Show me a poorly uniformed troop and I’ll show you a poorly uniformed leader.

There is probably a perverse pride in my administration… that we were going to do the right thing, even if short-term it was unpopular. And I think anybody who’s occupied this office has to remember that success is determined by an intersection in policy and politics and that you can’t be neglecting of marketing and P.R. and public opinion.

When you are learning about a martial art, it is about respect.

I’m more than comfortable just sitting back and scoring 21, 22 points or whatever and getting 10, 11 assists whatever the case might be. More than comfortable with that. It’s just a matter of the pieces that you have around you and what you can do to elevate everybody else.

Blessed are the people whose leaders can look destiny in the eye without flinching but also without attempting to play God.

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.

We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.

People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.

People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook. I earned everything I’ve got.

I just think it is important that you realize, that you’re the best in the world. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re libertarian or whatever, you are the best. And we should not ever forget that. And when somebody does not do the job, we got to let them go.

Every President wants to do right.

A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example.

The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.

I would rather try to persuade a man to go along, because once I have persuaded him, he will stick. If I scare him, he will stay just as long as he is scared, and then he is gone.

Moral authority is never retained by any attempt to hold on to it. It comes without seeking and is retained without effort.

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

As president, I’m committed to making Washington work better and rebuilding the trust of the people who sent us here.

There were the questions of what kind of First Lady I would be, what issues would I focus on. Those were the questions that were being pounded on me through the campaign. A lot of times, I wondered what in the world Barack was even getting us into.

If I’m going to get you to do stuff, I need to lead you. I can’t just order you to do it.

Mental toughness is a lifestyle. It’s something that you live every single day of your life. When I was growing up, I was a lazy kid. I was a lazy kid, and everybody goes, ‚How did you get to where you’re at today? How did you get to where you’re running 200 miles at one time in 39 hours? Being so disciplined?‘

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility – I welcome it.

I always had a sense of discipline in me. However, there was a time when I couldn’t divide my time properly between off-field things and on-field assignments. The focus would be missing at times, and that would affect my preparation for matches. I managed to change that.

A particularly beautiful woman is a source of terror. As a rule, a beautiful woman is a terrible disappointment.

Never give an order that can’t be obeyed.

We’re not a fragile people. We’re not a frightful people. Our power doesn’t come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order as long as we do things his way. We don’t look to be ruled.

In military school, on day one you must memorize the mission of the Merchant Marine Academy.

To the person with a firm purpose all men and things are servants.

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.

Ankles are nearly always neat and good-looking, but knees are nearly always not.

I’m not going to fight because I mean too much to our team, and I can’t afford to be suspended for a game or do something stupid to get me kicked out of a playoff game.

I believe God wants you to have money to pay your bills, send your kids to college and do charity work and build orphanages. There’s the teaching that we’re supposed to be poor to show that we’re humble. I don’t buy that. I think we’re supposed to be leaders. We’re supposed to excel.

From a young age, I learned to focus on the things I was good at and delegate to others what I was not good at. That’s how Virgin is run. Fantastic people throughout the Virgin Group run our businesses, allowing me to think creatively and strategically.

My desire to devolve authority has nothing to do with a wish to shirk responsibility.

It is not once nor twice but times without number that the same ideas make their appearance in the world.

When you have an efficient government, you have a dictatorship.

Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.

Nothing can be more hurtful to the service, than the neglect of discipline; for that discipline, more than numbers, gives one army the superiority over another.

Before I became a chief minister, I never thought that one day I’d be the chief minister.

Which government is the best? The one that teaches us to govern ourselves.

For Forms of Government let fools contest; whatever is best administered is best.

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.

The great thieves lead away the little thief.

The people will save their government, if the government itself will allow them.

It’s very difficult to regulate yourself, and if you learn to do that, well, it starts to spill over.

I began revolution with 82 men. If I had to do it again, I do it with 10 or 15 and absolute faith. It does not matter how small you are if you have faith and plan of action.

I had rather be first in a village than second at Rome.

A public man must never forget that he loses his usefulness when he as an individual, rather than his policy, becomes the issue.

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

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to trust your team. It’s a lesson I’ve had to relearn quite a few times.

If 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.

There is moderation even in excess.

I would hear stories about Steve Jobs and feel like he was at 100 percent exactly what he wanted to do, but I’m sure even a Steve Jobs has compromised. Even a Rick Owens has compromised. You know, even a Kanye West has compromised. Sometimes you don’t even know when you’re being compromised till after the fact, and that’s what you regret.

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

Obedience brings success; exact obedience brings miracles.

But let me tell you, this gender thing is history. You’re looking at a guy who sat down with Margaret Thatcher across the table and talked about serious issues.

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

I don’t know that my schooling was conducive to wild ideas and creativity, but it gave me discipline, drive. They taught me how to think. I really know how to think.

Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country? If you are the first, then you are a parasite; if the second, then you are an oasis in the desert.

I think whether you’re having setbacks or not, the role of a leader is to always display a winning attitude.

I’m responsible for starting a whole new school of pretension.

I am certainly not one of those who need to be prodded. In fact, if anything, I am the prod.