Belief Quote by George Orwell
“The secret of rulership is to combine a belief in one’s own infallibility with a power to learn from past mistakes.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: 1945, “The Politics of Leadership”
Effective rulership blends confidence with humility to learn from errors.
In simple terms: Leaders must be confident yet open to learning.
Key Takeaway
Adopt a mindset of confident humility.
Themes
leadership
humility
learning
Mood
reflective
inspirational
Type
political
philosophical
advice
When to use this quote
- political leadership
- organizational management
- personal growth
- education
Key Concepts
self‑awareness
adaptability
historical insight
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you stay open to feedback?
- What mechanisms help leaders learn from past errors?
A Different Perspective
Overconfidence can blind leaders to mistakes.
![“Perhaps this is why The Boeing Company, one of the largest airplane design and engineering firms in the world, keeps a black book of lessons it has learned from design and engineering failures.[4] Boeing has kept this document since the company was formed, and it uses it to help modern designers…” quote by Scott Berkun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b87/scott-berkun-12409_quote_perhaps-this-is-why-the-boeing-company-o_1819992.jpg)
