Jon Gruden Quotes

A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don't have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.

What the nation's built on is discussion, contradiction and growth, and at the moment you can't discuss anything. If you do start to discuss it, you get criticized. If people hate us, you have to find out why and try to solve that problem.

The most noble criticism is that in which the critic is not the antagonist so much as the rival of the author.

Being against a lot of things isn’t smart.

What we say is an opinion it's the best that we can reach, if anybody can bring a better opinion we will accept it.

We have become so cynical that we are always challenging each other’s motives and in very few instances do we engage in an intelligent argument in the substance of the argument.

My focus has always been: I can be an incredibly conservative, principled idea person, but that doesn't mean I have to shout at people.

Snark describes a cynical position, and I'm not interested in that.

I'm all for a passionate debate, and sometimes things can be heated, which is fine, up to a point. As long as we remember that we are human beings.

I find that quite enjoyable, trying to see the downsides of someone.

If yelling and threatening, intimidating and chanting solved problems, Illinois wouldn't have any problems. We're good at that stuff.

Life is very complicated. I look to collaborate with artistic people and to go into an endeavor without judgment and to hopefully be treated with the same.

I think you achieve a lot more through love than negativity.

People who label themselves as 'realists' are usually accurate - they see to the real edge of what they know, understand, or believe. At best, these folks tend to be caring worriers.

I think debates are healthy. I think they include more people. And I don't believe most people, if they don't win, are just going to take their ball and go home.

Criticism is fine and conversation is fine, but the person who's criticizing should know what they're saying and whom they're criticizing.

I'm willing to sit down with anybody and have constructive criticism.

When he would give you direction, it was not sitting in a chair saying, 'Hey, babe! Do this and that and the other thing.' Mr. Sirk would ask, 'May I speak with you?' and sit down and say, 'I think this should be done this way. And how do you feel about it? Do you feel it that way?'

The problem with some truth-tellers is that they don't do it in a way that makes people want to listen.

You shouldn't say, 'Well, we cannot go there,' before we even had the conversation.

I try to build up people, not break them down, and in politics, it seems now the game is breaking down your opponents.

People complain not because something sucks. People complain because they're looking for empathy and to feel connected with those around them. Unfortunately, complaining is maybe the least useful way to connect with other human beings.

I don't have any problems with criticism.

We should start off with the premise that people that we're disagreeing with are like ourselves. Try and work out why they think what they think.

Honestly, I don't like trash talk, because we gonna fight anyways, right? We don't need to trash talk.