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.
The President of the United States should strive to be always mindful of the fact that he serves his party best who serves his country best.
As president, I was more successful; I had more opportunity than as prime minister. Why? I didn't have the power to give orders, to command, but I had the opportunity to call people to volunteer. In my period of presidency, I never heard the word 'no.'
One thing I noticed working in the Bronx is that leaders come in the craziest places. They don't always show up at community board meetings. Sometimes it's just the guys on the corner that the boys on the block respect.
How does a woman in authority convey that authority? Is it possible for a woman to rule without sounding shrill? Is it possible for a woman to manage without manipulating? All of these things seem to me to be very much at the fore today, and were no less the case 2,000 years ago.
We're not a fragile people. We're not a frightful people. Our power doesn't come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order as long as we do things his way. We don't look to be ruled.
When I was15 years old, I couldn't look at the NFL and look on TV and say, 'Boy, there's a head coach, African American. That's something I'd like to do.'
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