Quotes about Leadership

Nevertheless, I sought counsel from my leaders and obeyed, even when I knew their advice would make my life more complicated. I decided it was not for me to question and that if some advice caused temporary pain for me, it must be something I should experience.

Pantagruel said to his men, "Gentlemen, I have made this prisoner believe that we will not assault them till to-morrow at noon, but my intention is that we charge them about the hour of the first sleep.

But when there is a lack of honor in government, the morals of the whole people are poisoned.

The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good.

Man is always the master, even in his weaker and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his household.

He only is fitted to command and control who has succeeded in commanding and controlling himself.

Uncertainty is not an indication of poor leadership; it underscores the need for leadership.

Uncertainty is a permanent part of the leadership landscape. It never goes away.

My Uncle, of course, would have been pleased to see someone with brown skin holding the office of president.

What's distinctively shocking about Machiavelli is that he didn't care. He believed not only that politicians must do evil in the name of the public good, but also that they shouldn't worry about it. He was unconcerned, in other words, with what modern thinkers call 'the problem of dirty hands.'

I think it is important for Europe to understand that even though I am president and George Bush is not president, Al Qaeda is still a threat.

Since I'm the president and Democrats have controlled the House and the Senate, it's understandable that people are saying, you know, 'What have you done?'