Thomas Hardy Quotes

The proper study of Man is anything but Man; and the most improper job of any man, even saints (who at any rate were at least unwilling to take it on), is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity.

Men love power.

… dealing with and controlling men makes you stronger.

The central factor in most human beings is power. Politics is the manifestation of the quest for power.

If women had power, what would men be but women who can't bear children? And what would women be but men who can?" "Hah!" went Tenar; and presently, with some cunning, she said, "Haven't there been queens? Weren't they women of power?" "A queen's only a she-king," said Ged. She snorted. "I mean, men give her power. They let her use their power. But it isn't hers, is it? It isn't because she's a woman that she's powerful, but despite it.

If you don't understand that you work for your mislabeled 'subordinates', then you know nothing of leadership. You know only tyranny.

Politics and power is a realm of relative influence.

Power is not something that can be assumed or discarded at will like underwear.

The exercise of power is determined by thousands of interactions between the world of the powerful and that of the powerless, all the more so because these worlds are never divided by a sharp line: everyone has a small part of himself in both.

If an individual is born with the obligation to obey, who is born with the right to command?

Gotta watch out for directors.

Well there are those that you wield and those that you join.

To supervise people, you must either surpass them in their accomplishments or despise them.

Bad leaders believe that they have to project control at all times.

The women executives in the film industry have the power to say, 'No,' but few of them have the power to say, 'Yes.'

I run a tight ship, but I try and make it seem like I'm not doing that at all.

The program director at a radio station, by the way, is not the superstar. If he was a superstar, he'd be out creating songs, but he's not. But he wants to act like he has control and power.

So I still seized the power, but I felt that if I officially made myself the boss, in black and white, it would be too intimidating for the other producers and the other men who worked on the show. In other words, I had the power, but I gave them the title.

Shakespeare reveals human nature brilliantly: he shines a light on our instinctive desire to dominate each other.

But constant experience shows us that every man invested with power is apt to abuse it, and to carry his authority as far as it will go.

I've never wanted to be the boss.

The man whose authority is recent is always stern.

He who allows me to rule is in fact my master.

Like most animals, we're wired to associate height with power.

We had the controlling shares but we weren’t in control.