Quotes About Leadership

If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place in which to live.

The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardner objected that the tree was slow growing and wouldn't reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!

Great crisis produce great men and great deeds of courage.

When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.

Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.

We, in this country, in this generation, are - by destiny rather than by choice - the watchmen on the walls of world freedom.

For, in a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, 'holds office'; every one of us is in a position of responsibility; and, in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve.

The 1930s, Kennedy said, 'taught us a clear lesson; aggressive conduct, if allowed to go unchecked and unchallenged, ultimately leads to war.

It is when the politician loves neither the public good nor himself, or when his love for himself is limited and is satisfied by the trappings of office, that the public interest is badly served.

The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the nation's greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable.

We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. For space science, like nuclear science and technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of preeminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war.

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.

I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President, who happens also to be a Catholic.

I believe that this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth.

Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans - born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage. . . Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.

Que nunca negociemos por medo, mas que jamais tenhamos medo de negociar.

Dónde más, en un país que no sea totalitario, sino en la profesión política, se espera que el individuo lo sacrifique todo —incluyendo su propia carrera— por el bien nacional?

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.

If we fail, then freedom fails.

Victory has a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan

The business of the government is the business of the people.

There's not a chance we'll reach our full potential until we stop blaming each other and start practicing personal accountability.

It's better to be one who is told to wait than one who waits to be told.

Humility is the cornerstone of leadership.