It will not surprise you to hear that Dag Hammarskjold is a figure of great importance for me - as he must be for any Secretary-General. His life and his death, his words and his action, have done more to shape public expectations of the office, and indeed of the Organisation, than those of any other man or woman in its history. His wisdom and his modesty, his unimpeachable integrity and single-minded devotion to duty, have set a standard for all servants of the international community - and especially, of course for his successors - which is simply impossible to live up to. There can be no better rule of thumb for a Secretary-General, as he approaches each new challenge or crisis, than to ask himself, 'how would Hammarskjold have handled this?'
More from Dag Hammarskjold
The more we do, the more we can do; the more busy we are, the more leisure we have.
Permalink to quote #54 He would remind us how man once organized himself in families, how families joined together in tribes and villages, and how tribes and villages developed into …
Permalink to quote #56 Creative people have to be fed from the divine source.
Permalink to quote #53