With all the power that a president has, the most important thing to bear in mind is this: You must not give power to a man unless, above everything else, he has character. Character is the most important qualification the president of the United States can have.
Interpretation
Character is the essential quality for a leader, especially for a president.
This quote emphasizes that, despite the immense power held by a president, the most critical attribute required to wield that power responsibly is character. Nixon highlights the idea that a leader's integrity and moral compass are paramount, suggesting that power alone is insufficient without a foundation of strong ethical principles.
In practice
During a political rally, a speaker might use this quote to emphasize the importance of character in candidates.
The destiny of our land, the air we breathe, the water we drink is not in the mystical hands of an uncontrollable agent, it is in our hands. A future which brings the balancing of our resources-preserving quality with quantity - is a future limited only by the boundaries of our will to get the job done.
The recent upsurge of public concern over environmental questions reflects a belated recognition that man has been too cavalier in his relations with nature. Unless we arrest the depredations that have been inflicted so carelessly on our natural systems-which exist in an intricate set of balances-we face the prospect of ecological disaster.
The ability to be cool, confident, and decisive in crisis is not an inherited characteristic but is the direct result of how well the individual has prepared himself for the battle.
If you take no risks, you will suffer no defeats. But if you take no risks, you win no victories.
If the President does it, it can't be illegal.
We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another - until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices.
I would not like to be the only woman on the court.
You hear about actors being late and all that sort of stuff, but you never find that with an actor who's directed, because an actor who's directed understands all the problems your production is going through.
You can buy a person's hands but you can't buy his heart. His heart is where his enthusiasm, his loyalty is.
Some of the best advice I've had comes from junior officers and enlisted men.
People of influence understand the incredible value of becoming a good listener.
If you believe in others and give them a positive reputation to uphold, you can help them to become better than they think they are.
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