learned that the hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning.” — Adlai Stevenson

Sarcastic Adlai Stevenson Quotes

Following are the Adlai Stevenson quotes with sarcasm and taunts.

16. “Making peace is harder than making war.” — Adlai Stevenson

17. “Flattery is all right so long as you don’t inhale.” — Adlai Stevenson

18. “Nature is indifferent to the survival of the human species, including Americans.” — Adlai Stevenson

19. “Newspaper editors are men who separate the wheat from the chaff, and then print the chaff.” — Adlai Stevenson

20. “There was a time when a fool and his money were soon parted, but now it happens to everybody.” — Adlai Stevenson

More Adlai Stevenson Quotes

Here we will share some more Adlai Stevenson quotes with mixed vibes.

21. “The human race has improved everything, but the human race.” — Adlai Stevenson

22. “Law is not a profession at all, but rather a business service station and repair shop.” — Adlai Stevenson

23. “What a man knows at fifty that he did not know at twenty is for the most part incommunicable.” — Adlai Stevenson

24. “Every age needs men who will redeem the time by living with a vision of the things that are to be.” — Adlai Stevenson

25. “We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent on its vulnerable reserves of air and soil, all committed, for our safety, to its security and peace. Preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work, and the love we give our fragile craft.” — Adlai Stevenson