Joe Clark Quotes

I have to give him and I have to have 100 percent of his confidence…. If I do not have his confidence, someone else should be chief of staff.

To be honest, the fact that people trust you gives you a lot of power over people. Having another person's trust is more powerful than all other management techniques put together.

When you see how the President makes political or policy decisions, you see who he is. The essence of the Presidency is decision-making.

The coin of the realm of leadership is trust and confidence.

The White House Chief of Staff must always remember that he is staff and not chief.

It is evident that not all people that have the confidence of the prime minister are the same ones that have the confidence of the head of state.

We have got to stop worrying about being loved and start worrying about being respected. And that's exactly how I'll lead our country.

First of all; Frank was the BOSS. We didn't question any of his motives or decisions at the time.

Authority must be respected and chosen wisely.

It has been my privilege on various occasions to converse with presidents of the United States and important men in other governments. At the close of each such occasion, I have reflected on the rewarding experience of standing with confidence in the presence of an acknowledged leader.

So people ask, 'But how can you work for a friend?' I say it's because I know that the magazine is called 'O.' The bottom line is somebody has to have the final word. Oprah's not right all the time, but her record is pretty damn good. That's not to say you can't disagree.

I micromanage the selection of the cabinet.

The person who manages the state is me.

There was no one at the table [of a Cabinet meeting] who could be of help to me except the President, and when I needed to consult him I did not choose a Cabinet meeting to do so.

I don't feel qualified to be President either, but I've got the job.

To govern is to chose.

There is something wrong with the way in which we make our decisions. The Government listen too much to the pollsters and the party managers. The trouble is that they are not even very good at politics, and they are entering too much into policy decisions. As a result, there is too much short-termism, too much reacting to events, and not enough shaping of events. We give the impression of being in office but not in power. Far too many important decisions are made for 36 hours' publicity.

Governing is about selecting.

Nobody is afraid of him, and that’s not a good place to be for a president.

Our President [James Madison], though a man of amiable manners and great talents, has not I fear those commanding talents, which are necessary to control those about him.

No one who has not had the responsibility can really understand what it is like to be President, not even his closest aides or members of his immediate family. There is no end to the chain of responsibility that binds him, and he is never allowed to forget that he is President.

I mean loyalty - you know, look, first we serve the people. I've always looked at that. You serve the people first. But having said that, you never forget who's in charge. You never forget who the CEO of a country is when you decide to serve. And so everyone works at the pleasure of the president. And that's what, you know, we have to remember is if he doesn't feel comfortable, he can do something about it.

The most important quality in a leader is that of being acknowledged as such. All leaders whose fitness is questioned are clearly lacking in force.

I am determined to honour the confidence which has been extended to us by the people of our great land. And I say to all of those who have voted for us today, I say to each and every one of them that I will be a prime minister for all Australians.

He makes a great mistake... who supposes that authority is firmer or better established when it is founded by force than that which is welded by affection.