Leadership quotes for UPSC & State PCS

Men may have friends, statesmen cannot.

Criticize by category — praise by name.

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

Ask counsel of him who rules himself well.

Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.

The leader is always alone before bad fates.

Do yourself what you wish others to do. (1021)

To lead men, you have to lead them with affection.

Reprove your friend in secret and praise him openly.

A great pilot can sail even when his canvas is rent.

How very little can be done under the spirit of fear.

Management has authority only as long as it performs.

If you want to make enemies, try to change something.

The moment of greatest peril is the moment of victory.

Parties weaken themselves by their fear of capable men.

No one is able to rule unless he is also able to be ruled.

Example, whether it be good or bad, has a powerful influence.

The hearing ear is always found close to the speaking tongue.

Were there no men of vision, all who are blind would be dead.

The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.

We will have to learn to lead people rather then to contain them.

Example is the school of mankind, and they will learn at no other.

Unhappy the general who comes on the field of battle with a system.

The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.

Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can.

Every noble crown is, and on earth will forever be, a crown of thorns.

It is infinitely better to have a few good men than many indifferent ones.

Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.

The purpose of an organization is to enable common men to do uncommon things.

In painting as in eloquence, the greater your strength, the quieter your manner.

The worker's effectiveness is determined largely by the way he is being managed.

A superior who works on his own development sets an almost irresistible example.

God seeks comrades and claims love, the Devil seeks slaves and claims obedience.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad was a true Bodhisatva. His humility brought tears to my eyes.

Nothing great is done without great men, and they are great because they wanted it.

It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself. (15 June 1946)

Nothing ... will ever be attempted, if all possible objections must be first overcome.

Ultimately a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.

It is better to be making the news than taking it; to be an actor rather than a critic.

A man who has no consideration for the needs of his men ought never to be given command.

Nothing builds authority up like silence, splendor of the strong and shelter of the weak.

Those who are led should not be driven, and they should be allowed to choose their leader.

If you show people the problems and you show people the solutions they will be moved to act.

There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.

One can lead a nation only by helping it see a bright outlook. A leader is a dealer in hope.

Work on with the intrepidity of a lion but at the same time with the tenderness of a flower.

He who cannot look over a battlefield with a dry eye, causes the death of many men uselessly.

A great man is different from an eminent one in that he is ready to be servant of the society.

The problems of victory are more agreeable than those of defeat, but they are no less difficult.

The measure of a master is his success in bringing all men round to his opinion twenty years later.

A few heart-whole, sincere, and energetic men and women can do more in a year than a mob in a century.

The man fitted for affairs and authority never considers individuals, but things and their consequences.

Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.

Think a hundred times before you take any decision, but once a decision is taken, stand by it as one man.

Magnanimity in politics is not seldom the truest wisdom; and a great empire and little minds go ill together.

I love argument, I love debate. I don't expect anyone just to sit there and agree with me, that’s not their job.

Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him.

A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.

I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow, and I have borrowed a lot since I read it to you first.

Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.

We cannot avoid meeting great issues. All that we can determine for ourselves is whether we shall meet them well or ill.

Power consists in one's capacity to link his will with the purpose of others, to lead by reason and a gift of cooperation.

We all know that a good example is more effective than advice. So set a good example, and it won't take long for others to follow.

The most difficult art is not in the choice of men, but in giving to the men chosen the highest service of which they are capable.

Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in blood of his followers and sacrifices of his friends.

I don't believe in anti-anything. A man has to have a program; you have to be for something, otherwise you will never get anywhere.

Who would govern that can get along without governing? He that is fittest for it, is of all men the unwillingest unless constrained.

If a man is mistaken, instruct him kindly and show him his error. But if thou art not able, blame thyself, or blame not even thyself.

A man should never be appointed into a managerial position if his vision focuses on people's weaknesses rather than on their strengths.

Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.

But of all motives, none is better adapted to secure influence and hold it fast than love; nothing is more foreign to that end than fear.

For in order to command well, we should know how to submit; and he who submits with a good grace will some time become worthy of commanding.

It is only by prudence, wisdom, and dexterity, that great ends are attained and obstacles overcome. Without these qualities nothing succeeds.

Too often the strong, silent man is silent only because he does not know what to say, and is reputed strong only because he has remained silent.

Now I think, speaking roughly, by leadership we mean the art of getting someone else to do something that you want done because he wants to do it.

To be a manager requires more than a title, a big office, and other outward symbols of rank. It requires competence and performance of a high order.

You know, if you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything, wouldn't you, at any time? And you would achieve nothing!

Each work has to pass through these stages—ridicule, opposition, and then acceptance. Those who think ahead of their time are sure to be misunderstood.

The most any one can do is to confess as candidly as he can the grounds for the faith that is in him, and leave his example to work on others as it may.

Tell me what kind of man governs a People, you tell me, with much exactness, what the net sum-total of social worth in that People has for some time been.

It is a testament to our naïveté about culture that we think that we can change it by simply declaring new values. Such declarations usually produce only cynicism.

When executives lead as teachers, stewards, and designers, they fill roles that are much more subtle and long-term than those of power-wielding hierarchical leaders.

Perhaps the biggest problem before Indian Corporates is that of the concept of ‘corporate throne’. If the company is not doing well, the old guard must make way for new.

I’m very conscious of the fact that you can’t do it alone. It’s teamwork. When you do it alone you run the risk that when you are no longer there nobody else will do it.

Never a passive leader, never an armchair general, he was always in front of his troops and his nation. He did more than live up to the standards of the time; he set them.

I have never yet seen any plan which has not been mended by the observation of those who were much inferior in understanding to the person who took the lead in the business.

Leaders who do not act dialogically, but insist on imposing their decisions, do not organize the people—they manipulate them. They do not liberate, nor are they liberated: they oppress.

‘When we take people,’ thou wouldst say, ‘merely as they are, we make them worse; when we treat them as if they were what they should be, we improve them as far as they can be improved.’

Hail to the man who went through life always helping others, knowing no fear, and to whom aggressiveness and resentment are alien. Such is the stuff of which the great moral leaders are made.

For my part, I favour an approach to statecraft that embraces principles, as long as it is not stifled by them; and I prefer such principles to be accompanied by steel along with good intentions.

What you need is good management with farmer power. Good management gives this power the right direction and thrust. Nothing can stop the farmers then. Least of all the Multi national Companies|MNCs]].

It is always important in matters of high politics to know what you do not know. Those who think they know, but are mistaken, and act upon their mistakes, are the most dangerous people to have in charge.

Leadership means a wise application of military power, and rallying the world behind causes that are right. It means seeing our foreign assistance as part of our national security, not something separate, not charity.

Nevertheless, the fact that there are dangers in following a given course merely means that we should follow it with a cautious realization of these dangers, and not that we should abandon it, if on the whole it is the right course.

We have a given problem to solve. If we undertake the solution, there is, of course, always danger that we may not solve it aright; but to refuse to undertake the solution simply renders it certain that we cannot possibly solve it aright.

Wise command, wise obedience: the capability of these two is the net measure of culture, and human virtue, in every man; all good lies in the possession of these two capabilities; all evil, wretchedness and ill-success in the want of these.

The higher people get, the more evolved and psychologically healthy people get, the more will enlightened management policy be necessary in order to survive in competition and the more handicapped will be an enterprise with an authoritarian policy.

Trust is the glue that holds everything together. It creates the environment in which all of the other elements — win-win stewardship agreements, self-directing individuals and teams, aligned structures and systems, and accountability — can flourish.

When the leaders choose to make themselves bidders at an auction of popularity, their talents, in the construction of the state, will be of no service. They will become flatterers instead of legislators; the instruments, not the guides, of the people.

Now, I mentioned yesterday at the town hall -- like America’s first President, George Washington, he understood that democracy can only endure when it’s bigger than just one person. So his willingness to leave power was as profound as his ability to claim power.

If a king is energetic, his subjects will be equally energetic. If he is reckless, they will not only be reckless likewise, but also eat into his works. Besides, a reckless king will easily fall into the hands of his enemies. Hence the king shall ever be wakeful.

A commander in chief ought to say to himself several times a day: If the enemy should appear on my front, on my right, on my left, what would I do? And if the question finds him uncertain, he is not well placed, he is not as he should be, and he should remedy it.

Compromise is an essential weapon which has to be wielded every now and then as the struggle develops. But the thing that we must keep always before us is the idea of the movement. We must always maintain a clear notion as to the aim for the achievement of which we are fighting.

Wise men don't need to prove their point; men who need to prove their point aren't wise. The Master has no possessions. The more he does for others, the happier he is. The more he gives to others, the wealthier he is. The Tao nourishes by not forcing. By not dominating, the Master leads.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.

Widespread intellectual and moral docility may be convenient for leaders in the short term, but it is suicidal for nations in the long term. One of the criteria for national leadership should therefore be a talent for understanding, encouraging, and making constructive use of vigorous criticism.

Above all he did not content himself with hurling invectives for emotional release and then to retire into smug, passive satisfaction. History had taught him it is not enough for people to be angry — the supreme task is to organize and unite people so that their anger becomes a transforming force.

Washington was so popular he could have been king had he wanted that. But he had no hunger for personal power. His love was liberty, and his trust was in the people. He believed they were dependable and right-minded and he believed that a leader's responsibility is to bring out their best qualities.

To be independent of public opinion is the first formal condition of achieving anything great or rational whether in life or in science. Great achievement is assured, however, of subsequent recognition and grateful acceptance by public opinion, which in due course will make it one of its own prejudices

I have always considered the price of perfection prohibitive and allowed mistakes as a part of the learning process. I prefer a dash of daring and persistence to perfection. I have always supported learning on the part of my team members by paying vigilant attention to each of their attempts, be they successful or unsuccessful.

My life is my message.

I am a servant to the farmers.

The price of greatness is responsibility.

Look for integrity, intelligence and energy.

It has always been easier to destroy than to create.

More glorious to merit a sceptre than to possess one.

Governing a large country is like frying a small fish.

Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.

A drop of honey can catch more flies than a gallon of gall.

You get tragedy where the tree, instead of bending, breaks.

The history of the world is but the biography of great men.

Treat your inferiors as you would be treated by your betters.

I am more afraid of our own blunders than of the enemy's devices.

The best instruction is that which uses the least words sufficient for the task.

It is not titles that make men illustrious, but men who make titles illustrious.

Size seems to make many organizations slow-thinking, resistant to change and smug.

A speech comes alive only if it rises from the heart, not if it floats on the lips.

Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it.

Sometimes a great example is necessary to all the public functionaries of the state.

If you would not have a man flinch when the crisis comes, train him before it comes.

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.

As far as men go, it is not what they are that interests me, but what they can become.

There is only one favorable moment in war; talent consists in knowing how to seize it.

You can tell the character of every man when you see how he gives and receives praise.

In War: Resolution. In Defeat: Defiance. In Victory: Magnanimity. In Peace: Good Will.

In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do.

Amul Dairy is a manifestation of what can happen when farmers assert themselves, fight for a cause.

It is true of the Nation, as of the individual, that the greatest doer must also be a great dreamer.

One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty counsels. The thing to do is to supply light and not heat.

Besides, he who is feared, fears also; no one has been able to arouse terror and live in peace of mind.

I have ever deemed it more honorable and profitable, too, to set a good example than to follow a bad one.

To listen to the interests of all, marks an ordinary government; to foresee them, marks a great government.

Let me have the best solution worked out. Don't argue the matter. The difficulties will argue for themselves.

It is the law of service. He who wishes to live long must serve, but he who wishes to rule does not live long...

I should say sincerity, a deep, great, genuine sincerity, is the first characteristic of all men in any way heroic.

Will people ever be wise enough to refuse to follow bad leaders or to take away the freedom of other people? (16 October 1939)

Live with your century; but do not be its creature. Work for your contemporaries; but create what they need, not what they praise.

Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth.

To me, the level of responsibility is measured by one's ability to confront the decision-making process without any delay or distraction.

Our aim may be as high as the endless sky, but we should have a resolve in our minds to walk ahead, hand-in-hand for victory will be ours.

I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media, or for that matter, the Opposition parties in Parliament.

The art of persuasion consists as much in that of pleasing as in that of convincing, so much more are men governed by caprice than by reason!

Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find his right road.

On Gandhi: Don’t ever forget, that we were not lead by a saint with his head in clouds, but by a master tactician with his feet on the ground.

When Pack meets with Pack in the Jungle, and neither will go from the trail, Lie down till the leaders have spoken—it may be fair words shall prevail.

Lead the ideas of your time and they will accompany and support you; fall behind them and they drag you along with them; oppose them and they will overwhelm you.

If the art of war were nothing but the art of avoiding risks, glory would become the prey of mediocre minds.... I have made all the calculations; fate will do the rest.

And it is certain that those who do not yield to their equals, who keep terms with their superiors, and are moderate towards their inferiors, on the whole succeed best.

Don't get involved in partial problems, but always take flight to where there is a free view over the whole single great problem, even if this view is still not a clear one.

I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say — I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.

Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope.

We are made weak both by idleness and distrust of ourselves. Unfortunate, indeed, is he who suffers from both. If he is a mere individual he becomes nothing; if he is a king he is lost.

I cannot conceive how any man can have brought himself to that pitch of presumption, to consider his country as nothing but carte blanche, upon which he may scribble whatever he pleases.

Genius discovers a system; average talent stereotypes it till it is shattered by fresh genius. It is dangerous for an army to be led by veterans; for on the other side God may place Napoleon.

In politics nothing is immutable. Events carry within them an invincible power. The unwise destroy themselves in resistance. The skillful accept events, take strong hold of them and direct them.

When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity.

The reality of the other person is not in what he reveals to you, but in what he cannot reveal to you. Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says but rather to what he does not say.

Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation.

Whatever one may think about democratic government, it is just as well to have practical experience of its rough and slatternly foundations. No part of the education of a politician is more indispensable than the fighting of elections.

All great events hang by a hair. The man of ability takes advantage of everything and neglects nothing that can give him a chance of success; whilst the less able man sometimes loses everything by neglecting a single one of those chances.

It is of little use for us to pay lip-loyalty to the mighty men of the past unless we sincerely endeavor to apply to the problems of the present precisely the qualities which in other crises enabled the men of that day to meet those crises.

Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it.

I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me.

If things are ever to move upward, some one must take the first step, and assume the risk of it. No one who is not willing to try charity, to try non-resistance as the saint is always willing, can tell whether these methods will or will not succeed.

Taken on the whole, I would believe that Gandhi's views were the most enlightened of all the political men in our time. We should strive to do things in his spirit... not to use violence in fighting for our cause, but by non-participation in what we believe is evil.

I have had a larger responsibility of human lives than ever man or woman had before. And I attribute my success to this — I never gave or took an excuse. Yes, I do see the difference now between me and other men. When a disaster happens, I act and they make excuses.

The administration of government lies in getting proper men. Such men are to be got by means of the ruler's own character. That character is to be cultivated by his treading in the ways of duty. And the treading those ways of duty is to be cultivated by the cherishing of benevolence.

The Government simply cannot make up their minds, or they cannot get the Prime Minister [Stanley Baldwin] to make up his mind. So they go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent.

Fellow-citizens, we can not escape history. We of this Congress and this Administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance or insignificance can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest generation.