With all the power that a president has, the most important thing to bear in mind is this: You must not give power to a man unless, above everything else, he has character. Character is the most important qualification the president of the United States can have.
Interpretation
Character is the essential quality for a leader, especially for a president.
This quote emphasizes that, despite the immense power held by a president, the most critical attribute required to wield that power responsibly is character. Nixon highlights the idea that a leader's integrity and moral compass are paramount, suggesting that power alone is insufficient without a foundation of strong ethical principles.
In practice
During a political rally, a speaker might use this quote to emphasize the importance of character in candidates.
The destiny of our land, the air we breathe, the water we drink is not in the mystical hands of an uncontrollable agent, it is in our hands. A future which brings the balancing of our resources-preserving quality with quantity - is a future limited only by the boundaries of our will to get the job done.
The recent upsurge of public concern over environmental questions reflects a belated recognition that man has been too cavalier in his relations with nature. Unless we arrest the depredations that have been inflicted so carelessly on our natural systems-which exist in an intricate set of balances-we face the prospect of ecological disaster.
The ability to be cool, confident, and decisive in crisis is not an inherited characteristic but is the direct result of how well the individual has prepared himself for the battle.
If you take no risks, you will suffer no defeats. But if you take no risks, you win no victories.
If the President does it, it can't be illegal.
We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another - until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices.
No way can you ever, ever, ever evidence confusion, concern, lack of understanding. You have to be in charge. You are the guy. You have to be cooler than cool, smarter than smart.
Good generalship is a realization that... you've got to try and figure out how to accomplish your mission with a minimum loss of human life.
Stay diagnostic even as you take action.
One of the topics I'm most passionate about is servant leadership - the greatest leaders recognize that they're here to serve, not to be served.
Underrepresented employees already have to overcome discriminatory barriers in their careers; they shouldn't be expected to volunteer their time to help their companies do the same.
Going back to being a head coach entails a full-time commitment to that job and I would not go into it for any amount of money and do it halfway. It would be a total commitment, not part-time.
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