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About this quote

What does it mean?
Leaders are favored when they temporarily embody the general purpose of human progress.
In plain terms
People support leaders who seem to represent what humanity needs right now.
What can you take from it?
Leaders succeed when they match the needs of the times.

Where it applies

  • political leadership
  • social change
  • public opinion

Putting it to work

  • align with public needs
  • identify key issues
  • adapt to change

Questions to consider

  • What makes a leader successful?
  • How do leaders reflect their era?

Another view

Popularity can also stem from manipulation rather than genuine embodiment.

More from Franklin Delano Roosevelt

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  2. Here is my principle: Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle.

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  3. A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you a…

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