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About this quote

What does it mean?
Removing old political elites often just leads to new ones taking their place, similar to cutting trees in a forest.
In plain terms
Replacing leaders often just brings new leaders to take their spot.
What can you take from it?
Systemic change requires more than replacing individual leaders.

Where it applies

  • political reform
  • organizational change
  • leadership transition

Putting it to work

  • focus on systems not just people
  • plan for succession

Questions to consider

  • Is leadership turnover inevitable?
  • How do you break political cycles?

Another view

Sometimes removing old leaders is necessary to allow progress.

More from Walter Bagehot

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  2. In excited states of the public mind they have scarcely a discretion at all; the tendency of the public perturbation determines what shall and what shall not b…

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  3. Under a cabinet constitution at a sudden emergency this people can choose a ruler for the occasion. It is quite possible and even likely that he would not be r…

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