Rowan Williams Quotes

People in positions of power and privilege have a duty to perform at a higher level. If not them, then who?

The vast majority of politicians think they are functioning on high principle.

The individual is not accountable to society for his actions, insofar as these concern the interests of no person but himself.

We as citizens should hold our government accountable for word and deed.

I think whenever something is - whenever there's something that affects the public good, then there does need to be some form of public oversight.

We must never take the public's trust for granted - our predecessors worked hard to earn it, and it is our responsibility to continually earn that trust.

I don't understand why the police are infallible. They remind me a lot of the Catholic Church.

The most basic building block of any successful government is, first and foremost, a moral authority over the people it leads.

In the final analysis, a democratic government represents the sum total of the courage and the integrity of its individuals. It cannot be better than they are.

All politicians will have to change to be worthy of our people.

Public men are all amenable to the tribunal of the press in a free state. The greater, indeed, their trust, the more respectable are they.

There was a time when the United States government earned the trust of its people. There was a time when most people believed that the United States government was protecting them.

When we look at the majority of the American people, when they believe that their leadership is letting them down, there is only one option out there for us, and that's to change that leadership.

Ethics reform is about restoring the public trust. When that is in doubt, nothing is more important than restoring it.

Too many Americans mistrust their government. And unnecessary government secrecy feeds this mistrust.

If I have the honor of being confirmed by the Senate, I will make it my highest priority to restore the public's confidence in the FBI and to re-earn the faith and trust of the American people.

Leaders, whether in the public or the private sphere, must understand the responsibilities that come with their role. They are the most visible standard-bearers of their organizations. Holding them accountable to this responsibility protects the promise of our organizations and our communities.

Democracy is based upon empathy and the recognition that some decisions are solely for the community's benefit without regard to one's own narrow self-interest.

We should put behind us the era of diminishing trust in public institutions and weakened confidence in our country's public leaders.

I will be a president that can share a glass of soju with the public after work.

Whistleblowers play a vital role in ensuring that the federal government is accountable to the people it serves.

I think we'll go through a period when there's a revival of concern about ethics. After Watergate, we got the Ethics in Government Act, which has a lot of additional regulations.

At the Department of Justice, our ability to fulfill our responsibilities - to advocate for victims, to vigorously pursue misconduct, to seek justice in all its forms - depends on public confidence in the institutions we represent.

We are world leaders in open and transparent government.

Politicians aren't special. They lie the same way we all do, revealing their true nature under pressure.