Milton Berle Quotes

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

The first day of 'Liberty,' I was hanging around waiting for Ford to come in. Everybody told me how tough he was and not to say anything, or he'd single you out and get on you the whole shoot. But as he walked in, I got up and saluted him.

To make an Army work you have to have every man in it fitted into a fear ladder... The Army functions best when you're frightened of the man above you, and contemptuous of your subordinates.

Vadim was both my teacher and my husband. I placed myself entirely in his hands.

Though builders may build, in the main they follow the plans of architects. Teachers teach, but they must have a text. Politicians govern, but only upon the flow of commentary that raises them up or casts them down.

Organization charts and fancy titles count for next to nothing.

The basic principle is I command, and my employees carry it out immediately.

Dear, never forget one little point. It's my business. You just work here.

Every marriage tends to consist of an aristocrat and a peasant. Of a teacher and a learner.

Every reign must submit to a greater reign.

Disobedience is essentially a prideful power struggle against someone in authority over us. It can be a parent, a priesthood leader, a teacher, or ultimately God. A proud person hates the fact that someone is above him. He thinks this lowers his position.

A whole army, though they can neither write nor read, are not afraid of a platform, which they know is but earth or stone; nor of a cannon, which, without a hand to give fire to it, is but cold iron; therefore a whole army is afraid of one man.

When you're an assistant, you're executing the wishes of your boss.

I grew up to always respect authority and respect those in charge.

My parents made it clear that I should never display even the slightest disrespect to individuals who had the power to let me skip a half grade or move into more challenging classes. While it was all right for me to know more about a topic than my sixth-grade teacher had ever learned, questioning her facts could only lead to trouble.

Athenians govern the Greeks; I govern the Athenians; you, my wife, govern me; your son governs you.

He was in charge of everything and I was to be wherever he wasn’t.

Structure is not about moving boxes around on a chart. Structure is about power.

Xavier McDaniel made me respect him. I thought I could do anything I wanted to. He grabbed me one time and almost choked me out. He said, 'You're going to do this. You're going to go get coffee. You're going to go get doughnuts.' It's a game of respect.

Dad's the master, I'm the student.

Men are more ready to offend one who desires to be beloved than one who wishes to be feared.

Once you have hierarchy you need rules to protect and administer it, and then you need law and the enforcement of the rules, and you end up with some kind of chain of command or system of order that destroys relationship rather than promotes it. Hierarchy imposes laws and rules and you end up missing the wonder of relationship that we intended for you.

I view the director as my boss. I'm the pawn on the chess board. I don't say something to the director easily, because they are my boss.

Once in a while there's wisdom in recognizing that the Boss is.

What did you learn in school that you still use today? Go ahead teachers, tell me. What? Fear, conformity, don't question authority.