What seems fair enough against a squalid huckster of bad liquor may take on a different face, if used by a government determined to suppress political opposition under the guise of sedition.
Learned HandRead
What to an outsider will be no more than the vigorous presentation of a conviction, to an employee may be the manifestation of a determination which it is not safe to thwart.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that what seems like mere conviction to an outsider can represent a strong determination to an employee, highlighting the importance of understanding motivations in leadership.
Learned Hand's quote sheds light on the distinction between how actions may be perceived externally and their deeper significance internally, especially in a professional setting. To an outsider, an individual’s strong expression of beliefs might appear as simple conviction, but to those involved, particularly employees, such expression embodies a fierce determination that should not be undermined. This insight stresses the need for leaders to recognize and respect the passions and convictions of their team, as these factors can heavily influence workplace dynamics and morale.
Themes
LeadershipDeterminationConvictionEmployeeMotivation
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a motivational speech for managers to emphasize the importance of understanding employee determination.
More from Learned Hand
All quotes →"I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that ye may be mistaken." I should like to have that written over the portals of every church, every school, and every courthouse, and, may I say, of every legislative body in the United States. I should like to have every court begin, "I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that we may be mistaken."
Learned HandRead
The language of the law must not be foreign to the ears of those who are to obey it.
Learned HandRead
I shall ask no more than that you agree with Dean Inge that even though counting heads is not an ideal way to govern, at least it is better than breaking them.
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As soon as we cease to pry about at random, we shall come to rely upon accredited bodies of authoritative dogma; and as soon as we come to rely upon accredited bodies of authoritative dogma, not only are the days of our liberty over, but we have lost the password that has hitherto opened to us the gates of success as well.
Learned HandRead
The spirit of liberty is the spirit of him who, near two thousand years ago, taught mankind that lesson it has never learned ... .
Learned HandRead
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