"As we look over the list of the early leaders of the republic, Washington, John Adams, Hamilton, and others, we discern that they were all men who insisted upon being themselves and who refused to truckle to the people. With each succeeding generation, the growing demand of the people that its elective officials shall not lead but merely register the popular will has steadily undermined the independence of those who derive their power from popular election. The persistent refusal of the Adamses to sacrifice the integrity of their own intellectual and moral standards and values for the sake of winning public office or popular favor is another of the measuring rods by which we may measure the divergence of American life from its starting point."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
James Truslow Adams, The Adams Family (1930), p. 95
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leadership
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Leadership
123 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Leadership →
Related Quotes
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."
"The born leader is a fiction invented by 'born followers'. Leadership is not a gift at birth; it is an award for grow…"
"A political leader must keep looking over his shoulder all the time to see if the boys are still there. If they aren’…"
"And I have learned that leadership is, more often than not, the art of choosing the least worst among evils."
"A new leader has to be able to change an organization that is dreamless, soulless and visionless … someone's got to m…"
"The quality of leadership, more than any other single factor, determines the success or failure of an organization."
"Leadership is understanding people and involving them to help you do a job. That takes all of the good characteristic…"
"The object of leadership may be stated as having a system whereby a leader recognizes what is good for the good of th…"
"When we think we lead, we are most led."
"He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander."