Ronald Kessler Quotes

Powerful Ronald Kessler for Daily Growth

About Ronald Kessler

Ronald Kessler is an acclaimed American journalist and bestselling author, renowned for his investigative reporting and insightful analysis on law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and national security. Born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 29, 1950, Kessler's interest in journalism was sparked early in life when he worked as a newsboy delivering the New York Post. Kessler graduated from Wesleyan University in Connecticut with a degree in political science. He began his career at The Washington Post and later worked for Newsweek, where he served as a White House correspondent and Pentagon correspondent before becoming the magazine's investigative reporter. In 1987, Kessler published his first book, "The First Commandment: A Chronicle of Washington," which offered a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the Reagan White House. The book was a critical and commercial success, setting the stage for Kessler's future endeavors in investigative journalism. One of his most influential works is "Inside the Secret Service: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Protecting the President," published in 1990. The book provided unprecedented insight into the U.S. Secret Service, based on Kessler's firsthand observations and interviews with more than 350 agents. The book was praised for its candor and has become a seminal work in understanding the challenges faced by the agency. Kessler's other notable works include "The Secrets of the FBI," "The Politician: George Herbert Walker Bush" (co-authored with his brother, Mark Kessler), and "The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal Hidden Lives, Painful Duty, and the Heartache of Protecting the Presidents." Throughout his career, Kessler has been recognized for his exceptional reporting, receiving numerous awards, including the George Polk Award and the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Reporting on Law Enforcement. His work continues to shed light on critical issues in American politics and national security.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Secrets have a way of getting out."

This quote highlights that secrets, though they may be kept hidden for a time, tend to eventually come to light. It serves as a reminder that nothing remains concealed forever in the world we live in, emphasizing the importance of honesty, integrity, and transparency.


"No matter how powerful the government, no matter how strong an individual's position, when he breaks the law, he has violated basic norms that must be upheld to preserve the rule of law and our democracy."

This quote by Ronald Kessler emphasizes the importance of adhering to the rule of law in a democratic society. It suggests that when individuals or even powerful entities within government break laws, they undermine the fundamental norms that uphold the democracy and the rule of law. These norms are essential for ensuring fairness, accountability, and justice, and their preservation is crucial for maintaining the integrity of our democratic institutions. In other words, upholding the law is a cornerstone of our democratic system and must be respected by all, regardless of power or position.


"The FBI is not just a law enforcement agency; it is part of the checks and balances in the U.S. government."

This quote by Ronald Kessler emphasizes that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) holds a unique role within the United States government. Beyond its function as a law enforcement agency, the FBI is also seen as an integral part of the system of checks and balances, ensuring a stable democratic governance. By maintaining this balance, the FBI helps to protect American citizens from threats, both domestic and foreign, while upholding the principles of justice and liberty that define the U.S. government.


"There's no such thing as a private conversation when dealing with the federal government."

This quote by Ronald Kessler highlights that in interactions with the U.S. federal government, there is no true concept of a private conversation. The federal government has extensive powers to gather information, monitor activities, and investigate matters as needed for their functions, which means that conversations or communications, even if intended to be confidential, may not remain so. It underscores the importance of being mindful when discussing sensitive issues with federal authorities.


"In any organization, there are always those who abuse their power or position to further their own agenda."

This quote emphasizes that within every organization, regardless of its nature or size, there will inevitably be individuals who misuse their authority or influence for personal gain. It's a reminder that power can sometimes corrupt, and people may prioritize self-interest over the common good or mission of the group. Understanding this reality is crucial in fostering transparency, accountability, and ethical behavior within organizations.


If FBI agents can't be trusted to wiretap within the law, why trust them to carry weapons or make arrests?

- Ronald Kessler

Trust, Law, FBI Agents, Arrest

If Madison Avenue advertising executives were to pick a song that would best represent America, the last one they would choose is 'The Star Spangled Banner.'

- Ronald Kessler

Song, Last, Executives, Madison Avenue

Lacking a profit motive, workers in the government by and large have a different work ethic from those in private industry. When they could make one call, federal workers take a meeting. When they could find an answer on the Internet, they form a study committee. Instead of appointing one supervisor, they appoint five.

- Ronald Kessler

Study, Private, Industry, Lacking

Because of the terrorist threat, the FBI and CIA have become as important as the military in preserving our freedom. Yet while thanking our military is standard practice in American life, no one thinks of thanking the FBI, the CIA, or the rest of the intelligence community for keeping us safe since 9/11.

- Ronald Kessler

Practice, American, Standard, FBI

The FBI Academy teaches new agents that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

- Ronald Kessler

Future, New, Teaches, FBI

The media are always on the lookout for possible sightings of D.B. Cooper, the man who parachuted from a plane with $200,000 in ransom money in November 1971. But the truth is, the mystery man wearing dark sunglasses almost certainly died during the jump, according to the FBI agents on the case at the time.

- Ronald Kessler

Plane, November, FBI Agents, FBI

Pension funds, endowments, and private investors trust Mitt Romney's former company Bain Capital enough to hand it billions of dollars in assets.

- Ronald Kessler

Trust, Private, Capital, Pension

To reform the Secret Service, the agency needs a director from outside the agency who will be immune from that culture and not beholden to entrenched bureaucrats within the agency.

- Ronald Kessler

Needs, Immune, Agency, Beholden

Complex man that he was, J. Edgar Hoover left nothing to chance. The director shrewdly recognized that building what became known as the world's greatest law enforcement agency would not necessarily keep him in office.

- Ronald Kessler

Office, Recognized, Became, Edgar

While most Americans know about the Boston Tea Party, few are aware of the Liberty Tree and how important it was to fanning the flames of rebellion that led to the revolution in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence.

- Ronald Kessler

Boston, Rebellion, Fanning, Flames

I sat next to Carl Bernstein throughout Watergate, and Woodward would come over, and they would argue everything out, so I was really tuned into what happened.

- Ronald Kessler

Next, Over, Watergate, Woodward

Whatever they do, criminals and non-criminals act in particular ways. Some writers, for instance, use computers, others pen and paper. Some write in the morning, some at night. Each writer has a distinct style, with variations in grammar, sentence structure, and voice.

- Ronald Kessler

Voice, Some, Instance, Variations

To become a Secret Service agent, applicants must pass a polygraph exam. But after being hired, agents are never required to undergo regular lie detector testing again.

- Ronald Kessler

Testing, Pass, Agent, Undergo

In typical Washington fashion, nothing gets reformed until a disaster happens.

- Ronald Kessler

Nothing, Typical, Until, Reformed

Rather than use the term 'profiling,' the profilers prefer to say they engage in criminal investigative analysis. That is because, besides developing profiles, the analysts offer a range of other advice, including personality assessments and interview techniques tailored to a particular offender.

- Ronald Kessler

Other, Rather, Prefer, Offender

I like a challenge. The fact that these are secret organizations, and also very important organizations that can engage in abuses that are so important to our national security - all that attracts me.

- Ronald Kessler

Fact, Like, Very, Attracts

When I was doing interviews at the FBI, my tape recorder battery died. They gave me a new one, and I said, 'Of course, this is bugged?'

- Ronald Kessler

Doing, New, Tape Recorder, Recorder

The 9/11 commission recommended the appointment of a national intelligence director with budgetary authority to better coordinate the work of the intelligence community and resolve differences.

- Ronald Kessler

National Intelligence, Recommended

Hiking taxes on the so-called wealthy would help send us into a recession because so many small businesses report their income on individual tax returns. If taxes are raised, they will be less likely to be able to hire new workers and make new capital investments.

- Ronald Kessler

Small, Income, Capital, Report

Agents who have left the Secret Service to join other federal law enforcement agencies report that training in firearms and counterterrorism tactics in those agencies in many cases far exceeds the quality of what the Secret Service offered.

- Ronald Kessler

Law, Other, Cases, Report

Tact ops is a unit which breaks into homes and offices to plant bugging devices. They get into mafia hangouts, they go into embassies, they go into terrorist hangouts, and they describe themselves as court-sanctioned burglars.

- Ronald Kessler

Breaks, Devices, Which, Bugging

Incredibly, whenever I have proposed the theory that half of government workers could be cut, current and former federal employees I know have all agreed.

- Ronald Kessler

Could, Cut, Half, Proposed

When 'The Washington Post' ran the first national story about FBI profiling in 1984, no one outside of law enforcement recognized the term.

- Ronald Kessler

Law, Enforcement, About, Profiling

'Fox lies' has become a favorite mantra of the Left, yet there is a reason Fox News blows away the other cable networks in ratings and is more trusted as a news source than any other television network.

- Ronald Kessler

News, Reason, Other, Ratings

When I interviewed profilers in 1984 in the basement of the FBI Academy at Quantico, VA., there were just four of them - Roger Depue, John Douglas, Roy Hazelwood, and Robert Ressler.

- Ronald Kessler

Basement, Them, VA, Roy

My mother, Minuetta Kessler, was a concert pianist and composer who performed at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall.

- Ronald Kessler

Concert, Town, Composer, Town Hall

I have one anecdote about the FBI breaking into an embassy in Washington, and under Hoover, they had this sort of ruse whereby they didn't want to recommend a break-in that might be a big flap and cause all kinds of problems.

- Ronald Kessler

Big, About, Cause, Embassy

On a regular basis, to appease White House or campaign staffs, Secret Service officials order agents to ignore basic security rules and let people into events without being put through a magnetometer or metal detector.

- Ronald Kessler

Rules, Through, Secret, Agents

Despite constant vilifying by the media and congressional threats to take away the tools needed to uncover plots, FBI agents and CIA officers work silently around the clock and risk their own lives to keep us safe.

- Ronald Kessler

Congressional, FBI Agents, Agents

With the selection of Acting Secret Service Director Joseph P. Clancy as the director, President Obama has guaranteed that the agency will continue to lurch from one shocking security failure to another.

- Ronald Kessler

Will, Director, Agency, Shocking

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