--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In our system leadership is by consent…" description: "\"In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To lead a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dac/donald-rumsfeld-1507_command_in-our-system-leadership-is-by-consent-n_2864379.jpg" --- # In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To… ![“In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To lead a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They can be critical to his persuasiveness and thus to his leadership.” quote by Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dac/donald-rumsfeld-1507_command_in-our-system-leadership-is-by-consent-n_2864379.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dac/donald-rumsfeld-1507_command_in-our-system-leadership-is-by-consent-n_2864379.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dac/donald-rumsfeld-1507_command_in-our-system-leadership-is-by-consent-n_2864379.jpg) > “In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To lead a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They can be critical to his persuasiveness and thus to his leadership.” [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective leadership relies on gaining consent through persuasion, using personal relationships and experiences to influence decision‑making rather than issuing commands. **In simple terms:** Leaders persuade, not command, using personal ties. Key Takeaway Cultivate trust and persuasive communication. Themes leadership persuasion consent influence relationships Mood strategic reflective Type political motivational When to use this quote - campaign strategy - policy advocacy - team building - negotiation Key Concepts political science psychology communication Questions to Reflect On - What personal stories can you share to build influence? - How do you balance persuasion with authority? A Different Perspective Persuasion can fail without credibility or shared values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/) [Consent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consent/) [Critical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critical/) [Lead President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lead-president-3831661/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Leadership Consent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership-consent-3883014/) [Persuade Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuade-personal-3675042/) [Persuasiveness Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuasiveness-leadership-3883013/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President Persuade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-persuade-3883015/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“as a planned result of the separation of powers, the president must persuade Congress of the rightness of his choices, and that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-cashill/as-a-planned-result-of-the-separation-of-powers-the-president-must/) [Jack Cashill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-cashill/) > [I not only urge you to vote that ticket yourself, but I beg that you will persuade others to do so. Personal effort can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jordan-jarvis/i-not-only-urge-you-to-vote-that-ticket-yourself-but-i-beg-that-you/) [Thomas Jordan Jarvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jordan-jarvis/) > [During the election campaign of 2000, it was generally thought that then-governor Bush didn't know much about foreign policy or national security affairs, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/during-the-election-campaign-of-2000-it-was-generally-thought-that/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [We're up against the conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as president comes from longevity in Washington or proximity to the White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-re-up-against-the-conventional-thinking-that-says-your-ability-to/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [When all moves equally (says Pascal), nothing seems to move as in a vessel under sail; and when all run by common consent into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/when-all-moves-equally-says-pascal-nothing-seems-to-move-as-in-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [I can never consent to being dictated to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tyler/i-can-never-consent-to-being-dictated-to/) [John Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tyler/) > [“Silence does not mean yes. No can be thought and felt but never said. It can be screamed silently on the inside. It can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-reed/silence-does-not-mean-yes-no-can-be-thought-and-felt-but-never-said/) [Amy Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-reed/) > [We live in an age rather skeptical of truth, of its existence." 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The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The order of things consents to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-order-of-things-consents-to-virtue/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Donald Rumsfeld > [Five days or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/five-days-or-five-months-but-it-certainly-isn-t-going-to-last-longer/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-don-t-believe-anyone-that-i-know-in-the-administration-ever-said/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [I don't think we'll discover anything, myself. I think what will happen is we'll discover people who will tell us where to go find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-don-t-think-we-ll-discover-anything-myself-i-think-what-will-happen/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [Members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate are not there by accident. Each managed to get there for some reason. Learn what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/members-of-the-u-s-house-and-the-u-s-senate-are-not-there-by-accident/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [The Federal Government should be the last resort, not the first. Ask if a potential program is truly a federal responsibility or whether it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/the-federal-government-should-be-the-last-resort-not-the-first-ask-if/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [The price of being close to the President is delivering bad news. 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It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/enjoy-your-time-in-public-service-it-may-well-be-one-of-the-most/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [There will be good moments, and there will be less good moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/there-will-be-good-moments-and-there-will-be-less-good-moments/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [From where you sit, the White House may look as untidy as the inside of a stomach. As is said of the legislative process,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/from-where-you-sit-the-white-house-may-look-as-untidy-as-the-inside/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [You will launch many projects, but have time to finish only a few. So think, plan, develop, launch and tap good people to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/you-will-launch-many-projects-but-have-time-to-finish-only-a-few-so/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [What is the value of having millions of people in Iraq not having a repressive regime? What is the value of having the Iraqi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/what-is-the-value-of-having-millions-of-people-in-iraq-not-having-a/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [Don't be a bottleneck. If a matter is not a decision for the President or you, delegate it. Force responsibility down and out. 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Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/) > [Our beliefs are like the unquestioned commands, telling us how things are, what's possible and what's impossible, what we can and can not do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/our-beliefs-are-like-the-unquestioned-commands-telling-us-how-things/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Why has no religion this command before all others: Thou shalt work?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berthold-auerbach/why-has-no-religion-this-command-before-all-others-thou-shalt-work/) [Berthold Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berthold-auerbach/) > [I ask one thing only: I ask for the right to hope, to suffer as I do. 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