George F. Kennan Quotes

I used to think it was good to kind of work within your limitations.

Knowing what you cannot do is more important than knowing what you can do.

I know what I can do and what I can't.

Men must know their limitations.

Many a man who thinks to found a home discovers that he has merely opened a tavern for his friends.

There is an odd assumption that compassion and care are finite or that critics can be everything to everyone - commenting on everything simply because they can. That's not what cultural criticism is.

There are a million 'oughts' in the world. There's a million ways in which I ought to be serving the world. But the ways I'm gifted to serve and the opportunities that come to me to serve are not a million.

I do the best I can when I'm accepting the role to say, 'This is about as much as I can do, and if that's not suitable for you, then you should hire somebody else.'

The imagination has its limits, and you have to face up to that.

It's important to know what you can do and what you can't.

When I wake up in the morning, do I think I'm a role model? Yes. I'm not trying to have a pristine image, because a real role model shows you to the good and ugly.

We're all always wondering about our own limits, what we're capable of.

You can only control so much.

Do I want to play every game? Yes, I want to play every game. But I also understand it's impossible.

Sometimes it's good to know there are limits.

One does what one can, not what one cannot.

Consider well what your strength is equal to, and what exceeds your ability.

I don't make promises, by and large, that I can't keep.

A man can't do more than he can - but he can at least do that much.

Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do.

A man must know his limitations.

Undertake not what you cannot perform, but be careful to keep your promise.

I do not intend to let myself down more than I can possibly help, and I find that the fewer illusions I have about myself or the world around me, the better company I am for myself.

Sometimes it is more important to discover what one cannot do, than what one can do.