Legislating is a very human experience in which trust and mutual respect play critical roles.
Interpretation
Legislation requires trust and respect among individuals to be effective.
Bill Bradley emphasizes that the process of creating laws is fundamentally a human endeavor that relies heavily on interpersonal dynamics. Trust and mutual respect are not just beneficial but essential for effective governance, as they facilitate collaboration and understanding among lawmakers, ultimately leading to more just and effective legislation that serves the public good.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of collaboration in governance.
Why do we fully tax some kinds of income from capital, like interest and dividends; partially tax other kinds like capital gains; defer tax on other kinds, like IRAs; and impose no tax at all on still other types of capital income, like interest on municipal bonds? This simply is not rational. These distinctions don't have any inherent logic.
Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it. No destructive lies. No ridiculous fears. No debilitating anger.
Becoming number one is easier than remaining number one.
Every time I have some moment on a seashore, or in the mountains, or sometimes in a quiet forest, I think this is why the environment has to be preserved.
Basketball can serve as a kind of metaphor for ultimate cooperation. It is a sport where success, as symbolized by the championship, requires that the dictates of community prevail over selfish impulses.
We need to get beyond the politics of the moment, the deficit of the hour, the military count of the day, the numbers that rarely shape events. Our long-term interests must be in people and in the values of democracy and individual liberty.
I don't want people saying, 'Should we get a female director?' I want to hear, 'Should we get a great director for this movie?'
There is no parallel in the history of the world. This mighty subcontinent with all kinds of inhabitants has been brought under a plan which is titanic, unknown, unparalleled. And what is very important with regard to it is that we have achieved it peacefully and by means of an evolution of the greatest possible character.
I appoint the laziest person to do the hardest job as they'll find the easiest way to do it
Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you're in control, they're in control.
I was honored to have an opportunity to speak on August 28th, 1963.
Because power corrupts, society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.
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