I always thought I was Jeanne d'Arc and Bonaparte. How little one knows oneself.
Charles De GaulleRead
Deliberation is the work of many men. Action, of one alone.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Deliberation involves collective thought, while action requires individual decisiveness.
This quote by Charles De Gaulle emphasizes the importance of collaboration and communication in decision-making processes, suggesting that many people contribute ideas and perspectives during deliberation. However, once the decision is made, it falls upon a single individual to take responsibility and initiate action, highlighting the distinction between thoughtful planning and decisive execution in leadership.
Themes
DeliberationActionLeadershipDecisionResponsibility
In practice
Example use cases
In a business meeting discussing strategic planning, this quote could emphasize the need for one leader to act on the collective ideas presented.
More from Charles De Gaulle
All quotes →Don't ask me who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life.
Charles De GaulleRead
Today we are crushed by the sheer weight of the mechanized forces hurled against us, but we can still look to the future in which even greater mechanized forces will bring us victory. Therein lies the destiny of the world.
Charles De GaulleRead
The perfection preached in the gospels never yet built an empire. Every man of action has a strong dose of egotism, pride, hardness, and cunning.
Charles De GaulleRead
One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day was; one cannot judge life until death.
Charles De GaulleRead
Soyons fermes, purs et fidèles ; au bout de nos peines, il y a la plus grande gloire du monde, celle des hommes qui n'ont pas cédé. [Let us be firm, pure and faithful; at the end of our sorrow, there is the greatest glory of the world, that of the men who did not give in.]
Charles De GaulleRead
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Moving into an unoccupied village when there's no opposition, I don't call that a military victory.
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