“Because to me it is inconceivable that a subordinate leader should not carry out orders given by the leaders of the State.”

To Leon Goldensohn, March 31, 1946, from "The Nuremberg Interviews" by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004

Source: The Heritage Universe, Resurgence (2002), Chapter 16, “And Then There Were None” (p. 187)

To Obito, In Kakashi Gaiden

Source: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/private-luncheon-conversation-dr-dora-akunyili-fighting-corruption-drug-markets-and-advancing Dora at a private meeting at the Wilson Centre in 2006.

David Ulrich, ‎Jack Zenger, ‎Norman Smallwood (2013), Results-Based Leadership. p. 209

Source: My Share Of The Task (2013), p. 393-394
Context: All leaders are human. They get tired, angry, and jealous and carry the same range of emotions and frailties common to mankind. Most leaders periodically display them. The leaders I most admired were totally human but constantly strove to be the best humans they could be. Leaders make mistakes, and they are often costly. The first reflex is normally to deny the failure to themselves; the second is to hide it from others, because most leaders covet a reputation for infallibility. But it's a fool's dream and inherently dishonest. There are few secrets to leadership. It is mostly just hard work. More than anything else it requires self-discipline. Colorful, charismatic characters often fascinate people, even soldiers. But over time, effectiveness is what counts. Those who lead most successfully do so while looking out for their followers' welfare.

Man's Rise to Civilization (1968)
Context: We are in the habit of thinking in terms of great leaders largely because the leaders themselves want it that way. The pharaohs ordered that a record of their accomplishments be carved on stone; medieval nobles subsidized troubadours to sing their praises; today's world leaders have large staffs of public-relations consultants. No culture can be explained in terms of one or more leaders...<!-- p. 93