God forgive you, but I never can.
Elizabeth IRead
I am no lover of pompous title, but only desire that my name may be recorded in a line or two, which shall briefly express my name, my virginity, the years of my reign, the reformation of religion under it, and my preservation of peace.
Interpretation
The speaker values humility over grandeur, wishing for a simple acknowledgment of her reign and contributions.
In this quote, Elizabeth I expresses her preference for humility rather than ostentation regarding her title. She desires a concise record of her achievements, including her commitment to religious reform and the maintenance of peace during her reign, highlighting the importance of substance over superficiality in leadership.
In practice
In a speech about leadership qualities at a conference.
God forgive you, but I never can.
And therefore I am come amongst you at this time, not as for my recreation or sport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all; to lay down, for my God, and for my kingdom, and for my people, my honour and my blood, even the dust. I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart of a king, and of a king of England, too.
There is nothing about which I am more anxious than my country, and for its sake I am willing to die ten deaths, if that be possible.
Brass shines as fair to the ignorant as gold to the goldsmiths.
I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too.
There is only one Christ, Jesus, one faith. All else is a dispute over trifles.
There is a time for weighing evidence and a time for acting. And if there's one thing I've learned throughout my work in finance, government, and conservation, it is to act before problems become too big to manage.
It's a blessing that South Africa has a man like Nelson Mandela.
As a company gets big, the information that informs decision-making gets massive. Depending upon the prism through which you view the business, your perspective will vary. If two people are in charge, this variance will cause conflict and delay.
If you join government, calmly make your contribution and move on. Don't go along to get along; do your best and when you have to - and you will - leave, and be something else.
To manage one must lead. To lead, one must understand the work that he and his people are responsible for
For Texas, a wise and prudent administration in the commencement of her national existence will be universally expected, imposing upon me the difficult and delicate task of setting in complete and successful operation a political body based upon principles so hazardously asserted and so gloriously maintained.
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