To have the opportunity to lead the Solicitor General's office is the honor of a lifetime. As you know, this is an office with a long and rich tradition, not only of extraordinary legal skill but also of extraordinary professionalism and integrity. That is due, in large measure, to the people who have led it.
Interpretation
Leading the Solicitor General's office is a prestigious opportunity that comes with a legacy of professionalism and integrity.
Elena Kagan's quote emphasizes the deep respect she has for the Solicitor General's office, highlighting the honor it is to lead such a historically significant institution. She acknowledges the established traditions of legal excellence and ethical conduct that have been fostered by past leaders, thereby recognizing the shared responsibility and legacy that comes with this role.
In practice
In a speech to law students about the importance of public service.
I owe a debt of gratitude to two other living Justices. Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg paved the way for me and so many other women in my generation. Their pioneering lives have created boundless possibilities for women in the law. I thank them for their inspiration and also for the personal kindnesses they have shown me.
American radicals cannot afford to become their own worst enemies. In unity lies their only hope.
When the Senate ceases to engage nominees in meaningful discussion of legal issues, the confirmation process takes on an air of vacuity and farce, and the Senate becomes incapable of evaluating nominees or appropriately educating the public.
I think that if there are positions that you can't argue... then the responsibility is probably to resign. If one's own conscience is opposed to the requirements and responsibilities of the job, then it's time to leave the job.
If there is an ‘overabundance’ of an idea in the absence of direct governmental action - which there well might be when compared with some ideal state of public debate - then action disfavoring that idea might ‘un-skew,’ rather than skew, public discourse.
It's not that there are no masters, but that there are many. And the job of the solicitor general is to balance those masters and to accommodate them all, each in their proper places, wisely and well and in so doing to represent the people of the United States.
A president has an inescapable responsibility to provide direction: What are we trying to achieve? What are we trying to prevent? Why? To do that, he has to both analyze and reflect.
Trust is maintained when values and beliefs are actively managed. If companies do not actively work to keep clarity, discipline and consistency in balance, then trust starts to break down.
Teams should be able to act with the same unity of purpose and focus as a well motivated individual.
The worst disease which can afflict executives in their work is not, as popularly supposed, alcoholism; it's egotism.
Curiosity at work isn't a matter of style. It's much more powerful than that. If you're the boss, and you manage by asking questions, you're laying the foundation for the culture of your company or your group. You're letting people know that the boss is willing to listen.
An Army is a collection of armed men obliged to obey one man. Every change in the rules which impairs the principle weakens the army.
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