A Conversation Between World Leaders

The following is a collection of quotations, the words of two people. They are not talking to each other, but their comments have a certain commonality. One of the people was a world leader. The other is a world leader. The comments of each tell us which might be more fit to lead. One is an extraordinary person; the other is not. The idea of this exercise is not to determine who the speakers are (that’s easy) but to understand the skill set of a successful leader.

As we compare the words of the two speakers we cannot help but notice one is much more articulate, more eloquent than the other. Although he had less of a formal education, his words sketch the world around him with more insight and potency. His ideas are original, provocative; they inspire conjecture and beg further thought. We hear him and want to converse with him, ask questions, explore his ideas further. Our ears and eyes tell us we are in the presence of a rare and wonderful human, a singular, true individual from whom we could endlessly learn. The other fellow? Not so much.

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“The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that when nations are strong they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are often no longer strong.”

“I am intelligent. Some people would say I am very, very, very intelligent.”

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“I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”

“If Ivanka weren’t my daughter perhaps I’d be dating her.”

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“Their (Americans) national psychology is such that the bigger the Idea the more wholeheartedly and obstinately they throw themselves into making it a success. It is an admirable characteristic, providing the idea is good.”

“We’ll come roaring back. We’re going big.”

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“We can find nothing better than Christian ethics on which to build, and the more closely we follow the Sermon on the Mount, the more likely we are to succeed in our endeavors.”

“The Bible is my favorite book. Nobody reads the Bible more than me. I really don’t want to go into it, to me the Bible is very personal. I don’t want to get into specifics.”

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“Men and kings must be judged in the testing moments of their lives. Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because, as has been said, it is the quality which guarantees all others.”

“I don’t know. All I know is what’s on the Internet.”

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“The flame of Christian ethics is still our highest guide. To guard and cherish it is our first interest, both spiritually and materially. The fulfillment of spiritual duty in our daily lives is vital to our survival. Only by keeping it into perfect application can we hope to solve for ourselves the problems of this world and not of this world alone.”

“A person who is flat-chested is very hard to be a ten.”

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“When I was younger I made it a rule never to take a drink before lunch. It is now my rule never to do so before breakfast.”

“I am not a drinker, I can honestly say I’ve never had a beer in my life. When they are looking for something good, I say I’ve never had a glass of alcohol.”

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“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they have tried everything else.”

“The line of ‘make America great again’ the phrase, that was mine, I came up with it. I guess I should copyright it.”

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“Never hold discussions when the organ grinder is in room.”

“There is nobody who understand the horror of nuclear more than me.”

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