Catherine the Great

Nothing is more difficult, in my opinion, than to avoid something that fundamentally attracts you.

The more a man knows, the more he forgives.

If Russians knew how to read they would write me off.

A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache.

God, grant us our desires, and grant them quickly.

In politics a capable ruler must be guided by circumstances, conjectures and conjunctions.

The art of leadership is a serious matter. One must not lag behind a movement, because to do so is to become isolated from the masses. But one must not rush ahead, for to rush ahead is to lose contact with the masses. He who wished to lead a movement must conduct a fight on two fronts–against those who lag behind and those who rush ahead.

The very essence of leadership is having vision.

Leaders, true leaders, take responsibility for the success of the team, and understand that they must also take responsibility for the failure.

In real life, if I were firing you, I’d tell you what a great job you did, how fantastic you are, and how you can do better someplace else. If somebody steals, that’s different, but generally speaking, you want to let them down as lightly as possible. It’s not a very pleasant thing. I don’t like firing people.

Your performance depends on your people. Select the best, train them and back them. When errors occur, give sharper guidance. If errors persist or if the fit feels wrong, help them move on. The country cannot afford amateur hour in the White House.

I have a very simple rule when it comes to management: hire the best people from your competitors, pay them more than they were earning, and give them bonuses and incentives based on their performance. That’s how you build a first-class operation.

Don’t necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.

I think people should be nicer to each other

I judge people based on their capability, honesty, and merit.

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

When the leader lacks confidence, the followers lack commitment.

If you aspire to be a leader of your own country, you must speak your own language, for God’s sake.

But real leadership comes from the quiet nudging of an inner voice. It comes from realizing that the time has come to move beyond waiting to doing.

The challenge of leadership is to create change and facilitate growth.

If you wouldn’t follow yourself, why should anyone else?