When times are tough and people are frustrated and angry and hurting and uncertain, the politics of constant conflict may be good. But what is good politics does not necessarily work in the real world. What works in the real world is cooperation.
Interpretation
Effective leadership during difficult times requires cooperation rather than conflict.
In this quote, William J. Clinton emphasizes the importance of cooperation over division in challenging situations. While conflict may be politically advantageous, it does not address the real needs of people who are struggling, highlighting that unity and teamwork are essential for overcoming adversity and fostering true progress in society.
In practice
In a team meeting to encourage collaboration during a challenging project.
You know, there was a recent poll which said that young people in the generation of the students here felt it was far more likely that they would see a UFO than that they would draw Social Security... It's very important you understand this. Once you understand this, you realize this is not an episode from the X Files, and you're not more likely to see a UFO if you do certain specific things.
When we got organized as a country, [and] wrote a fairly radical Constitution, with a radical Bill of Rights, giving radical amounts of freedom to Americans, it was assumed that Americans who had that freedom would use it responsibly...When personal freedom is being abused, you have to move to limit it.
For too long we've been told about 'us' and 'them.' Each and every election we see a new slate of arguments and ads telling us that 'they' are the problem, not 'us.' But there can be no 'them' in America. There's only us.
There is a huge body of business evidence now showing that energy savings give better service at lower cost with higher profit. We have to tear down barriers to successful markets and we have to create incentives to enter them.
Demand that your government pays more attention. It's immoral that people in Africa die like flies of diseases that no one dies of in the United States. And the more disease there is, the more political unrest there will be, leading to more Darfurs, which the U.S. will have to pay to fix.
I was not elected to produce a pile of vetoes.
I walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn into precedent.
Those who enjoy responsibility usually get it; those who merely like exercising authority usually lose it.
It is the duty of government to make it difficult for people to do wrong, easy to do right.
I was only the servant of my country and had I, at any moment, failed to express her unflinching resolve to fight and conquer, I should at once have been rightly cast aside.
I think that's what's thrilling about leadership - when you're holding onto literally the worst possible hand on the planet and you know you're still going to win. How are you still going to win? Because that's when the character of the company really comes out.
Never ask anyone to do what you haven't done before and wouldn't do again. That's a pretty fundamental rule in leadership... treat them like you treat yourself. Things you don't like, they don't like.
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