It is more difficult to rule yourself than to rule a city.
Jordan PetersonIf you get your ego in your way, you will only look to other people and circumstances to blame.
Jocko WillinkI understand everybody in this country doesn’t agree with the decisions I’ve made. And I made some tough decisions. But people know where I stand.
George W. BushCruel leaders are replaced only to have new leaders turn cruel.
Che GuevaraThere will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.
PlatoI take a lot of pride in the work I do, because people pay to see me. They’ve got to get babysitters, park their car, get popcorn and candy. I’ve got to be conscious of that.
Mr. TI 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.
Queen Elizabeth IIIf you want to cut your own throat, don’t come to me for a bandage.
Margaret ThatcherOur friends at the Republican convention were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with America, but they didn’t have much to say about how they’d make it right. They want your vote, but they don’t want you to know their plan.
Barack ObamaThe last thing I wanted to do was to be a wartime President.
Lyndon B. JohnsonEach generation doubtless feels called upon to reform the world. Mine knows that it will not reform it, but its task is perhaps even greater. It consists in preventing the world from destroying itself.
Albert CamusDictators free themselves, but they enslave the people.
Charlie ChaplinThe faults of a superior person are like the sun and moon. They have their faults, and everyone sees them; they change and everyone looks up to them.
ConfuciusAs a country, we can’t teach kids how to read and write when we got 18 years to do it. And that’s – that’s a disgrace.
John KennedyIt 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.
Che GuevaraAs his vice president for eight years, I learned more from Ronald Reagan than from anyone I encountered in all my years of public life.
George H. W. BushYou know I vowed when I became President not to talk about the loneliest toughest job in the world and I didn’t.
George H. W. BushI have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together.
George W. BushBeing president isn’t anything like reality TV. It’s not about sending insulting tweets or making fiery speeches; it’s about whether or not the candidate can handle the awesome responsibility of leading this country.
Michelle ObamaFriendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.
Khalil GibranIt is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.
Niccolo MachiavelliBlessed are the people whose leaders can look destiny in the eye without flinching but also without attempting to play God.
Henry KissingerIt is as hard and severe a thing to be a true politician as to be truly moral.
Francis BaconStanding as I do, with my hand upon this staff, and under the folds of the American flag, I ask you to stand by me so long as I stand by it.
Abraham LincolnWhen a team takes ownership of its problems, the problem gets solved. It is true on the battlefield, it is true in business, and it is true in life.
Jocko WillinkHe incurs a fearful amount of guilt who in the least promotes the aim of the Evil One by trampling upon a tender conscience in a child.
Charles SpurgeonYou know, one of the things I think you understand as president is you’re held responsible for everything, but you don’t always have control of everything, right?
Barack ObamaAlways do everything you ask of those you command.
George S. PattonThe best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.
Theodore RooseveltIn business, if you realize you’ve made a bad decision, you change it.
Richard BransonI’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone – and I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward.
Barack ObamaBeing the only man in the household with my mom definitely helped me grow up fast.
LeBron JamesWith 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.
Jocko WillinkDon’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.
Mark TwainI feel good because I believe I have made progress in rebuilding the people’s trust in their government.
Arnold SchwarzeneggerI don’t want to express my opinion about actual politics, because if I do, I have to be responsible for my decision.
Haruki MurakamiNothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
Francis BaconPositional leaders ignore the fact that every person has hopes, dreams, desires, and goals of his own. And leaders must bring their vision and the aspirations of the people they lead together in a way that benefits everyone.
John C. MaxwellYour success, or lack of success, is your responsibility. Even when you have a chain of command that you don’t like as well, its your responsibility to work with the up chain of command.
Jocko WillinkLife belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheAll very successful commanders are prima donnas and must be so treated.
George S. PattonSurround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.
Ronald ReaganWhen I took over as president, I studied the Constitution, and the more I studied it, the more I realised that it does not prevent the president of India from giving the nation a vision. So when I went and presented this vision in Parliament and in legislative assemblies; everyone welcomed it, irrespective of party affiliations.
A. P. J. Abdul KalamIf you call yourself a leader, then you have to be decisive. If you’re decisive, then you have the chance to be a leader. These are two sides to the same coin.
Narendra ModiThe path to the CEO’s office should not be through the CFO’s office, and it should not be through the marketing department. It needs to be through engineering and design.
Elon MuskA president either is constantly on top of events or, if he hesitates, events will soon be on top of him. I never felt that I could let up for a moment.
Harry S. TrumanHow can a president not be an actor?
Ronald ReaganOnce elected, the Pope is by virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope is preserved from the possibility of error. God would change any spend thrift politician into a responsible Pope.
Pope FrancisBe the chief but never the lord.
Lao TzuDivide and rule, the politician cries; unite and lead, is watchword of the wise.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheI’m committed to the people of Gujarat. I will devote each and every moment to serve my people of Gujarat.
Narendra ModiThanks to my reading, I have never been caught flat-footed by any situation, never at a loss for how any problem has been addressed… It doesn’t give me all the answers, but it lights what is often a dark path ahead.
Jim MattisPutin goes to bed at night knowing he can break all the rules, and the West will follow all the rules.
Jim MattisYou’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.
Joe BidenThe blame is his who chooses: God is blameless.
PlatoAnything 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.
Will RogersLeadership is absolutely vital if there are comparable countries which can affect the security of the world you live in. Between Lincoln and Roosevelt’s time, America was protected by huge oceans and, in practice, by the British navy. Today, it’s different, and the obsession of the Obama administration has been for retrenchment.
Henry KissingerThe great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open where all can see them. His acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He cannot bury his mistakes in the grave like the doctors. He cannot argue them into thin air or blame the judge like the lawyers.
Herbert HooverIf you want to reach the top, don’t run over others. Likely, the only way you’ll reach the top is to be carried there by others.
John C. MaxwellI love that for Barack, there is no such thing as ‚us‘ and ‚them‘ – he doesn’t care whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican, or none of the above… he knows that we all love our country… and he’s always ready to listen to good ideas… he’s always looking for the very best in everyone he meets.
Michelle Obama