“ A leader is necessary; but his opponents always call him a boss. An organization is necessary; but the men in opposition always call it a machine. ”
Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt; an Autobiography (1913). copy citation
| Author | Theodore Roosevelt |
|---|---|
| Source | Theodore Roosevelt; an Autobiography |
| Topic | opposition organization |
| Date | 1913 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3335/3335-h/3335-h.htm |
Context
“One of the reasons why the boss so often keeps his hold, especially in municipal matters, is, or at least has been in the past, because so many of the men who claim to be reformers have been blind to the need of working in human fashion for social and industrial betterment. Such words as "boss" and "machine" now imply evil, but both the implication the words carry and the definition of the words themselves are somewhat vague. A leader is necessary; but his opponents always call him a boss. An organization is necessary; but the men in opposition always call it a machine. Nevertheless, there is a real and deep distinction between the leader and the boss, between organizations and machines. A political leader who fights openly for principles, and who keeps his position of leadership by stirring the consciences and convincing the intellects of his followers, so that they have confidence in him and will follow him because they can achieve greater results under him than under any one else, is doing work which is indispensable in a democracy.”
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