One of my direct subordinates, one of my guys that worked for me, he would call me up or pull me aside with some major problem, some issue that was going on. And he’d say, ‚Boss, we’ve got this, and that, and the other thing.‘ And I’d look at him and I’d say, ‚Good.‘

Dividers seek to make themselves look or feel better by making others feel worse. They damage relationships, fracture teams and organizations, and create havoc in people’s lives.

I do believe that in order to be a successful negotiator that as a diplomat, you have to be able to put yourself into the other person’s shoes. Unless you can understand what is motivating them, you are never going to be able to figure out how to solve a particular problem.

Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.

Public opinion is the thermometer a monarch should constantly consult.

In other words, don’t expect to always be great. Disappointments, failures and setbacks are a normal part of the lifecycle of a unit or a company and what the leader has to do is constantly be up and say ‚we have a problem, let’s go and get it‘.

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.

A friend of mine tells that I talk in shorthand and then smudge it.

Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.

The Scoutmaster teaches boys to play the game by doing so himself.

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

Anything important is never left to the vote of the people. We only get to vote on some man; we never get to vote on what he is to do.

A good model of how to ‚work with the enemy‘ internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet.

Being the boss anywhere is lonely. Being a female boss in a world of mostly men is especially so.

When you want a thing done, ‚Don’t do it yourself‘ is a good motto for Scoutmasters.

A politician is a man who understands government. A statesman is a politician who’s been dead for 15 years.

True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.

When you are laboring for others let it be with the same zeal as if it were for yourself.

Most negotiators are trying to get their way.

I think a number of the leaders are, whether you like it or not, in the hip-hop generation. And when they understand enough, they’ll do wonders. I count on them.

Ever since Newton, we’ve done science by taking things apart to see how they work. What the computer enables us to do is to put things together to see how they work: we’re now synthesized rather than analysed. I find one of the most enthralling aspects of computers is limitless communication.

Being politically correct means saying what’s polite rather than what’s accurate. I like to be accurate.

I don’t like to talk much with people who always agree with me. It is amusing to coquette with an echo for a little while, but one soon tires of it.

In every walk of life, you must have leaders. An education in the spiritual world, in the labor field, in the agricultural field, we must have leaders.

There was one incident at a movie theater where my girl got mad at these guys who were talking behind us. I never looked back there, but she was like, ‚Will you all just shut up!‘ And I just got up and moved three rows in front. She was like, ‚What are you doing?!‘ I was like, ‚You better get up here! I don’t play the fighting games.‘

To remain a credible leader, I must always work first, hardest, and longest on changing myself. This is neither easy nor natural, but it is essential.

We named the book ‚Extreme Ownership‘ because we really found that when we looked at not only at leaders but at teams that were the most successful, we found that the ones that had this attitude of extreme ownership were the ones that did the best, and it’s definitely an attitude that I had.

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

When you have a conflict, that means that there are truths that have to be addressed on each side of the conflict. And when you have a conflict, then it’s an educational process to try to resolve the conflict. And to resolve that, you have to get people on both sides of the conflict involved so that they can dialogue.

I never went to school more than six months in my life, but I can say this: that among my earliest recollections, I remember how, when a mere child, I used to get irritated when anybody talked to me in a way I could not understand.

Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass. It is terribly simple.

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

Especially when you’re at a high level in an organization, criticism can be devastating to an employee. I prefer to praise employees for what they’re doing right, and it tends to lead to them doing more of the same. Not always, but it’s the way I choose to bet.

If Stupidity got us into this mess, then why can’t it get us out?

Do I think faith will be an important part of being a good president? Yes, I do.

Over the years, all my coaches and my teammates have contributed a lot to shape my career. I can never forget their contribution and help.

Chavez, who came out of the ranks of the Venezuelan Army, is methodical and tireless. I have observed him over the course of 17 years, since his first visit to Cuba. He is an extremely humanitarian and law-abiding person; he has never taken revenge on anybody.

An inability to handle language is not the same thing as stupidity.

The major advances in speed of communication and ability to interact took place more than a century ago. The shift from sailing ships to telegraph was far more radical than that from telephone to email!

Having the support from everyone, the bosses, whoever within the team, definitely makes it much easier for me as a driver.

When it comes to the health of our families, Barack refused to listen to all those folks who told him to leave health reform for another day, another president. He didn’t care whether it was the easy thing to do politically – that’s not how he was raised – he cared that it was the right thing to do.

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.

Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don’t want them to become politicians in the process.

I speak directly to the people, and I know that the people of California want to have better leadership. They want to have great leadership. They want to have somebody that will represent them. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, young or old.

In order to have friends, you must first be one.

We shall never be able to remove suspicion and fear as potential causes of war until communication is permitted to flow, free and open, across international boundaries.

Now if there is one thing that we do worse than any other nation, it is try and manage somebody else’s affairs.

What convinces is conviction. Believe in the argument you’re advancing. If you don’t you’re as good as dead. The other person will sense that something isn’t there, and no chain of reasoning, no matter how logical or elegant or brilliant, will win your case for you.

I’m blessed to have such a tight-knit family that we can talk about anything. Whether we talk frequently or not, since we’re on separate ends of the country, there are a lot of moving parts, and we always stay tight and find that center ground that keeps us together.

Nobody’s indispensable.

Mind your speech a little lest you should mar your fortunes.

I’m a mentor to anybody who’s interested.

Saying nothing… sometimes says the most.

A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.

The most important thing for a director is being able to communicate.

We awaken in others the same attitude of mind we hold toward them.

People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.

We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.

Self-centered leaders manipulate when they move people for personal benefit. Mature leaders motivate by moving people for mutual benefit.

Behind every successful man is a woman, behind her is his wife.

Part of what confuses people in times of upheaval is that you’re getting so many different points of view and directions and so and so, how to do this and do that. And a lot of it is written in a language that honestly most people cannot understand.