What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government ought to do nothing. Strike a balance.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of finding a middle ground in government intervention.
Barbara Jordan highlights the necessity of balancing the roles of government, advocating for neither total control nor complete neglect. Effective governance requires a nuanced approach where government takes responsibility for critical issues while also empowering individual freedoms and initiatives.
In practice
This quote can be used in a political debate focusing on government policies.
Let's all understand that these guiding principles cannot be discarded for short-term political gains. They represent what this country is all about. They are indigenous to the American idea. And these are principles which are not negotiable.
We want to be in control of our lives. Whether we are jungle fighters, craftsmen, company men, gamesmen, we want to be in control. And when the government erodes that control, we are not comfortable.
My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminuation, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution. It is reason and not passion which must guide our deliberations, guide our debate, and guide our decision.
Americanization means the process of becoming an American. It means civic incorporation, becoming a part of the polity - becoming one of us. But that does not mean conformity. We are more than a melting pot, we are a kaleidoscope, where every turn of history refracts new light on the old promise.
We cannot improve on the system of government handed down to us by the founders of the Republic. There is no way to improve upon that. But what we can do is to find new ways to implement that system and realize our destiny.
The arts, instead of quaking along the periphery of our policy concerns, must push boldly into the core of policy. The arts are a response to our individuality and our nature and help to shape our identity. The arts are not a frill and should not be treated as such. They have the potential to become the driving force for healing division and divisiveness.
There is only one way... to get anybody to do anything. And that is by making the other person want to do it.
TEAMWORK: the fuel that allows common people attain uncommon results.
If we allow the celebrity rock-star model of leadership to triumph, we will see the decline of corporations and institutions of all types. The twentieth century was a century of greatness, but we face the very real prospect that the next century will see very few enduring great institutions.
Presidents get to decide how their intelligence is served up to them, and it's the job of intelligence to adjust.
Now from a distance, I look back on what the Corps taught me: to think like men of action, and to act like men of thought!
To lead yourself, use your head; to lead others, use your heart. Always touch a person's heart before you ask him for a hand.
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