That’s the good thing about being president, I can do whatever I want.

I realized why directors are such horrible people – in a way – because you want things to be right, and people will just not listen to you, and there is no time to be nice to people, no time to be delicate.

Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking.

Doing nothing while the middle class is hurting. That’s not leadership. Loose regulations and lax enforcement. That’s not leadership. That’s abandoning our middle class.

Some day science may have the existence of mankind in power, and the human race can commit suicide by blowing up the world.

Those who govern, having much business on their hands, do not generally like to take the trouble of considering and carrying into execution new projects. The best public measures are therefore seldom adopted from previous wisdom, but forced by the occasion.

Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no. That’s not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be president?

When there is a lack of honor in government, the morals of the whole people are poisoned.

I have always believed in evolving a consensus before taking any major decision.

I just think you ought to talk straight with your people.

Kings will be tyrants from policy, when subjects are rebels from principle.

In politics… never retreat, never retract… never admit a mistake.

You think that the heads of state only have serious conversations, but they actually often begin really with the weather or, ‚I really like your tie.‘

I played by the rules of politics as I found them.

The American people are bigger than any president. I suppose I have faith in my country and in what it is founded on and the values we hold dear.

Only the guy who isn’t rowing has time to rock the boat.

One should never forbid what one lacks the power to prevent.

Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.

Power is not sufficient evidence of truth.

With tech companies, whoever’s the leader is always questioned, you know. They say, ‚Is this the end of them?‘ And – there’s more – more times people think that’s the case than it really is the case.

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

By gnawing through a dike, even a rat may drown a nation.

It is pretty ironic that the so-called ‚least advanced‘ people are the ones taking the lead in trying to protect all of us, while the richest and most powerful among us are the ones who are trying to drive the society to destruction.

But the relationship of morality and power is a very subtle one. Because ultimately power without morality is no longer power.

You cannot be in a position of power and destroy the life of another person.

History reminds us that dictators and despots arise during times of severe economic crisis.

In order to govern, the question is not to follow out a more or less valid theory but to build with whatever materials are at hand. The inevitable must be accepted and turned to advantage.

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.

When 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.

In George Bush you get experience, and with me you get – The Future!

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.‘

The 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.

The colonel replied that he didn’t care how my men had got the job done. He was happy that it had been accomplished. He said that, obviously, no matter how much or how little I knew technically, I was able to get the best out of people I worked with.

A master performer like Bill Clinton never lost sight of the fact that as president he had to project confidence and power, but if he was speaking to a group of autoworkers he would adjust his accent and his words to fit the audience, and do the same for a group of executives.

To understand the power of the priesthood, we must know its limitations.

Instead of being critical of people in authority over you and envious of their position, be happy you’re not responsible for everything they have to do. Instead of piling on complaints, thank them for what they do. Overwhelm them with encouragement and appreciation!

Power is poison. Its effect on Presidents had always been tragic.

Power is a complicated word and can take many forms.

Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.

Odd how the creative power at once brings the whole universe to order.

Music has the power to inspire the world.

The biggest difference in the wet between F2 and F1 is that there’s so much more power in F1 as being on the throttle earlier has a bigger advantage.

It is more difficult to rule yourself than to rule a city.

Politics is not a game. It is an earnest business.

I just figured out that if I gave my all into this game – if I put everything into the fight business – then I would eventually run the fight business.

I’m asking myself, ‚What do my girls, what do all our children deserve in their president? What kind of a president do we want for them?‘ Well, to start with, I think we want someone who is a unifying force in this country: someone who sees our differences not as a threat, but as a blessing.

We don’t believe in planners and deciders making the decisions on behalf of Americans.

As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me.

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.

The new ruler must determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He must inflict them once and for all.

I think the first British actor who really worked well in cinema was Albert Finney. He was a back-street Marlon Brando. He brought a great wittiness and power to the screen. The best actor we’ve had.

Mystical references to society and its programs to help may warm the hearts of the gullible but what it really means is putting more power in the hands of bureaucrats.

Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.

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

When you’re in a leadership role, you can never please all of the people all of the time. There’s also a lot of responsibility that goes along with it that others may not realize.

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

When anyone has the power to destroy the whole human race in a matter of hours, it becomes a moral issue. The church must speak out.

Except for the title ‚father,‘ there is no title, including ‚vice president,‘ that I am more proud to wear than that of United States senator.

The revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young always inherit the revolution.

The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted.

One man with courage is a majority.