Leadership Quote by George Friedman
““A president must know what it is he does not know, and he should remain calm in pursuit of it, but there is no obligation to be honest about it.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Next 100 Years, 2009
Leaders should admit ignorance, stay calm while learning, but they need not be honest about unknowns to maintain strategic advantage.
In simple terms: Leaders can be calm about what they don’t know without full honesty.
Key Takeaway
Balance humility with strategic discretion.
Themes
leadership
strategy
honesty
uncertainty
Mood
analytical
cautious
Type
philosophical
strategic
When to use this quote
- business negotiations
- diplomatic talks
- crisis management
- policy planning
Key Concepts
political science
risk management
information control
Questions to Reflect On
- When is it acceptable to conceal uncertainty?
- How does calmness affect decision‑making under unknowns?
A Different Perspective
Lack of honesty may erode trust over time.
![“We cannot anticipate the moral circumstances under which we will live. And therefore [I refuse] to say that I will not live in a moral circumstance that requires violence.” quote by George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/313/george-friedman-7436_anticipate_we-cannot-anticipate-the-moral-circumsta_260342.jpg)
![“War is an extraordinary condition to be in - to be, for example, in the combat information center of a warship [and behaving] as though you were merely processing credit card applications. [Instead,] the information you're processing is that an incoming missile is 15 kilometers away, now 10…” quote by George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ea7/george-friedman-7436_ancient_war-is-an-extraordinary-condition-to-be_312426.jpg)
