A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone.

My mom, she was a very, very soft woman. It was hard for her to yell or even curse. But when it came to fighting for her kids, she found a strength she didn’t always know she had.

The risk for me would be in not taking one – that’s the only thing that’s really risky for me.

As our enemies have found we can reason like men, so now let us show them we can fight like men also.

Some people want to win races. Other people want to be President of the United States.

To supervise people, you must either surpass them in their accomplishments or despise them.

Man seems to be capable of great virtues but not of small virtues; capable of defying his torturer but not of keeping his temper.

Any man or institution that tries to rob me of my dignity will lose.

Of all the things I’ve done, the most vital is coordinating those who work with me and aiming their efforts at a certain goal.

Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.

As a shame researcher, I know that the very best thing to do in the midst of a shame attack is totally counterintuitive: Practice courage and reach out!

Every man has a right to risk his own life for the preservation of it.

No woman in my time will be prime minister or chancellor or foreign secretary – not the top jobs. Anyway, I wouldn’t want to be prime minister; you have to give yourself 100 percent.

I was more independent than any farmer in Concord, for I was not anchored to a house or farm, but could follow the bent of my genius, which is a very crooked one, every moment.

Fear? If I have gained anything by damning myself, it is that I no longer have anything to fear.

You have to develop ways so that you can take up for yourself, and then you take up for someone else. And so sooner or later, you have enough courage to really stand up for the human race and say, ‚I’m a representative.‘

I am not saying I am the best manager in the world. But I’m quite good.

Romney and Ryan would do a much better job running the country, and that’s what everybody needs to know.

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.

There is nothing in the world so much admired as a man who knows how to bear unhappiness with courage.

In a world of complex threats, our security and leadership depends on all elements of our power – including strong and principled diplomacy.

Leaders must invoke an alchemy of great vision.

The United Nations is designed to make possible lasting freedom and independence for all its members.

At Microsoft there are lots of brilliant ideas but the image is that they all come from the top – I’m afraid that’s not quite right.

Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.

It is a fine thing to have ability, but the ability to discover ability in others is the true test.

The high destiny of the individual is to serve rather than to rule.

Always do what you are afraid to do.

Weak minds sink under prosperity as well as adversity; but strong and deep ones have two high tides.

If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.

Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.

Some day I shall be President.

Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.

You must not fear death, my lads; defy him, and you drive him into the enemy’s ranks.

The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.

It’s in the difficult times that we’re growing and you can’t just rebuke everything hard. We’ve got to endure it and fight the good fight of faith and pass the test.

A leader who doesn’t hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader.

To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage, or of principle.

Real firmness is good for anything; strut is good for nothing.

In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.

I just think overall there’s not as many female ministers than there are male ministers.

A house divided against itself cannot stand.

One of the roles of the Presidency is to lead a political party. Having a President in office is usually a huge advantage to a party because it gives the party a mouthpiece and an advocate at the highest level.

You’re president, if you conclude my judgment is not the right judgment, I abide by that, but I want an opportunity to have an input.

With Benghazi, I don’t see anyone saying, ‚Hey look, I am overall responsible for this and therefore, I take responsibility for what happened. It’s my fault.‘ I haven’t heard that yet. Meanwhile, the other side of the coin, the Osama bin Laden raid, it seems everyone made that decision, and that’s just unbelievable to me.

Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.

One leader, one people, signifies one master and millions of slaves.

Marines don’t know how to spell the word ‚defeat‘.

It is unnecessary to say that Fidel Castro possesses the high qualities of a fighter and statesman: our path, our struggle, and our triumph we owed to his vision.

Unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. In this world, fear has no place. Only strength respects strength.

Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.

Everywhere I go I find that people… both leaders and individuals… are asking one basic question, ‚Is there any hope for the future?‘ My answer is the same, ‚Yes, through Jesus Christ.‘

On every front there are clear answers out there that can make this country stronger, but we’re going to break through the fear and the frustration people are feeling. Our job is to make sure that even as we make progress, that we are also giving people a sense of hope and vision for the future.

Our position is that we do not accept conditions of any kind which may affect the independence and sovereignty of our country just with the view to solve economic problems existing between the United States and Cuba.

People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.

I’m glad I’m not Brezhnev. Being the Russian leader in the Kremlin. You never know if someone’s tape recording what you say.

I’d read up on the history of our country and I’d become fascinated with the story of the Alamo. To me it represented the fight for freedom, not just in America, but in all countries.

The bravest person I’ve ever met was a young boy going through massive amounts of treatment for a very rare, complex and unpleasant disease. I last saw him at a Discworld convention, where he chose to take part in a game as an assassin. He died not long afterwards, and I wish I had his fortitude and sense of style.

I can easily imagine Obama sitting down and talking to any leader – or any person – in the world, with no baggage of past servitude or race supremacy to mar their talks.

Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.

The President is not only the leader of a party, he is the President of the whole people. He must interpret the conscience of America. He must guide his conduct by the idealism of our people.