The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Buchanan suggests leadership is about drawing out existing greatness in people rather than creating it.
- In plain terms
- Good leaders help people show their own greatness instead of making them great.
- What can you take from it?
- Effective leadership unlocks potential that already exists in people.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you find greatness in others?
- Is leadership about teaching or revealing?
Another view
Sometimes external guidance is needed to develop potential.
More from James Buchanan
The distribution of patronage of the Government is by far the most disagreeable duty of the President.
Permalink to quote #15 There is nothing stable but Heaven and the Constitution.
Permalink to quote #17 The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among free men.
Permalink to quote #14
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