Skip to content
quotesby

The key word for me on him is 'inspiration.' He is a leader by inspiration. He sets an example. It's quite important that people realize that I don't see him as a glad-handing show-off, a one-man vigilante force who rights every wrong. Basically, he's a pacifist, a man who comes along and says, 'What can I do to help?' He stands on the sidelines until there is real trouble. He does not want to get involved unless it's absolutely necessary because he thinks people should learn to make their own decisions.

Christopher Reeve#1

AutonomyInspirationLeadershipService

About this quote

What does it mean?
True leadership inspires others to act on their own rather than imposing control.
In plain terms
A leader inspires people to make their own choices.
What can you take from it?
Lead by example so others can decide for themselves.

Where it applies

  • managing teams
  • community organizing
  • mentoring

Putting it to work

  • modeling behavior
  • asking how to help
  • stepping back

Questions to consider

  • How do you lead without controlling?
  • When is it right to step in?

Another view

Sometimes direct intervention is necessary instead of waiting.

More from Christopher Reeve

  1. So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.

    Permalink to quote #2
  2. I'm starting a new chapter in my life, and you have no idea how much that means.

    Permalink to quote #3
  3. We live in a time when the words impossible and unsolvable are no longer part of the scientific community's vocabulary. Each day we move closer to trials that …

    Permalink to quote #4

Related quotes

  1. A politics that is not sensitive to the concerns and circumstances of people's lives, a politics that does not speak to and include people, is an intellectuall…

    Paul WellstonePaul Wellstone quote #1
  2. To be a catalyst is one of my life's objectives. I've been inspired by many people who in turn have been catalysts. It's very interesting to see the waves of i…

    Loreena McKennittLoreena McKennitt quote #1
  3. We should not mourn for men of high ideals. Rather we should rejoice that we had the privilege of having had them with us, to inspire us by their radiant perso…

    Indira GandhiIndira Gandhi quote #1