Quotes about Accountability

As much as Tim blamed himself during the next morning's postmortem, I recognized it as a systems failure

Our history has always been the sum total of the choices made and the actions taken by each individual man and woman. It has always been up to us.

If I say I will do something, I must do it. Otherwise, how will people know that my word is true?

As much as Tim blamed himself during the next morning's postmortem, I recognized it as a systems failure—and a failure on my part to put those who worked under me in a position to succeed.

Whenever I write a letter to a family who has lost a loved one in Iraq, or read an email from a constituent who has dropped out of college because her student aid has been cut, I'm reminded that the actions of those in power have enormous consequences—a price that they themselves almost never have to pay.

In other words, if you wanted good government, then expertise mattered. You needed public institutions stocked with people whose job it was to pay attention to important stuff so the rest of us citizens didn't have to.

Once I gave up the hunt for villains, I had little recourse but to take responsibility for my choices ...Needless to say, this is far less satisfying that nailing villains. It also turned out to be more healing in the end.

If no one has said outright that spying on Mr. Axelroot is a sin, then God probably couldn't technically hold it against me.

Make small commitments and keep them. Be a light, not a judge. Be a model, not a critic. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

We're responsible for our own lives.

We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions

Anytime we think the problem is "out there," that thought is the problem. We empower what's out there to control us.