Government is like an onion. To understand it, you have to peel through many different layers. Most outsiders never get beyond the first or second layer.

The leader...is rarely the brightest person in the group. Rather they have extraordinary taste, which makes them more curators than creators. They are appreciators of talent and nurturers of talent and they have the ability to recognize valuable ideas.

Find the appropriate balance of competing claims by various groups of stakeholders. All claims deserve consideration but some claims are more important than others.

Perhaps the central task of the leader of leaders thus becomes the development of other leaders.

Taking charge of your own learning is a part of taking charge of your life, which is the sine qua non in becoming an integrated person.

The opposite of hope is despair, and when we despair, it is because we feel there are no choices.

Leaders are people who do the right thing: managers are people who do things right. Both roles are crucial, but they differ profoundly. I often observe people in top positions doing wrong things well.