---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Power should be reserved for…"
description: "\"Power should be reserved for weightlifting and boats, and leadership really involves responsibility.\" — Herb Kelleher"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/herb-kelleher-8657_boat_power-should-be-reserved-for-weightlifti_78060.png"
---

#  Power should be reserved for weightlifting and boats, and…

![“Power should be reserved for weightlifting and boats, and leadership really involves responsibility.” quote by Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/herb-kelleher-8657_boat_power-should-be-reserved-for-weightlifti_78060.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/herb-kelleher-8657_boat_power-should-be-reserved-for-weightlifti_78060.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/herb-kelleher-8657_boat_power-should-be-reserved-for-weightlifti_78060.png)

> “Power should be reserved for weightlifting and boats, and leadership really involves responsibility.”

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Power is best applied to tangible tasks like lifting and navigating, while true leadership is about should responsibility, not dominance.

**In simple terms:** Power serves tasks; leadership serves people.

Key Takeaway

Leadership = responsibility, not control.

Themes

responsibility leadership power dynamics humility service

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

aphor advice

When to use this quote

- managing a crew
- leading a project
- coaching athletes
- overseeing operations
- guiding volunteers

Key Concepts

authority accountability teamwork ethical conduct

Practical Applications

- team building
- organizational culture development

Questions to Reflect On

- How does responsibility shape effective leadership?
- What are the risks of conflating power with leadership?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Weightlifting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weightlifting/)

## Related quotes

> [Ability involves responsibility; power, to its last particle, is duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-maclaren/ability-involves-responsibility-power-to-its-last-particle-is-duty/)

[Ian Maclaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-maclaren/)

> [“Leadership cannot really be taught. It can only be learned." - Harold S. Geneen”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-spoon/leadership-cannot-really-be-taught-it-can-only-be-learned-harold-s/)

Richard Spoon

> [It's a huge assortment that we have under our roof and I don't know, it's just managing a taste level and execution of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/it-s-a-huge-assortment-that-we-have-under-our-roof-and-i-don-t-know/)

[Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/)

> [Presidential leadership is a really tough job, does come not easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-sharma/presidential-leadership-is-a-really-tough-job-does-come-not-easily/)

Dinesh Sharma

> [But really, where leadership is born and where leadership is really bred is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-moore/but-really-where-leadership-is-born-and-where-leadership-is-really/)

[Wes Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-moore/)

> [Leadership cannot really be taught. It can only be learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/leadership-cannot-really-be-taught-it-can-only-be-learned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't really know why I like weightlifting, especially since training is very hard. It just came into my life and I can't live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hidilyn-diaz/i-don-t-really-know-why-i-like-weightlifting-especially-since/)

[Hidilyn Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hidilyn-diaz/)

> [What Sri Chinmoy has done in his weightlifting is an absolute miracle. He is a man of unique strength, a spiritual man exemplifying mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-pearl/what-sri-chinmoy-has-done-in-his-weightlifting-is-an-absolute-miracle/)

Bill Pearl

> [Thinking is like exercise, it requires consistency and rigor. Like barbells in a weightlifting room, the classics force us to either put them down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-is-like-exercise-it-requires-consistency-and-rigor-like/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I almost looked at it as a waste of my experience, from weightlifting into my CrossFit career not to share some of the stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-fraser/i-almost-looked-at-it-as-a-waste-of-my-experience-from-weightlifting/)

[Mat Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-fraser/)

> [For years I was doing the excruciating weightlifting of writing scripts - but then I stayed thin and someone else got all the muscles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/for-years-i-was-doing-the-excruciating-weightlifting-of-writing/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [After school I would go to the gym where I actually did Olympic weightlifting. And usually that night I would do bodybuilding stuff, core,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-fraser/after-school-i-would-go-to-the-gym-where-i-actually-did-olympic/)

[Mat Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-fraser/)

> [Only recently have I been introduced to the gym and heavy weightlifting and things like that. Before that, when I grew up, I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-taylor-johnson/only-recently-have-i-been-introduced-to-the-gym-and-heavy/)

[Aaron Taylor-Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-taylor-johnson/)

> [I will be the most marketable of anybody to come through weightlifting ever. With my personality and my size, I mean, I can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-henry/i-will-be-the-most-marketable-of-anybody-to-come-through/)

[Mark Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-henry/)

> [“The barbells and dumbbells you hold in your hands and the way you use them have stories to tell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-cecil/the-barbells-and-dumbbells-you-hold-in-your-hands-and-the-way-you-use/)

[Craig Cecil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-cecil/)

## More by Herb Kelleher

> [If the Wright brother were alive today Wilbur would have to fire Orville to reduce costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/if-the-wright-brother-were-alive-today-wilbur-would-have-to-fire/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [You have to treat your employees like your customers. When you treat them right they will treat your outside customers right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/you-have-to-treat-your-employees-like-your-customers-when-you-treat/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [As far as value is concerned, the principal reason that I moved to Texas from New Jersey many, many years ago was because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/as-far-as-value-is-concerned-the-principal-reason-that-i-moved-to/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [Sometimes you need a little courage too just to buck popular opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/sometimes-you-need-a-little-courage-too-just-to-buck-popular-opinion/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [I want to see Texas remain an entrepreneurial powerhouse in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/i-want-to-see-texas-remain-an-entrepreneurial-powerhouse-in-the/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [You can't have a mid-life crisis in the airline industry because every day is a crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/you-can-t-have-a-mid-life-crisis-in-the-airline-industry-because/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [Keep costs low and spirits high, and the people of Southwest Airlines will keep LUV in the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/keep-costs-low-and-spirits-high-and-the-people-of-southwest-airlines/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than by fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/a-company-is-stronger-if-it-is-bound-by-love-rather-than-by-fear/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [The people of Southwest have always been my pride, my joy and my love. Their indomitable dedication and esprit de corps have taken Southwest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/the-people-of-southwest-have-always-been-my-pride-my-joy-and-my-love/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [A motivated employee treats the customer well. The customer is happy, so they keep coming back. It's not one of the enduring green mysteries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/a-motivated-employee-treats-the-customer-well-the-customer-is-happy/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [Hire for attitude, train for skill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/hire-for-attitude-train-for-skill/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [We have the best customer satisfaction record, based on Transportation Dept. statistics, of any airline in America, the fewest complaints filed per 100,000 passengers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/we-have-the-best-customer-satisfaction-record-based-on-transportation/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [Think small and act small, and we'll get bigger. Think big and act big, and we'll get smaller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/think-small-and-act-small-and-we-ll-get-bigger-think-big-and-act-big/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [I've found that many of the greatest ideas surface in bars because that's where many people cultivate inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/i-ve-found-that-many-of-the-greatest-ideas-surface-in-bars-because/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

> [Wild Turkey whiskey and Philip Morris cigarettes are essential to the maintenance of human life!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/wild-turkey-whiskey-and-philip-morris-cigarettes-are-essential-to-the/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

[Explore all 79 Herb Kelleher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

## More Boat quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/)

[Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/)

> [Fly-fishing for wild trout on quiet waters must be one of the toughest and craziest ways to catch fish ever invented by man, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-voelker/fly-fishing-for-wild-trout-on-quiet-waters-must-be-one-of-the/)

[John D. Voelker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-voelker/)

> [It was just the sort of yatch you'd expect a rock promoter to have. Mirrored ceilings, marble, Jacuzzis and leopard-skin everything, it made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/it-was-just-the-sort-of-yatch-you-d-expect-a-rock-promoter-to-have/)

[Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/)

> [It's a hindrance in trying to get a serious acting role. The minute a producer has a script and my name comes up, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbi-benton/it-s-a-hindrance-in-trying-to-get-a-serious-acting-role-the-minute-a/)

[Barbi Benton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbi-benton/)

> [Something I like to do a lot is just sit by water when there’s a current and just stare into the water. I don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/something-i-like-to-do-a-lot-is-just-sit-by-water-when-there-s-a/)

[Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/)

> [The trouble is, you can't properly present something you don't believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcguane/the-trouble-is-you-can-t-properly-present-something-you-don-t-believe/)

[Thomas McGuane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcguane/)

> [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/)

[Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/)

> [A film is a boat which is always on the point of sinking-it always tends to break up as you go along and drag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-truffaut/a-film-is-a-boat-which-is-always-on-the-point-of-sinking-it-always/)

[Francois Truffaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-truffaut/)

> [I took one guitar lesson, and they wanted me to play 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' or 'Michael Row the Boat Ashore,' and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-took-one-guitar-lesson-and-they-wanted-me-to-play-mary-had-a-little/)

[Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/)

> [I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try. The Air Force said I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-doyle/i-was-35-years-old-and-in-a-position-to-take-a-shot-at-whatever-i/)

[Jerry Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-doyle/)

> [We wanted a musical number that would capture the exhilaration of being out on a boat as they were and sailing with the stars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-musker/we-wanted-a-musical-number-that-would-capture-the-exhilaration-of/)

[John Musker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-musker/)

> [I thought I would try my hand at sailing. It was too small and kept sinking, so I decided to try a boat instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/i-thought-i-would-try-my-hand-at-sailing-it-was-too-small-and-kept/)

[Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/)

> [I once went down the Amazon and our boat got charged by Columbian policemen with guns and we all had to get on motorbikes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-skelton/i-once-went-down-the-amazon-and-our-boat-got-charged-by-columbian/)

[Helen Skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-skelton/)

> [Most of the world is covered by water. A fisherman's job is simple: Pick out the best parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-waterman/most-of-the-world-is-covered-by-water-a-fisherman-s-job-is-simple/)

Charles W. Waterman

Browse all 1,788 Boat quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Power should be reserved for weightlifting and boats, and leadership really involves responsibility.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Herb Kelleher"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/power-should-be-reserved-for-weightlifting-and-boats-and-leadership/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Boat"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/power-should-be-reserved-for-weightlifting-and-boats-and-leadership/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/herb-kelleher-8657_boat_power-should-be-reserved-for-weightlifti_78060.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/herb-kelleher-8657_boat_power-should-be-reserved-for-weightlifti_78060.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c8/herb-kelleher-8657_boat_power-should-be-reserved-for-weightlifti_78060.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Power should be reserved for weightlifting and boats, and leadership really involves responsibility.” — Herb Kelleher",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Herb Kelleher",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Power should be reserved for weightlifting...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/power-should-be-reserved-for-weightlifting-and-boats-and-leadership/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/power-should-be-reserved-for-weightlifting-and-boats-and-leadership/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```