Leadership Constraints Quotes

On streets where statesmen once strolled, a never-ending stream of money now changes hands—tying the hands of those elected to lead.

Control is not a luxury that most Presidents are allowed.

All modern U.S. presidents are perforce politicians, prisoners of their past pronouncements, their party, their constituency, and their colleagues.

The word “must” may not be used to princes.

China … has gone from being ruled by strongmen with personal credibility to leaders who are constrained by collective decision making, term limits and other norms, public opinion, and their own technocratic characters.

I think that is also something he [Barack Obama], in the beginning of his presidency, he couldn't really explore and couldn't show. He had to be almost a one-dimensional, stoic leader during that first election.

One can tell or do whatever one wants when one is in the Opposition but once one is running a state, one cannot do that.

The Congress leadership always denied responsibilities to me both within the government and within the party organisation... They would always tell me my image as a Hindu leader was a constraint on my capacity as a political leader.

It’s hard for a President to make case for more powers when he has not used the powers he already has.

Generals do not always run wars the way they would like to, nor the troops under them.

He [John F. Kennedy] might have envisioned himself being "alone, at the top" but, like Woodrow Wilson, he would find out that not even a President moves free of human entanglement, human needs, human illusions; not even a President can be independent of those around him.

Most of the things that need to be said about the President are things he can't say himself.

The President is hampered at every turn by the necessity of humoring his party.

The President can't deliver us. I'm not a package to be picked up at a department store.

No leader can be too far ahead of his followers.