Leadership Quotes

I may say that I 'got along fine' with Marshal Stalin. He is a man who combines a tremendous, relentless determination with a stalwart good humor. I believe he is truly representative of the heart and soul of Russia.

Democracy has disappeared in several other great nations - disappeared not because the people of those nations disliked democracy, but because they had grown tired of unemployment and insecurity, of seeing their children hungry while they sat helpless in the face of government confusion, government weakness - weakness through lack of leadership in government.

A statesman deals with concrete difficulties - with things which must be done from day to day. Not often can he frame conscious patterns for the far off future.

It seldom helps to wonder how a statesman of one generation would surmount the crisis of another.

Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.

Lead from the back - and let others believe they are in front.

A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.

Quitting is leading too.

I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances.

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.

In countries where innocent people are dying, the leaders are following their blood rather than their brains.

A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don't have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.

There are times when a leader must move out ahead of the flock, go off in a new direction, confident that he is leading his people the right way.

If you want the cooperation of humans around you, you must make them feel they are important - and you do that by being genuine and humble.

The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.

As a leader, one must sometimes take actions that are unpopular, or whose results will not be known for years to come.

Like the gardener, a leader must take responsibility for what he cultivates; he must mind his work, try to repel enemies, preserve what can be preserved, and eliminate what cannot succeed.

But in Johannesburg I found that many of the most outstanding leaders had never been to university at all.

Tomorrow, the entire ANC leadership and I will be back at our desks. We are rolling up our sleeves to begin tackling the problems our country faces. We ask you all to join us - go back to your jobs in the morning. Let's get South Africa working. For we must, together and without delay, begin to build a better life for all South Africans. This means creating jobs building houses, providing education and bringing peace and security for all.

The path of those who preach love, and not hatred, is not easy. They often have to wear a crown of thorns.