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A good leader tries to embody the best qualities of his or her organization. A good leader sets the example for others to follow. A good leader always puts the welfare of others before himself or herself.

— William H. McRaven Open letter to US President Donald Trump (2018)

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More quotes by William H. McRaven

If you want to change the world, don’t ever, ever ring the bell.

Before you can master any of the other axioms of wisdom, you must first strive to be men and women of honor and integrity. That is what sets the great leaders above the commonplace. It will not be easy. It never is. But it is also not complicated.

The Wisdom of the Bullfrog (2023)

If you want to change the world measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers.

If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.

If you think for a moment that your McCarthy-era tactics will suppress the voices of criticism, you are sadly mistaken.

Open letter to US President Donald Trump (2018)

All William H. McRaven quotes →

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: William H. McRaven (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.