The Quotation IndexThe trusted reference for quotations and the sources behind them
Tag Tag Accountability
A man is worthy of praise or blame solely on account of those actions which lie within his power to do or not to do.
Leonardo da Vinci The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci · 1888

Quotes

“Don’t ever get angry at a man for stating the truth.”

Ayn Rand · Atlas Shrugged, 1957 · Primary source

“The man who is good at making an excuse, is seldom good at any thing else.”

Benjamin Franklin · Liber Facetiarum: Being a Collection of Curious and Interesting Anecdotes, 1809 · Secondary source

“There’s an old saying that victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan.”

John F. Kennedy · Kennedy’s Bay of Pigs News Conference, 1961 · Primary source

“I am the responsible officer of the government [regarding the failed invasion of Cuba].”

John F. Kennedy · Kennedy’s Bay of Pigs News Conference, 1961 · Primary source

“It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.”

Eleanor Roosevelt · My Day, 1935-1962 · Primary source

“Commanders must remember that the issuance of an order, or the devising of a plan, is only about five per cent of the responsibility of command. The other ninety-five per cent is to insure, by personal observation, or through the interposing of staff officers, that the order is carried out.”

George S. Patton · War As I Knew It, 1947 · Primary source

“In all branches of commerce and industry, history shows dramatic reduction in the error rates when their cost is brought back from the customer to the perpetrator.”

Tony Hoare · How Did Software Get So Reliable Without Proof?, 1996 · Primary source

“Delegation without follow-through is abdication. You can never wash your hands of a task.”

Andrew S. Grove · High Output Management, 1983 · Primary source

“Be always ashamed to catch thyself idle.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“Do not do that which you would not have known.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“Pardoning the bad, is injuring the good.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“I have adhered to my rule of never criticizing any measure of war or policy after the event unless I had before expressed publicly or formally my opinion or warning about it.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“Above all, he liked it that everything was one’s own fault. There was only oneself to praise or blame. Luck was a servant and not a master. Luck had to be accepted with a shrug or taken advantage of up to the hilt. But it had to be understood and recognized for what it was and not confused with a faulty appreciation of the odds, for, at gambling, the deadly sin is to mistake bad play for bad luck. And luck in all its moods had to be loved and not feared.”

Ian Fleming · Casino Royale, 1953 · Primary source

“For of those to whom much is given, much is required.”

John F. Kennedy · The City Upon a Hill Speech, 1961 · Primary source

“He who does not punish evil commands it to be done.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

“I directed him to carry it out, stating that if he succeeded he would get the full credit, and that if he failed, I would take the blame.”

George S. Patton · War As I Knew It, 1947 · Primary source

“In carrying out a mission, the promulgation of the order represents not over ten per cent of your responsibility. The remaining ninety per cent consists in assuring by means of personal supervision on the ground, by yourself and your staff, proper and vigorous execution.”

George S. Patton · War As I Knew It, 1947 · Primary source

Related Tags

Judgement 31 Risk 29 Responsibility 27 Trust 21 Self-discipline 19 Integrity 19 Industry 17 Truth 16 Reputation 16 Execution 13 Conscience 12 Failure 12 Deterrence 12 Honesty 11 Consistency 10 Justice 9 Leadership 9 Public service 7 Idleness 6 Incentives 5 Choice 5 Follow-through 4 Secrecy 4 Use of time 3 Control 3 Command 3 Supervision 3 Delegation 2 Oversight 2 Emotional restraint 2 Candour 2 Competence 2 Luck 2 Credit and blame 2 Bay of Pigs 2 Executive leadership 2 Punishment 2 Fairness 2 Command responsibility 2 Quality control 1 Error reduction 1 Pardon 1 Clemency 1 Public protection 1 Excuses 1 Hindsight 1 Public judgement 1 Intellectual honesty 1 Privilege 1 Stewardship 1 Presidential responsibility 1 Moral agency 1 Wrongdoing 1 Leadership by example 1 Staff oversight 1