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We've got to figure out a way that we give a private sphere for our public leaders. We're not gonna get the best people in public life if we don't do that.
Doris Kearns Goodwin
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Public leaders need personal space to thrive and perform effectively in their roles.

Doris Kearns Goodwin emphasizes the importance of creating a private sphere for public leaders, suggesting that without this space, it will be challenging to attract the best individuals to serve in public life. This highlights the necessity of balancing public scrutiny with personal freedom, which is crucial for effective leadership and decision-making.

Themes

LeadershipPublic LifePersonal SpaceBest PeopleService

In practice

Example use cases

During a leadership conference to emphasize the need for privacy in effective governance.

More from Doris Kearns Goodwin

Journalism still, in a democracy, is the essential force to get the public educated and mobilized to take action on behalf of our ancient ideals.
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Once a president gets to the White House, the only audience that is left that really matters is history.
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That is what leadership is all about: staking your ground ahead of where opinion is and convincing people, not simply following the popular opinion of the moment.
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I am a historian. With the exception of being a wife and mother, it is who I am. And there is nothing I take more seriously.
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Obama does seem to have what both FDR and Lincoln had, which is the recognition that you have to hold back at times and then wait to come forward.
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Those who knew Lincoln described him as an extraordinarily funny man. Humor was an essential aspect of his temperament. He laughed, he explained, so he did not weep.
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