Context

This sentence was printed in the newspaper St. Petersburgische Zeitung, on August 11, 1867. Reprinted in Fürst Bismarck: neue Tischgespräche und Interviews, Vol. 1, p. 248, (1895).

Prince Otto von Bismarck was an ultra-conservative German empire builder and master manipulator. In saying "Politics is the art of the possible," he is reaching out from the 19th century to address our Congress. And after showing no sympathy for the bedeviled, he tells the Rolling Stones, "You can't always get what you want," which they turn into a big hit because everybody has felt that pain.

For instance, we'd like world peace and unlimited cookies. The universe offers some peace and cookies on special occasions. We want the cookies to be calorie free. The universe says no way. So, we settle for peace somewhere sometime and occasional low-calorie cookies.

We don't exactly get what we want, but it's better than constant war and no cookies ever, so we deal with it. While Prince Otto is exasperated with Congress, he's very proud of us.

Where you've heard it

Two kids are sitting in a sandbox, grumpy from the grit in their diapers. One bonks the other on the head with her plastic shovel. Crying erupts. Mom rushes over and tells her precious that if he stops crying she'll give him a candy. Imagine the kid's dilemma—stubbornly showing his indignation or giving it up for something sweet. He'll be grappling with that predicament for the rest of his life.

Additional Notable References:

• A song from the musical Evita bears this line as its title.
• A brief history of Bismarck.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Sipping on your Pellegrino, this slithery guy with a lisp says to you, "Hey Baby, if you give me a little kissss, I'll take you for a ride in my Porch." Suppressing your disdain, you respond in a sultry voice, "It's Porsche. If you give me the keys, I'll take you for a ride." Keys in hand, you leave while he's in the bathroom.

He's pretentious; you just understand the art of the possible.