Quotes About Authority

Pride in office without competence is as much a sin as competence without confidence.

Fear binds people together in a way that cannot be achieved by other means. Those who would convert the people back to the old ways need fear, need something that will drive

Man has responsibility, not power.

A diplomat these days in nothing, but a head waiter who is allowed to sit down occasionally.

People at the top of the tree are those without qualifications to detain those at the bottom

Politicians only get to the top because they have no qualifications to detain them at the bottom.

War is too important to be left to the generals.

But in spacious, vigorous story-telling, in the use of an historical framework, in the relating of human events to a larger philosophical and spiritual context, in the deployment of fiction as a social and political weapon, in the exultation of 'the people' as a supreme authority, in the treatment of suffering as a dominant theme--in all these matters Hugo exerted a profound influence on Tolstoy.

if you're smart enough to do the job, you're too smart to trust with the controls.

How do you know? Maybe you're just out of the loop, maybe those orthogonal stealthnets are running you the way you think you're running Rakshi. You think everyone on the planet's a puppet except for Colonel Jim Moore?

Not even the most heavily-armed police state can exert brute force on all of its citizens all of the time. Meme management is so much subtler; the rose-tinted refraction of perceived reality, the contagious fear of threatening alternatives. There have always been those tasked with the rotation of informational topologies, but throughout most of history they had little to do with increasing its clarity.

GRUNTS LOOK THE ENEMY IN THE EYE. GRUNTS KNOW THE STAKES. GRUNTS KNOW THE PRICE OF POOR STRATEGY. WHAT DO THE GENERALS KNOW? OVERLAYS AND TACTICAL PLOTS. THE WHOLE CHAIN OF COMMAND IS UPSIDE-DOWN. –KENNETH LUBIN, ZERO SUM

Not even the most heavily-armed police state can exert brute force on all of its citizens all of the time. Meme management is so much subtler; the rose-tinted refraction of perceived reality, the contagious fear of threatening alternatives.

They're not gods," Brüks reminded him softly. "Not yet." "Not ever." "That's denial." "Better than genuflection.

Not even the most heavily-armed police state can exert brute force to all of its citizens all of the time. Meme management is so much subtler; the rose-tinted refraction of perceived reality, the contagious fear of threatening alternatives.

An alliance with a powerful person is never safe.

Men in however high a station ought to fear the humble.

Larana: No! Father, you can't kill him! Arguron King: Of course I can , my dear! I have minions , and soldiers and lots and lots of pointy – Larana: Argh! No! Arguron King: Oooh! I see! You want to kill him yourself ! How like your dear mother you are! Larana: Father, listen ! I don't want him killed at all ! Arguron King: I… I don't understand what you are saying …

Now I am in control!" He followed this statement with a burst of laughter that showed the owner had done a fair share of gloating in his time, and had the basics down pat.

You know, there's more to being an evil despot then getting cake whenever you want it." "If that's what you think, then you're DOING IT WRONG!

Are you all right, Lady?" Agatha looked up. "I guess. I just wonder how many other girls have to worry about whether or not it's smart to really trust their . . . you know, the guys they—" Lady Vitriox crossed her arms. "All of them," she said flatly. "But mine has an army!" The old woman shook her head. "They all do, my Lady. It consists of other men.

I'm serious. Mess with me and your shoes are mine .

Leaders inspire. They aren't assigned leadership. They command it.

You can do what's right, or you can do what you are told.