This quote waiting for review.

“True statesmanship is revealed in restraint, foresight, and fairness. Decisions taken today must withstand the judgment of history. Power earns respect only when exercised with humility and purpose.”

Last update Sept. 26, 2026. History

Related quotes

“People need self-respect, but self-respect must be earned -- it cannot be self-respect if it's not earned -- and the only way to earn anything is to achieve it in the face of the possibility of failing.”

Charles Murray (1943) American libertarian political scientist, author, and columnist

Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010 http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/16997889. <br class="br">Crown Forum (2012); ISBN10: 0307453421; ISBN13: 9780307453426.

“The special harm attaching to prior restraint is that the government can keep materials from reaching the public, so there can be no accountability, no judgment by the people that the power to suppress was wrongly exercised.”

Randal Marlin (1938) Canadian academic

Source: Propaganda & The Ethics Of Persuasion (2002), Chapter Six, Freedom Of Expression, p. 207

“As an exercise of raw judicial power, the Court perhaps has authority to do what it does today; but, in my view, its judgment is an improvident and extravagant exercise of the power of judicial review that the Constitution extends to this Court.”

Byron White (1917–2002) Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, American football player

Dissenting from the decision of the US Supreme Court in Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179 at 222 (1973); also applied to Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973).

“Knowledge earns you power, character earns you respect.”

Bruce Lee (1940–1973) Hong Kong-American actor, martial artist, philosopher and filmmaker

Variant: Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.
Source: Striking Thoughts (2000), p. 46

“There is nothing that comes closer to true humility than the intelligence. It is impossible to feel pride in one's intelligence at the moment when one really and truly exercises it.”

Simone Weil (1909–1943) French philosopher, Christian mystic, and social activist

As quoted in the Introduction (by Siân Miles)
Source: Simone Weil : An Anthology (1986), p. 35

“You can't have pride without humility. Aggression without tolerance. Strength without compassion. Power without restraint.”

D.J. MacHale (1955) American television director and producer

“To rule means to exercise power, and only he who possesses power can exercise it. This direct connection of power and rule forms the fundamental truth of all politics and the key to all history.”

Ludwig von Rochau (1810–1873) German politician

Mittel Energie auszuüben und nur ihn anzuordnen der Energie besitzt kann sie ausüben. Dieser direkte Anschluß der Energie und der Richtlinie bildet die grundlegende Wahrheit aller Politik und den Schlüssel zu aller Geschichte.
As quoted in The German Idea of Freedom : History of a Political Tradition (1972) by Leonard Krieger, p. 354

“Having the foresight to plan to earn a living, is half of the peace and leisure in life.”

Ja'far al-Sadiq (702–765) Muslim religious person

Majlisi, Bihārul Anwār, vol.78, p. 204
General Quotes

“Rarities such as sincerity, respect, humility, character, loyalty, love and reciprocity belong to true souls.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: Rarità come la sincerità, il rispetto, l'umiltà, il carattere, la lealtà, l'amore e la reciprocità appartengono alle anime vere.
Source: prevale.net

“The rule is this: that wherever there is a decision of a Court of concurrent jurisdiction, the other Courts will adopt that as the basis of their decision, provided it can be appealed from. If it cannot be appealed from, then they will exercise their own judgment.”

Sir Frederick Pollock, 1st Baronet (1783–1870) British lawyer and Tory politician

Leech v. North Staffordshire Railway Co. (1860), 29 L. J. M. C. 155.

“True statesmanship is revealed in restraint, foresight, and fairness. Decisions taken today must withstand the judgment of history. Power earns respect only when exercised with humility and purpose.”

Related quotes

Related topics