If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?
Maya AngelouRead
I think Clinton, after getting into office and into Washington, was shocked at being bludgeoned. So he spent time trying to be all things to all people - one way guaranteed not to be successful or respected in a lion's den. You can't just play around with all those big cats - you've got to take somebody on.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the challenges of leadership and the necessity of standing firm against opposition.
Maya Angelou reflects on the struggles faced by leaders like Clinton, who may become overwhelmed and attempt to please everyone, but ultimately, true leadership requires courage and the willingness to confront opposition directly. In a challenging environment, especially in politics, trying to appease all sides can lead to a lack of respect and effectiveness, making it essential to take a stand and engage with challenges head-on.
Themes
LeadershipCouragePoliticsOppositionSuccess
In practice
Example use cases
During a conference on effective leadership styles.
More from Maya Angelou
All quotes βI find it interesting that the meanest life, the poorest existence, is attributed to God's will, but as human beings become more affluent, as their living standard and style begin to ascend the material scale, God descends the scale of responsibility at commensurate speed.
Maya AngelouRead
The white American man makes the white American woman maybe not superfluous but just a little kind of decoration. Not really important to turning around the wheels of the state. Well the black American woman has never been able to feel that way. No black American man at any time in our history in the United States has been able to feel that he didn't need that black woman right against him, shoulder to shoulder-in that cotton field, on the auction block, in the ghetto, wherever.
Maya AngelouRead
I dreamt we walked together along the shore. We made satisfying small talk and laughed. This morning I found sand in my shoe and a seashell in my pocket. Was I only dreaming?
Maya AngelouRead
I know that I'm not the easiest person to live with. The challenge I put on myself is so great that the person I live with feels himself challenged. I bring a lot to bear, and I don't know how not to.
Maya AngelouRead
In order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care. You must care. You don't have to know how many square miles are in Idaho, you don't need to know what is the chemical makeup of chemistry, or of blood or water. Know what you know and care about the person, care about what you know and care about the person you're sharing with.
Maya AngelouRead
Similar quotes
What clients are really interested in is honesty, plus a baseline of competence.
Patrick LencioniRead
We need to understand the other side to impact the other side. We become much more effective as humans and leaders when we engage in hearty conversations with those who are different from us, not necessarily to change our opinions, but to build the empathy muscle.
Daniel LubetzkyRead
A leader's role is not to control people or stay on top of things, but rather to guide, energize and excite.
Jack WelchRead
When it wishes anything done which is really serious, it collects twelve of the ordinary men standing round. The same thing was done, if I remember right, by the Founder of Christianity.
Gilbert K. ChestertonRead
If the United Nations does not attempt to chart a course for the world's people in the first decades of the new millennium, who will?
Kofi AnnanRead
Engage, educate, equip, encourage, empower, energize, and elevate. Those are the methods for maximizing the potential of any individual, team, organization, or institution for ultimate success and significance. Those are the methods of a mentor leader.
Tony DungyRead