Harold L. Ickes Quotes

You can't forge a new sort of consensus, you can't forge public opinion, by following public opinion.

Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed. Consequently he who moulds public sentiment, goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. He makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to be executed.

If you want to lead, you have to heed.

I lead my party. He [John Major] follows his.

Somebody has to take responsibility for being a leader.

Every one of us has the capacity to lead.

I've always been a leader. Every team I've played on, I've led my way.

Always, in every human action, there are leaders.

I do tend to be a leader in situations in my own life.

It is time for a leader who will lead.

In a very real way, ownership is the essence of leadership. When you are 'ridiculously in charge,' then you own whatever happens in a company, school, et cetera.

… essentially lacking in the quality of leadership.

Polls make leadership impossible.

We ought to change polls, not to follow polls.

We are the majority of the thinkers of the country.

The genius of a good leader is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the grace of genius, can deal with successfully.

Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow.

His essence was force ... the relish of power, and command.

It was difficult to contradict this artist—this seducer.

The essence of leadership involves a clear sense of what you want to achieve, the ability to do what may be unpopular … and a willingness to step up

We have a crisis in confidence because we have an absence of leadership.

If you have a sense of purpose and a sense of direction, I believe people will follow you. Democracy isn't just about deducing what the people want. Democracy is leading the people as well.

A real leader does not rely on consensus. He builds consensus.

If one has no compass, when one doesn't know where one stands and where one wants to go, one can deduce that one has no leadership or interest in shaping events.

Leaders must lead.