The art of politics consists in knowing precisely when it is necessary to hit an opponent slightly below the belt.

Adenauer’s quip frames politics as a pragmatic craft rather than a purely principled contest. By borrowing the boxing metaphor of a “below the belt” blow, it suggests that political success sometimes depends on calculated, ethically gray tactics—attacks that may be unfair or personal—deployed at the decisive moment. The emphasis on “precisely when” is key: the line is less a blanket endorsement of dirty fighting than an argument about timing, judgment, and proportionality in conflict. Read critically, it also exposes the tension between democratic ideals of fair debate and the realities of power struggles, where restraint can be costly and moral lines are often tested.