“So I kept going. It made my position here. It established my presence and my credibility. And it was terrifying— though it ended up being phenomenal.”
“Although you may not always be able to avoid difficult situations,you can modify the extent to which you can suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation.”
“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood. If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.”
“We can chat and laugh through the bars, but inevitably I need to flex my authority. My job will always be to deny them the most basic of human impulses — to push for more freedom.”
“Decision making brings together many of the finest traits of contrarian leadership—thinking gray, thinking free, artful listening, delegating authority while retaining ultimate responsibility,artful procrastination, ignoring sunk costs, taking luck into account, and listening to one’s inner voice. Weaving these traits together is an art itself. When it is done well, the result is a thing of beauty and a powerful tool for effective leadership.”
“Certainly there are very real differences between us... But it is not those differences between us that are separating us. It is rather our refusal to recognize those differences…”
“ . . . He knews that the tale he had to tell could not be one of a final victory. It could be only the record of what had to be done, and what assuredly would have to be done again in the never ending fight against terror and its relentless onslaughts . . . by all who . . . strive their utmost to be healers.”
“The strength of the culture, not its size or resources, determines an organization’s ability to adapt to the times, overcome adversity, and pioneer new innovations”
