When you have sweated, toiled, had mad dreams, hopeless nightmares, you find yourself in London's streets, cold and dank in the night air. Think - what have I got for Ireland? Something which she has wanted these past seven hundred years. Will anyone be satisfied at the bargain? Will anyone? I tell you this; early this morning I signed my death warrant. I thought at the time how odd, how ridiculous - a bullet may just as well have done the job five years ago.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Michael Collins reflects on the personal cost of signing a treaty for Ireland.
- In plain terms
- He knows his sacrifice might not satisfy anyone but he did it anyway.
- What can you take from it?
- Leadership often requires personal sacrifice.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is sacrifice worth it?
- Who decides the cost?
Another view
Sacrifice does not guarantee success.
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