God forgive you, but I never can.
Elizabeth IRead
Where might is mixed with wit, there is too good an accord in a government.
Interpretation
Effective governance combines strength with intelligence, promoting harmony.
Elizabeth I emphasizes that the best form of government balances power (might) with cleverness (wit). When leaders are both strong and wise, they create a harmonious environment that fosters stability and prosperity within their realm.
In practice
In a political speech discussing the qualities of a good leader.
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.
Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his friends.
Let us not despair but act. Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past - let us accept our own responsibility for the future.
When you look at the development of the American presidency, you see that the presidents who have had the greatest impact are the ones who fit their times most successfully.
The day I am afraid to do, that is the day I am no longer fit to lead.
Leadership is neither a rank nor a title. It is a choice. The choice to provide care and protection for those for whom we are responsible.
A leader has to show the face his team needs to see.
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