“A ‘Yes man’ is a dangerous man. He is a menace. He will go very far. He can become a minister, a secretary or a Field Marshall but he can never become a leader nor, ever be respected. He will be used by his superiors, disliked by his colleagues and despised by his subordinates. So discard the ‘Yes man’.”

— Sam Manekshaw

The quote "A ‘Yes man’ is a dangerous man. He is a menace. He will go very far. He can become a mini…" is famous quote attributed to Sam Manekshaw (1914–2008), First Field marshal of the Indian Army.

His lecture on leadership quoted in "Field Marshal KM Kariappa Memorial Lectures, 1995-2000", page=28

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update April 18, 2023. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Sam Manekshaw 15

First Field marshal of the Indian Army 1914–2008

Related quotes

“A man should live with his superiors as he does with his fire: not too near, lest he burn; nor too far off, lest he freeze.”

Albert Pike (1809–1891) Confederate States Army general and Freemason

Diogenes of Sinope, as quoted in Pearls of Thought (1882), edited by Maturin Murray Ballou, p. 22
Misattributed

“In handling men, there are three feelings that a man must not possess - fear, dislike and contempt. If he is afraid of men he cannot handle them. Neither can he influence them in his favor if he dislikes or scorns them. He must neither cringe nor sneer. He must have both self-respect and respect for others.”

Herbert N. Casson (1869–1951) Canadian journalist and writer

Herbert N. Casson cited in: Forbes magazine (1950) The Forbes scrapbook of Thoughts on the business of life. p. 158
1950s and later

“He was a lonely man in politics. He was neither liked nor trusted by his colleagues because he went against the grain.”

V. P. Singh (1931–2008) Indian politician

VP Singh: Former prime minister of India who tried to improve the lot of his country's lower castes

“He [Hitler] is a very great man. "Fuhrer" is the proper name for him, for he is a born leader, yes, and statesman.”

David Lloyd George (1863–1945) Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Quoted in A. J. Sylvester's diary entry (4 September 1936), Colin Cross (ed.), Life with Lloyd George. The Diary of A. J. Sylvester 1931-45 (London: Macmillan, 1975), p. 148
Later life

“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”

Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) pre-eminent leader of Indian nationalism during British-ruled India

In Ethical Religion, (Madras: S. Ganesan, 1922), p. 62 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015002732066?urlappend=%3Bseq=66
1920s
Variant: A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.