I would rather be accused of breaking precedents than breaking promises.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of keeping promises over adhering to established norms.
John F. Kennedy's quote highlights the value of integrity and commitment in leadership. It suggests that leaders should prioritize their promises and commitments to others, even if it means deviating from traditional practices or facing criticism. This reflects the idea that true leadership is defined by the trust and loyalty one builds through consistent and honest actions.
In practice
A leader addressing a team about commitment to their goals.
The great battleground for the defense and expansion of freedom today is the whole southern half of the globe... the lands of the rising peoples. Their revolution is the greatest in human history. They seek an end to injustice, tyranny and exploitation. More than an end, they seek a beginning.
I had always enjoyed the title of Commander-in-Chief until I was informed ... that the only forces that cannot be transferred from Washington without my express permission are the members of the Marine Corps Band. Those are the only forces I have. I want it announced that we propose to hold the White House against all odds at least for some time to come.
I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children - not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women - not merely peace in our time but peace for all time.
I just received the following wire from my generous Daddy; Dear Jack, Don't buy a single vote more than is necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide.
Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.
Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.
The difference between a good and great officer is about ten seconds.
The first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight.
A nation' s strength ultimately consists in what it can do on its own, and not in what it can borrow from others.
Courage is the enforcing virtue, the one that makes possible all the other virtues common _x000D_ _x000D_ to exceptional leaders: honesty, integrity, confidence, compassion and humility
In millions of encounters each year between the police and the public, it may be too much to expect that every officer will always get it right. But it is not too much to expect that we can put the right safeguards in place to hold officers accountable when they get it wrong.
One cannot govern with 'buts'.
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