--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a leader is hard; being an honest…" description: "\"“Being a leader is hard; being an honest one harder still”\" — David Watkins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68c/david-watkins-231604_hard_being-a-leader-is-hard-being-an-honest-o_2837111.jpg" --- # Being a leader is hard; being an honest one harder still ![“Being a leader is hard; being an honest one harder still” quote by David Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68c/david-watkins-231604_hard_being-a-leader-is-hard-being-an-honest-o_2837111.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68c/david-watkins-231604_hard_being-a-leader-is-hard-being-an-honest-o_2837111.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68c/david-watkins-231604_hard_being-a-leader-is-hard-being-an-honest-o_2837111.jpg) > ““Being a leader is hard; being an honest one harder still”” [David Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-watkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leadership requires honesty, which is tougher than leading itself. **In simple terms:** Being honest as a leader is harder than leading. Key Takeaway Prioritize integrity in leadership. Themes leadership honesty ethics challenge personal growth Mood advice philosophical Type Hard:1 Harder:1 Leader:1 Leadership:1 Truth:1 Hard Honest:0 Leader Hard:0 Honest Harder:1 When to use this quote - management training - personal development - coaching Key Concepts moral philosophy organizational behavior Questions to Reflect On - serious - inspirational ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-honest-646293/) [Harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harder/) [Honest Harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-harder-3697693/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leader Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader-hard-3697692/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [It's hard to be honest about you but it's harder to wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatin-syaza/it-s-hard-to-be-honest-about-you-but-it-s-harder-to-wait-for-you/) [Fatin Syaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatin-syaza/) > [I always want to do work that feels honest and that's harder to find than you imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonoya-mizuno/i-always-want-to-do-work-that-feels-honest-and-that-s-harder-to-find/) [Sonoya Mizuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonoya-mizuno/) > [It's very hard to be honest with yourself when something's just not working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shania-twain/it-s-very-hard-to-be-honest-with-yourself-when-something-s-just-not/) [Shania Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shania-twain/) > [Always work hard, be honest, and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-velasquez/always-work-hard-be-honest-and-be-proud-of-who-you-are/) [Patricia Velasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-velasquez/) > [It is hard for any one to be an honest politician who is not born and bred a Dissenter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/it-is-hard-for-any-one-to-be-an-honest-politician-who-is-not-born-and/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [My job is to work hard and be honest with my character, and that's in my control. I can only try to give my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawazuddin-siddiqui/my-job-is-to-work-hard-and-be-honest-with-my-character-and-that-s-in/) [Nawazuddin Siddiqui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawazuddin-siddiqui/) > [They don't keep their promises in the promised land, its getting mighty hard to find an honest man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/they-don-t-keep-their-promises-in-the-promised-land-its-getting/) [Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/) > [I was taught to work hard and to be honest, and that's what I try to do, so that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-arpaio/i-was-taught-to-work-hard-and-to-be-honest-and-that-s-what-i-try-to/) [Joe Arpaio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-arpaio/) > [“Well, everyone can’t lead an exciting life. 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Because once you told someone the truth, that person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-cross/it-was-hard-to-be-honest-to-open-up-and-reveal-something-that-sounded/) [Sarah Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-cross/) > [I think there is a big and significant difference between being a leader and being a manager-leaders lead from the heart. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-jung/i-think-there-is-a-big-and-significant-difference-between-being-a/) [Andrea Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-jung/) ## More Hard quotes > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is hard to admit to someone that you love him..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misherie/it-is-hard-to-admit-to-someone-that-you-love-him/) [Misherie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misherie/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. 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