May the sun never set on American baseball.
Harry S. TrumanRead
A President needs political understanding to run the government, but he may be elected without it.
Interpretation
A President can be elected without understanding politics but needs that understanding to effectively govern.
Harry S. Truman highlights a critical distinction in political leadership; while one can attain the position of President through various means, true governance requires a deep understanding of political dynamics. This implies that electoral success does not necessarily equate to the skills needed to lead effectively, emphasizing the difference between merely holding office and adeptly fulfilling its responsibilities.
In practice
In a political debate, when discussing the qualifications for a leader.
May the sun never set on American baseball.
Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans.
Herbert Hoover once ran on the slogan, 'Two cars in every garage'. Apparently, the Republican candidate this year is running on the slogan, 'Two families in every garage'.
The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all.
I never would have agreed to the formulation of the Central Intelligence Agency back in forty-seven, if I had known it would become the American Gestapo.
I would rather have peace in the world than be President.
Character creates consistency, and if your people know what they can expect from you, they will continue to look to you for leadership.
In politics a capable ruler must be guided by circumstances, conjectures and conjunctions.
Organizational structures that allow divisions and departments to own their turf and people with long tenure to take root creates the same hardened group distinctions as Congressional redistricting to produce homogeneous voting blocs - all of which makes it easier to resist compromise, let alone collaboration.
You have to build trust among team members so that people feel free to admit what they don't know, make mistakes, ask for help if they need it, apologize when necessary, and not hold back their opinions.
Do not underestimate me. I believe that as a woman, a progressive, and a Minnesotan, I have a lot to contribute and I am so ready to do that work.
I propose not our enemies as an example for our general imitation, yet, as their navy is the best regulated of any in the world, we must, in some degree, imitate them and aim at such farther improvement as may one day make ours vie with - and exceed - theirs.
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