Groups that rose from poverty to prosperity seldom did so by having their own racial or ethnic leaders to follow.

You can play fast but not in a hurry. As a point guard, I can dictate that.

No other country in the world does what we do. On every issue, the world turns to us, not simply because of the size of our economy or our military might – but because of the ideals we stand for, and the burdens we bear to advance them.

Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.

The poor don’t know that their function in life is to exercise our generosity.

A good leader doesn’t get stuck behind a desk.

The one who adapts his policy to the times prospers, and likewise that the one whose policy clashes with the demands of the times does not.

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

To all the positions, I just bring the determination to win. Me being an unselfish player, I think that can carry on to my teammates. When you have one of the best players on the court being unselfish, I think that transfers to the other players.

A nation which has forgotten the quality of courage which in the past has been brought to public life is not as likely to insist upon or regard that quality in its chosen leaders today – and in fact we have forgotten.

Unless a president can protect the privacy of the advice he gets, he cannot get the advice he needs.

You’ve all seen over the last eight years what President Obama means to this country. He is the embodiment of honor, resolve, and character – one of the finest presidents we have ever had.

You know, you can only lead them from behind.

I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief.

He who is not a good servant will not be a good master.

The topic of leadership is a touchy one. A lot of leaders fail because they don’t have the bravery to touch that nerve or strike that chord. Throughout my years, I haven’t had that fear.

The proper study of Man is anything but Man; and the most improper job of any man, even saints (who at any rate were at least unwilling to take it on), is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity.

I think Clinton, after getting into office and into Washington, was shocked at being bludgeoned. So he spent time trying to be all things to all people – one way guaranteed not to be successful or respected in a lion’s den. You can’t just play around with all those big cats – you’ve got to take somebody on.

The day-to-day making of policy is arguing all the time. You’re trying to get the right approach and the right answer, and there are moments that aren’t very pleasant. But in the end, you look at the overall product.

I have a cult-like following because I exemplify what it is to be a human being.

The point in history at which we stand is full of promise and danger. The world will either move forward toward unity and widely shared prosperity – or it will move apart.

Look, when you’re the president, there’s all kinds of things said about us. I mean, it’s just the nature of the job.

When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous.

It sure is hell to be president.

In war, you can only be killed once, but in politics, many times.

I’m no leader; I’m a little humble follower.

The man who can dominate a London dinner-table can dominate the world.

The reason we have poverty is that we have no imagination. There are a great many people accumulating what they think is vast wealth, but it’s only money… they don’t know how to enjoy it, because they have no imagination.

In various countries and times, leaders of groups that lagged behind, economically and educationally, have taught their followers to blame all their problems on other people – and to hate those other people.

It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.

We must think and act like a nation of a billion people and not like that of a million people. Dream, dream, dream!

The best leaders understand the motivations of their team members and know their people – their lives and their families. But a leader must never grow so close to subordinates that one member of the team becomes more important than another, or more important than the mission itself.

There are some women I definitely would not want to succeed me… but a man like David Souter, that would be great.

What we won when all of our people united must not be lost in suspicion and distrust and selfishness and politics. Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as president.

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.

Good leaders must communicate vision clearly, creatively, and continually. However, the vision doesn’t come alive until the leader models it.

The thing is, if you control the Senate meetings, you control the gavel. And the gavel is a very important instrument… an instrument of power. An instrument that establishes the agenda.

We were poor, but we smiled.

Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.

The issues a president faces are not black and white, and cannot be boiled down into 140 characters. Because when you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and the military at your command, you can’t make snap decisions. You can’t have a thin skin or the tendency to lash out.

I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves, and I watch my daughters – two beautiful, intelligent black young women – playing with their dogs on the White House lawn. And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters, and all our sons and daughters, now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.

When the human race neglects its weaker members, when the family neglects its weakest one – it’s the first blow in a suicidal movement. I see the neglect in cities around the country, in poor white children in West Virginia and Virginia and Kentucky – in the big cities, too, for that matter.

If you’re going to change things, you have to be with the people who hold the levers.

So long as men worship the Caesars and Napoleons, Caesars and Napoleons will duly arise and make them miserable.

Do not waste your time on Social Questions. What is the matter with the poor is Poverty; what is the matter with the rich is Uselessness.

What matters in the Sun-tzu universe are not positions of strength and power, but situations in which you have options, full of potential force.

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.

If people lose faith in their government, the result is the same whether or not the loss of confidence is justified.

The other day the President said, I know you’ve had some rough times, and I want to do something that will show the nation what faith that I have in you, in your maturity and sense of responsibility. He paused, then said, would you like a puppy?

Wise kings generally have wise counselors; and he must be a wise man himself who is capable of distinguishing one.

Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is.

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.

I’m the only president you’ve got.

I want to be just a pure spiritual leader.

What charitable 1 percenters can’t do is assume responsibility – America’s national responsibilities: the care of its sick and its poor, the education of its young, the repair of its failing infrastructure, the repayment of its staggering war debts.

Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.

I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together.

I always believe the rule by king or official leader is outdated. Now we must catch up with the modern world.

I am a leader by default, only because nature does not allow a vacuum.

If an individual wants to be a leader and isn’t controversial, that means he never stood for anything.

It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.