The Quotation IndexThe trusted reference for quotations and the sources behind them
Tag Tag Responsibility
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

“God helps them that help themselves.”

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

“I felt as if I were walking with Destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial.”

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

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

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

“Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.”

Thomas Jefferson · Letter to Thomas Jefferson Smith, 1825 · 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

“ As human beings, we are endowed with this freedom of choice, and we cannot shuffle off our responsibility upon the shoulders of God or nature. We must shoulder it ourselves. It is up to us. ”

Arnold J. Toynbee · Civilization on Trial, 1948 · Primary source

“As we must account for every idle word, so we must for every idle silence.”

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

“If you’d have a servant that you like, serve yourself.”

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

“The eye of a master, will do more work than his hand.”

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

“The honest man takes pains, and then enjoys pleasures; the knave takes pleasures, and then suffers pains.”

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

“The noblest question in the world is, what good may I do in it?”

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

“Would you live with ease, do what you ought, and not what you please.”

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

“Never leave till tomorrow what you can do today.”

Benjamin Franklin · The Way to Wealth, 1758 · Primary source

“Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today. It’s been that way all this year. It’s been that way so many times. All of this war is that way.”

Ernest Hemingway · For Whom the Bell Tolls, 1940 · Primary source

“Many remedies are suggested for the avoidance of worry and mental overstrain by persons who, over prolonged periods, have to bear exceptional responsibilities and discharge duties upon a very large scale. Some advise exercise, and others, repose. Some counsel travel, and others, retreat. Some praise solitude, and others, gaiety. No doubt all these may play their part according to the individual temperament. But the element which is constant and common in all of them is Change.”

Winston Churchill · Painting as a Pastime, 1948 · Primary source

“We cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individual. Toward this end, each of us must work toward his own highest development, accepting at the same time his share of responsibility in the general life of humanity—our particular duty being to help those to whom we feel we can be most useful.”

Marie Curie · Madame Curie: A Biography, 1938 · Secondary 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

“If a man owns land, the land owns him.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Wealth, 1860 · 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

“In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it.”

John F. Kennedy · Inaugural Address of President John F. Kennedy, 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

“Having the ability also means accepting the duty”

A.P. Møller · No reliable source

“Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything good in the world.”

Helen Keller · No reliable source

Related Tags

Self-reliance 49 Decision-making 35 Judgement 31 Purpose 31 Cold War 31 Resilience 30 Independence 29 Risk 29 Action 23 Initiative 21 Self-discipline 19 Accountability 18 Effort 18 Diligence 15 Freedom 15 Preparation 13 Wealth 13 Consequences 12 Failure 12 Deterrence 12 Duty 11 Attention 11 Honesty 11 Conduct 11 Agency 10 Consistency 10 Procrastination 9 Leadership 9 Time management 8 Obligation 8 Change 7 Public service 7 Political leadership 7 Desire 6 Renewal 6 Incentives 5 Choice 5 Pleasure 5 Self-development 5 Property 5 Civic duty 5 Practical wisdom 5 Follow-through 4 Human agency 3 Omission 3 Standards 3 Supervision 3 Management 3 Service 3 Control 3 Ability 2 Delegation 2 Oversight 2 Speech 2 Providence 2 Contribution 2 Competence 2 Present action 2 Luck 2 Ownership 2 Credit and blame 2 Punishment 2 Fairness 2 Quality control 1 Error reduction 1 Noblesse oblige 1 Maersk values 1 Free will 1 Fatalism 1 Silence 1 Good deeds 1 Excuses 1 Turning points 1 Destiny 1 Political experience 1 Mental strain 1 Rest 1 Human welfare 1 Privilege 1 Stewardship 1 Moral agency 1 Wrongdoing 1 Self-pity 1 Constructive action 1 Leadership by example 1