Best John W. Gardner Sayings
- When one may pay out over two million dollars to presidential and Congressional campaigns, the U.S. government is virtually up for sale. Campaigns
- Whoever I am, or whatever I am doing, some kind of excellence is within my reach. Excellence
- For every talent that poverty has stimulated it has blighted a hundred. Blighted
- The idea for which this nation stands will not survive if the highest goal free man can set themselves is an amiable mediocrity. Excellence implies… Amiable
- If you have some respect for people as they are, you can be more effective in helping them to become better than they are. Army
- One of the reasons people stop learning is that they become less and less willing to risk failure. Become Less
- Our problem is not to find better values but to be faithful to those we profess. Better
- It is hard to feel individually responsible with respect to the invisible processes of a huge and distant government. Distant
- The hallmark of our age is the tension between aspirations and sluggish institutions. Age
- All laws are an attempt to domesticate the natural ferocity of the species. All
- Men of integrity, by their very existence, rekindle the belief that as a people we can live above the level of moral squalor. We need… Belief
- Some people have greatness thrust upon them. Very few have excellence thrust upon them. Excellence
- America's greatness has been the greatness of a free people who shared certain moral commitments. Freedom without moral commitment is aimless and promptly self-destructive. Aimless
- I am entirely certain that twenty years from now we will look back at education as it is practiced in most schools today and wonder… Certain
- Leaders come in many forms, with many styles and diverse qualities. There are quiet leaders and leaders one can hear in the next county. Some… County
- The world loves talent but pays off on character. Character
- It is not easy to be crafty and winsome at the same time, and few accomplish it after the age of six. Accomplish
- The ultimate goal of the educational system is to shift to the individual the burden of pursuing his education. Burden
- We pay a heavy price for our fear of failure. It is a powerful obstacle to growth. It assures the progressive narrowing of the personality… All
- History never looks like history when you are living through it. History
- A prime function of a leader is to keep hope alive. Alive
- The cynic says, "One man can't do anything". I say, "Only one man can do anything." Business
- An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher. Admirable
- Josh Billings said, It is not only the most difficult thing to know oneself, but the most inconvenient one, too. Human beings have always employed… Always Employed
- We are all faced with a series of great opportunities - brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems. All