I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife.
James Russell LowellRead
He who is firmly seated in authority soon learns to think security, and not progress, the highest lesson in statecraft.
Interpretation
Authority can lead to a focus on maintaining power rather than seeking improvement.
In this quote, James Russell Lowell suggests that individuals who hold positions of power often become preoccupied with maintaining their authority and ensuring stability, rather than striving for advancement and growth in their roles. This highlights a common dilemma in leadership where the temptation to prioritize safety and security can overshadow the pursuit of innovation and progress.
In practice
In a speech about the challenges of leadership, this quote could be used to illustrate the tension between security and innovation.
I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife.
The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinions.
Not failure, but low aim, is crime.
Good luck is the willing handmaid of upright, energetic character, and conscientious observance of duty.
Puritanism, believing itself quick with the seed of religious liberty, laid, without knowing it, the egg of democracy.
Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind.
Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed.
You need people who can walk their companies into the future rather than back them into the future.
Learn to lead in a nourishing manner. _x000D_ _x000D_ Learn to lead without being possessive. _x000D_ _x000D_ Learn to be helpful without taking the credit. _x000D_ _x000D_ Learn to lead without coercion.
The chief qualification of a mass leader has become unending infallibility; he can never admit an error.
It's always hard, after you've been in command, to take a lesser role.
There are no more excuses for leaving women out of the inner circles of power. Qualified women are everywhere. Women are ready for leadership; they just need to be identified and asked.
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