Morton Blackwell quotes:

Effort is admirable. Achievement is valuable.

Moral outrage is the most powerful motivating force in politics.

Actions have consequences.

In volunteer politics, a builder can build faster than a destroyer can destroy.

Keep a secure home base.

Never give a bureaucrat a chance to say no.

Sound doctrine is sound politics.

A prompt, generous letter of thanks can seal a commitment which otherwise might disappear when the going gets rough.

Don't treat good guys like you treat bad guys.

Expand the leadership.

In politics, nothing moves unless it's pushed.

Keep your eye on the main chance and don't stop to kick every barking dog.

Political technology determines political success.

Promptly report your action to the one who requested it.

The test of moral ideas is moral results.

The winner in a political contest is determined by the number and the effectiveness of the activists on the respective sides.

Winners aren't perfect. They made fewer mistakes than their rivals.

You cannot make friends of your enemies by making enemies of your friends.

A stable movement requries a healthy, reciprocal I.O.U. flow among its participants. Don't keep a careful tally.

Don't fully trust anyone until he has stuck with a good cause which he saw was losing.

Don't get mad except on purpose.

In politics, you have your word and your friends; go back on either and you're dead.

Make the opponents' goal more expensive than it's worth.

One big reason is better than many little reasons.

Politics is of the heart as well as of the mind. Many people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

The mind can absorb no more than the seat can endure.

To succeed inside a political party, one must cultivate an ability to sit still and remain polite while foolish people speak nonsense

You can't save the world if you can't pay the rent.

Never miss a political meeting if you think there's the slightest chance you'll wish you'd been there.