

“A leader is best when people barely know that he exists. When his work is done, his aims fulfilled, they will all say: We did this ourselves.”
Traced to Tao Te Ching.
More from Lao Tzu
“The Master has no possessions. The more he does for others, the happier he is. The more he gives to others, the wealthier he is.”
Lao Tzu
Tao Te Ching
verified“Wise men don't need to prove their point; men who need to prove their point aren't wise.”
Lao Tzu
Tao Te Ching
verified“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving.”
Lao Tzu
Tao Te Ching
verified“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name.”
Lao Tzu
Tao Te Ching
verified“He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know.”
Lao Tzu
Tao Te Ching
verified“To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”
Lao Tzu
Tao Te Ching
verifiedMore Leadership quotes
“Let the nation try justice and the problem will be solved.”
Frederick Douglass
Lessons of the Hour · 1894
verified“What I ask for the negro is not benevolence, not pity, not sympathy, but simply justice.”
Frederick Douglass
What the Black Man Wants · 1865
verified“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
I Have a Dream · 1963
verified“Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.”
Nelson Mandela
Speech for the 'Make Poverty History' campaign · 2005
verified“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
Nelson Mandela
Long Walk to Freedom · 1995
verified“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
Nelson Mandela
I Am Prepared to Die (statement from the dock at the Rivonia Trial) · 1964
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