I’d like them to say that Shirley Chisholm had guts. That’s how I’d like to be remembered.
Interpretation
Shirley Chisholm desires to be remembered for her courage and determination in making a difference.
Shirley Chisholm's quote emphasizes the importance of bravery and integrity in leadership. She wishes to leave a legacy defined by her audacity to challenge the status quo and fight for what she believed in, inspiring others to embody similar courage in their own lives.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of courageous leadership.
I was the first American citizen to be elected to Congress in spite of the double drawbacks of being female and having skin darkened by melanin. When you put it that way, it sounds like a foolish reason for fame. In a just and free society it would be foolish. That I am a national figure because I was the first person in 192 years to be at once a congressman, black and a woman proves, I think, that our society is not yet either just or free.
I stand before you today to repudiate the ridiculous notion that the American people will not vote for qualified candidates simply because he is not white or because she is not a male.
The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, 'It's a girl.'
I know that millions of Americans from all walks of life agree with me that leadership does not mean putting the ear to the ground to follow public opinion, but to have the vision of what is necessary and the courage to make it possible.
Of course laws will not eliminate prejudice from the hearts of human beings. But that is no reason to allow prejudice to continue to be enshrined in our laws - to perpetuate injustice through inaction.
I want history to remember me... not as the first black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of the United States, but as a black woman who lived in the 20th century and who dared to be herself. I want to be remembered as a catalyst for change in America.
Whether we're Democrats, Republicans, or independents - it does not matter. We all understand that an attack on any one of us is an attack on all of us.
CEOs need to say, 'We're going to make sure this is a great environment for all types of people.' I was a beneficiary of that. I got support from the leaders of Google - all men.
No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.
I never want to lead a team that is not allowed the freedom to pursue what's in their hearts. If you want your team to be fully committed, then you'd better be fully committed
The policeman must be a minister, a social worker, a diplomat, a tough guy, and a gentleman. And, of course, he'd have to be a genius... For he will have to feed a family on a policeman's salary.
Want balance in your life? Then sure, get your own act together, but don't forget four powerful disciplines of execution in your team and organization.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.