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Leadership quotes

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“There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat; And we must take the current when it...” William Shakespeare, “Julius Caesar” - 1623

“There are times when a leader must move out ahead of the flock, go off in a new direction, confident that he is leading his people the right way.” Nelson Mandela, “Long Walk to Freedom” - 1995

“But when he has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty, and there is nothing to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader.” Plato, “The Republic”

“he who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.” Aristotle, “Politics”

“Never trust any ruler who puts his faith in tunnels and bunkers and escape routes. The chances are that his heart isn’t in the job.” Terry Pratchett, “Guards! Guards!” - 1989

“Leaders are responsible not for running public opinion polls but for the consequences of their actions.” Henry Kissinger, “The White House Years” - 1979

“You shall more command with years than with your weapons.” William Shakespeare, “Othello” - 1623

“I wanted first of all to tell the people that I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had became a leader because of extraordinary circumstances.” Nelson Mandela, “Long Walk to Freedom” - 1995

“The greater a man's talents, the greater his power to lead astray.” Aldous Huxley, “Brave New World” - 1932

“He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it.” Confucius, “Analects”

“He said, one time, that no true leader burdened his followers with a greater load than they could carry, and no true leader sets too fast a pace for his followers to keep up.” Malcolm X, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” - 1965

“Only the mistakes have been mine.” Malcolm X, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” - 1965

“To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.” Barack Obama, “Inaugural Address” - 20 January 2009

“For the moment the peril was nowhere and yet everywhere. The majority remained solid; but the leaders became stiff and exacting.” Anatole France, “Penguin Island” - 1908

“If you want to govern the people, you must place yourself below them. If you want to lead the people, you must learn how to follow them.” Lao Tzu, “Tao Te Ching” - 4th century BC

“The Master leads by emptying people's minds and filling their cores, by weakening their ambition and toughening their resolve.” Lao Tzu, “Tao Te Ching” - 4th century BC

“Let the boys learn that leniency comes from their toon leaders, and harshness from their commander—it will bind them better in the small, tight knots of this fabric.” Orson Scott Card, “Ender's Game” - 1985

“It ought to be the employer's ambition, as leader, to pay better wages than any similar line of business, and it ought to be the workman's ambition to make this possible.” Henry Ford, “My Life and Work” - 1922

“If you still don't like it, that's OK: that's why I'm boss. I simply know better than you do.” Linus Torvalds - 1996

“sheep are stupid, and have to be driven. But goats are intelligent, and need to be led.” Terry Pratchett, “Small Gods” - 1992

“We need a Napoleon. An Alexander. Except that Napoleon lost in the end, and Alexander flamed out and died young. We need a Julius Caesar, except that he made himself dictator, and died for it.” Orson Scott Card, “Ender's Game” - 1985

Related topics

fear ambition power people government responsibility burden trust knowledge opportunism success requirement mercy virtue stupidity opinion self-control weapons experience authority

Related authors

William Shakespeare (2)
Nelson Mandela (2)
Malcolm X (2)
Lao Tzu (2)
Terry Pratchett (2)
Orson Scott Card (2)
Aldous Huxley (1)
Plato (1)
Aristotle (1)
Confucius (1)
Barack Obama (1)
Anatole France (1)
Henry Kissinger (1)
Henry Ford (1)
Linus Torvalds (1)

Related sources

Long Walk to Freedom (2)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X (2)
Tao Te Ching (2)
Ender's Game (2)
Othello (1)
Julius Caesar (1)
Brave New World (1)
The Republic (1)
Politics (1)
Analects (1)
Inaugural Address (1)
Penguin Island (1)
Guards! Guards! (1)
The White House Years (1)
My Life and Work (1)
Small Gods (1)