Ben Horowitz Quotes

I'm not afraid of making big and sometimes unpopular calls if they're the right thing to do.

Caesar was a man of great common sense and good taste, meaning thereby a man without originality or moral courage.

Well, I think that - I think leadership's always been about two main things: imagination and courage.

Decisiveness is a characteristic of high-performing men and women. Almost any decision is better than no decision at all.

Prudence is not hesitation, procrastination, or moderation. It is not driving in the middle of the road. It is not the way of ambivalence, indecision, or safety.

Optimistic people play a disproportionate role in shaping our lives. Their decisions make a difference; they are inventors, entrepreneurs, political and military leaders - not average people. They got to where they are by seeking challenges and taking risks.

Leaders have to be intensely aware and be bold and flexible enough to adjust course ahead of impending changes.

I'm brave to say that I won't take this sort of risk.

Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity.

Such decisions will be far reaching and difficult. But you never lacked courage in the past. Your courage is now needed for the future.

The politician who never made a mistake never made a decision.

In politics, guts is all.

My biggest strength is I'm courageous, or if I am afraid of something, I do it anyway. I do what I feel. It's nothing personal against anyone, so that courageousness has been very good to me.

When it comes to my work, I'm fearless. I go with my gut.

Presidents with strong nerves are decisive. They don't balk at unpopular decisions. They are willing to make people angry. Bush had strong nerves. Clinton, who passed up a chance to eliminate Osama bin Laden, did not. Obama is a people pleaser, a trait not normally associated with nerves of steel.

That is what leadership is all about: staking your ground ahead of where opinion is and convincing people, not simply following the popular opinion of the moment.

I'm pretty gutsy. Dancers don't think about things; they just do them.

In all the difficult decisions that I made through the course of running Loudcloud and Opsware, I never once felt brave. In fact, I often felt scared to death. I never lost those feelings, but after much practice, I learned to ignore them. That learning process might also be called the courage development process.

There are many qualities that make a great leader. But having strong beliefs, being able to stick with them through popular and unpopular times, is the most important characteristic of a great leader.

It's very important to take risks. I think that research is very important, but in the end you have to work from your instinct and feeling and take those risks and be fearless. When I hear a company is being run by a team, my heart sinks, because you need to have that leader with a vision and heart that can move things forward.

There is a difference between bold leadership and nibbling around the edges.

Just as our peace-time system is unsuitable for war conditions, so does it tend to breed peace-time statesmen who are not too well fitted for the conduct of war. Facility in debate, ability to state a case, caution in advancing an unpopular view, compromise and procrastination are the natural qualities - I might almost say, virtues - of a political leader in time of peace. They are fatal qualities in war. Vision, daring, swiftness and consistency of decision are the very essence of victory.

The important thing is the boldness of the President. He will lead opinion and not follow it. He does not want war but will not shrink from it.

We don’t need corporate generals. We need warrior generals…. Many of our military leaders are like car designers who have never driven a car….they go along to get along.

Leaders are not dogmatic. They are principled and know that change is never easy, but when it's necessary, they must lead.