James Comey Quotes

Powerful James Comey for Daily Growth

About James Comey

James Brien Comey Jr., born on April 10, 1960, in Yonkers, New York, is a prominent American lawyer and former government official who served as the seventh Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2013 to 2017. Raised by parents who were teachers, Comey developed a strong commitment to public service at an early age. He earned his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School. After working in private practice for several years, he entered government service as the United States Deputy Attorney General under President George W. Bush from 2003 to 2005. In 2005, Comey left government to become General Counsel and later Senior Vice President of Lockheed Martin Corporation. He returned to public service in 2010 as the United States Deputy Attorney General under President Barack Obama, before being appointed as FBI Director in 2013. During his tenure as FBI Director, Comey gained national attention for his handling of high-profile cases such as the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email server and the Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. His decisions were often polarizing, leading to both criticism and praise from various political factions. In April 2017, Comey was fired by President Donald Trump, an event that sparked a firestorm of controversy. Following his dismissal, he authored the best-selling book "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership," in which he detailed his experiences in government and reflected on the challenges of leadership in challenging times. Today, Comey continues to be a vocal commentator on political and social issues, offering insights into his perspective on current events and the role of public service in American democracy. His career serves as an example of the significant impact that individuals can have within the halls of power and the broader public sphere.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Truth, in my view, serves justice."

This quote by James Comey underscores the importance of truth in upholding justice. In essence, he believes that truth is a fundamental requirement for fairness, integrity, and impartiality in any system or process designed to deliver justice. Without truth, judgments may be skewed, decisions biased, and wrongdoings unpunished - thus undermining the very foundation of justice itself. This statement emphasizes the significance of honesty and transparency as cornerstones of a fair and equitable society.


"Leadership means that a group will sustain itself for a period long enough to achieve the goal it has set for itself."

This quote by James Comey emphasizes the essential aspects of effective leadership: sustainability, goal-oriented action, and commitment. Leadership is not just about inspiring people or having charisma; it's about creating an environment that fosters unity and persistence towards a common objective for an extended period. A great leader rallies their group around a vision, motivating them to work together diligently until the goal is achieved.


"If you're not prepared to be wise, foolish people will outsmart you."

This quote suggests that being unwise or unprepared can lead to undesirable outcomes, as even those who are less knowledgeable or experienced may exploit the situation if one is not cautious or strategic. Essentially, it's a reminder to be thoughtful, prepared, and wise when making decisions, lest one fall victim to the cunning of others.


"The difficult moments in life are actually the ones we remember most clearly and deeply, because they're the ones that force us to be at our best."

This quote emphasizes the profound impact of challenging circumstances on personal growth and memory. It suggests that during difficult times, individuals are compelled to rise above ordinary levels of resilience, resourcefulness, and determination – thus creating a deeper, more vivid recollection of those experiences. The quote underscores that these trying moments serve as significant learning opportunities for self-discovery and improvement, ultimately shaping our character in meaningful ways.


"Loyalty is a virtue, but blind loyalty is not a virtue."

This quote underscores the importance of being loyal while acknowledging the dangers of unquestioning allegiance. Loyalty, as a virtue, demonstrates commitment and trustworthiness. However, blind loyalty, without questioning or critical thought, can lead to detrimental consequences such as ignoring wrongdoings, stifling dissent, and perpetuating harmful practices. The quote encourages us to maintain our loyalty while exercising discernment, fostering a more ethical and responsible society.


We face cyber threats from state-sponsored hackers, hackers for hire, global cyber syndicates, and terrorists. They seek our state secrets, our trade secrets, our technology, and our ideas - things of incredible value to all of us. They seek to strike our critical infrastructure and to harm our economy.

- James Comey

Hire, Critical, Harm, Global

We can only query against that which we have collected. And so if someone has never made a ripple in the pond in Syria in a way that would get their identity or their interest reflected in our database, we can query our database until the cows come home, but there will be nothing show up because we have no record of them.

- James Comey

Against, Show, Pond, Cows

Law enforcement's biased view of the Irish lives on in the nickname we still use for the vehicles we use to transport groups of prisoners. It is, after all, the 'paddy wagon.' The Irish had tough times, but little compares to the experience on our soil of black Americans.

- James Comey

Irish, Use, Wagon, Vehicles

As so often happened during the dot-com bubble days, the revenues that AOL and PurchasePro were counting on did not materialize. And instead of confronting that harsh reality, AOL and PurchasePro cooked up a scheme to inflate PurchasePro's revenues.

- James Comey

Counting, Materialize, Cooked

To accomplish its mission, the FBI relies heavily upon its law enforcement and intelligence partners around the nation and around the globe. By combining our resources and our collective expertise, we are able to investigate national security threats that cross both geographical and jurisdictional boundaries.

- James Comey

Nation, Investigate, Geographical

Folks are wandering around that proverbial parking lot of the Internet all day long, without giving it a thought to whose attachments they're opening, what sites they're visiting. And that makes it easy for the bad guys.

- James Comey

Thought, Parking, Visiting, Sites

I was a high school senior and home alone one night with my younger brother. And a guy - gunman - kicked in our front door at our home in New Jersey and held the two of us captive. We escaped. He caught us again. We escaped again. So, a pretty horrific experience.

- James Comey

Door, Caught, Held, Kicked

With respect to potential computer intrusion by hostile actors, we did not find direct evidence that Secretary Clinton's personal e-mail domain, in its various configurations since 2009, was successfully hacked.

- James Comey

Evidence, Successfully, Intrusion

We've made great progress coordinating better as a government.

- James Comey

Government, Better, Made, Coordinating

The spine of the FBI is the rule of law. The spine of the FBI is a commitment to doing the right thing, in the right way, while protecting civil liberties.

- James Comey

Law, Doing, Protecting, FBI

What makes the bravery of the men and women of the FBI so special is that they know exactly what they're in for. They spend weeks and weeks in an academy learning just how hard and dangerous this work is. Then they raise their right hands and take an oath and do that work anyway.

- James Comey

Hands, Dangerous, Weeks, FBI

Public corruption is the FBI's top criminal priority. The threat - which involves the corruption of local, state, and federally elected, appointed, or contracted officials - strikes at the heart of government, eroding public confidence and undermining the strength of our democracy.

- James Comey

Undermining, Contracted, Our, FBI

An element of virtually every national security threat and crime problem the FBI faces is cyber-based or facilitated. We face sophisticated cyber threats from state-sponsored hackers, hackers for hire, organized cyber syndicates, and terrorists.

- James Comey

Hire, Sophisticated, FBI

I come from a law enforcement family. My grandfather, William J. Comey, was a police officer. Pop Comey is one of my heroes. I have a picture of him on my wall in my office at the FBI, reminding me of the legacy I've inherited and that I must honor.

- James Comey

Legacy, Honor, Officer, FBI

We in the FBI have created a malware repository and analysis tool known as the Binary Analysis Characterization and Storage System, or BACSS, which provides near real-time investigative information. BACSS helps us link malware in different jurisdictions and paint a picture of cyber threats worldwide.

- James Comey

Storage, Paint, Link, FBI

The FBI is engaged in a myriad of efforts to combat cyber threats, from efforts focused on threat identification and sharing inside and outside of government, to our internal emphasis on developing and retaining new talent and changing the way we operate to evolve with the cyber threat.

- James Comey

Engaged, Internal, Combat, FBI

Just as our adversaries and threats continue to evolve, so, too, must the FBI. The key to this evolution lies with our greatest assets: our people and our partnerships. Every FBI professional understands that thwarting the threats facing our nation means constantly striving to be more effective and more efficient.

- James Comey

Striving, Nation, Facing, FBI

Some believe that the FBI has these phenomenal capabilities to access any information at any time - that we can get what we want, when we want it, by flipping some sort of switch. It may be true in the movies or on TV. It is simply not the case in real life.

- James Comey

Some, Access, TV, FBI

One of the hardest things I do as FBI Director is call the chiefs and sheriffs in departments around the nation when officers have been killed in the line of duty. I call to express my sorrow and offer the FBI's help.

- James Comey

Director, Nation, Been, FBI

I believe the job of the FBI Director is to be as transparent as possible with the American people because we work for them.

- James Comey

Work, American, Director, FBI

The destructive malware attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) in late 2014 was an unprecedented cyber event for the United States in its scope, destructiveness, and economic implications. The FBI responded to this attack with an investigation that was groundbreaking in its scope and collaboration.

- James Comey

Entertainment, United, FBI

The people of the FBI sacrifice much for their country, and I am proud to lead this organization of dedicated agents, analysts, and professional staff.

- James Comey

Proud, Country, Dedicated, FBI

The FBI continues to work with tribes through the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 to help tribal governments better address the unique public safety challenges and disproportionately high rates of violence and victimization in many tribal communities.

- James Comey

Challenges, Through, FBI

Although individual states have primary responsibility for conducting fair and impartial elections, the FBI becomes involved when paramount federal interests are affected or electoral abuse occurs.

- James Comey

Abuse, Individual, Electoral, FBI

The attorney general called and asked me if I was willing to be interviewed for FBI director. And the truth is I told him I didn't think so, that I thought it was too much for my family. But that I would sleep on it and call him back in the morning. And so I went to bed that night convinced I was going to call him back and say no.

- James Comey

Thought, Bed, Willing, FBI

The promise I've tried to honor my entire career, that the rule of law and the design of the founders, right, the oversight of courts and the oversight of Congress will be at the heart of what the FBI does.

- James Comey

Law, Career, Congress, FBI

FBI Miami is one of the top five offices. Not only are they responsible for all the work that goes on here in South Florida, but they are one of my international offices, so they cover kidnappings or counterintelligence matters or counterterrorism matters in the whole hemisphere.

- James Comey

Here, Florida, South, FBI

Each FBI employee understands that to defeat the key threats facing our nation, we must constantly strive to be more efficient and more effective. Just as our adversaries continue to evolve, so, too, must the FBI.

- James Comey

Nation, More, Efficient, FBI

The people of the FBI are sworn to protect both security and liberty. It isn't a question of conflict. We must care deeply about protecting liberty through due process of law, while also safeguarding the citizens we serve - in every investigation.

- James Comey

Through, About, Sworn, FBI

The FBI has built up substantial expertise to address cyber threats, both in the homeland and overseas. Here at home, the FBI serves as the executive agent for the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force (NCIJTF), which joins together 19 intelligence, law enforcement, and military agencies to coordinate cyber threat investigations.

- James Comey

Here, Agent, Joint, FBI

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