---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Leadership has a harder job to do than…"
description: "\"Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.\" — Jesse Jackson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/jesse-jackson-1161_harder_leadership-has-a-harder-job-to-do-than-j_594908.jpg"
---

#  Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides…

![“Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.” quote by Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/jesse-jackson-1161_harder_leadership-has-a-harder-job-to-do-than-j_594908.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/jesse-jackson-1161_harder_leadership-has-a-harder-job-to-do-than-j_594908.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/jesse-jackson-1161_harder_leadership-has-a-harder-job-to-do-than-j_594908.jpg)

> “Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.”

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

## About This Quote

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

Leadership must transcend partisan choices, actively uniting diverse groups toward shared goals.

**In simple terms:** Leadership unites, not divides.

Key Takeaway

Seek common ground.

Themes

leadership unity politics

Mood

motivational strategic

Type

inspirational practical

When to use this quote

- team building
- community organizing
- policy development
- negotiation

Key Concepts

collaboration conflict resolution

Questions to Reflect On

- What strategies foster genuine collaboration?
- How do you handle entrenched opposition?

A Different Perspective

Uniting can be slow and contentious.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/)

## Related quotes

> [Leadership has a harder job to do than just choosing sides. It must bring sides together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/leadership-has-a-harder-job-to-do-than-just-choosing-sides-it-must/)

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

> [Taking sides cannot bring peace and balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/taking-sides-cannot-bring-peace-and-balance/)

[Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/)

> [Life isn't easy, and leadership is harder still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/life-isn-t-easy-and-leadership-is-harder-still/)

[Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/)

> [It's one thing to earnestly try but fail to bring the two sides together. Though Democrats will deny it, that was the case with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-limbaugh/it-s-one-thing-to-earnestly-try-but-fail-to-bring-the-two-sides/)

[David Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-limbaugh/)

> [Leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indra-nooyi/leadership-is-hard-to-define-and-good-leadership-even-harder-but-if/)

[Indra Nooyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indra-nooyi/)

> [When the ship is sinking and you're forced to choose sides, the new solution is to jump from island to island to island. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/when-the-ship-is-sinking-and-you-re-forced-to-choose-sides-the-new/)

[Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/)

> [“Belonging is one of the things that makes life bearable, and it can be tough to look at a binary world and choose against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/belonging-is-one-of-the-things-that-makes-life-bearable-and-it-can-be/)

[Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/)

> [This is why angels choose sides, why people join teams. It costs too much not to; it weighs too heavily to soldier on alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-kate/this-is-why-angels-choose-sides-why-people-join-teams-it-costs-too/)

[Lauren Kate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-kate/)

> [You can't be a mod and a rocker. You have to choose sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/you-can-t-be-a-mod-and-a-rocker-you-have-to-choose-sides/)

[Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/)

> [The idiot willingness to choose sides is what feeds the abattoir of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-heighton/the-idiot-willingness-to-choose-sides-is-what-feeds-the-abattoir-of/)

[Steven Heighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-heighton/)

> [People feel the need to choose sides when a relationship splits - it's human nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammara-webber/people-feel-the-need-to-choose-sides-when-a-relationship-splits-it-s/)

[Tammara Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammara-webber/)

> [There was a ton of fighting between my mother and father. The kids would be thrown into the middle, to choose sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-carter/there-was-a-ton-of-fighting-between-my-mother-and-father-the-kids/)

[Nick Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-carter/)

> [We want the U.S. to have constructive and stable relations with China. That makes it much easier for us. Then we don't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hsien-loong/we-want-the-u-s-to-have-constructive-and-stable-relations-with-china/)

[Lee Hsien Loong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hsien-loong/)

> [“Since one must choose sides, one might as well choose the side that is victorious, the side which devastates, loots, and burns. Considering the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-freeman/since-one-must-choose-sides-one-might-as-well-choose-the-side-that-is/)

[Henry Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-freeman/)

> [“You don't have to choose sides," he said. "Make up your own mind and believe that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/you-don-t-have-to-choose-sides-he-said-make-up-your-own-mind-and/)

[Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/)

## More by Jesse Jackson

> [If my mind can conceive it ,and my heart can believe it,i known I can achieve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/if-my-mind-can-conceive-it-and-my-heart-can-believe-it-i-known-i-can/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [We reveal our joys and successes, we conceal our pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-reveal-our-joys-and-successes-we-conceal-our-pain/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [We blacks were the first people embracing Obama, long before the people at expensive fundraisers were supporting him. We gave him his first love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-blacks-were-the-first-people-embracing-obama-long-before-the/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [The coffers are full of money and equipment for the Ferguson Police and the Missouri National Guard to put down a potential uprising, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/the-coffers-are-full-of-money-and-equipment-for-the-ferguson-police/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/many-are-observing-ferguson-and-witnessing-the-anger-demonstrations/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [What's good for the very rich might not be good for anybody but them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/what-s-good-for-the-very-rich-might-not-be-good-for-anybody-but-them/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [Those who have the most wealth and the most property, their children have the first, the best, and the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/those-who-have-the-most-wealth-and-the-most-property-their-children/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [Most blacks will argue that they excel because of hard work, because of intellect, determination, sweat, blood, tears and risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/most-blacks-will-argue-that-they-excel-because-of-hard-work-because/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [Pictures can live in one's memory. That's why they are important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/pictures-can-live-in-one-s-memory-that-s-why-they-are-important/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [A check or credit card, a Gucci bag strap, anything of value will do. Give as you live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/a-check-or-credit-card-a-gucci-bag-strap-anything-of-value-will-do/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [When they wrote the Constitution, only white male landowners had the right to vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/when-they-wrote-the-constitution-only-white-male-landowners-had-the/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [I'm too mature to be angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/i-m-too-mature-to-be-angry/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [We picked their cotton. We cooked their food. We nursed their babies. Now we can run their cities. We can run their states. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-picked-their-cotton-we-cooked-their-food-we-nursed-their-babies/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [There are clear patterns of discrimination against Blacks and Latinos. The big banks targeted Blacks and Latinos with toxic packages of subprime predatory lending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/there-are-clear-patterns-of-discrimination-against-blacks-and-latinos/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [Few would deny that blacks have become very dominant in athletics: football, basketball, track, now dominant in tennis and dominant in golf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/few-would-deny-that-blacks-have-become-very-dominant-in-athletics/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

[Explore all 281 Jesse Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

## More Harder quotes

> [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/)

[Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/)

> [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/)

[Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/)

> [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/)

[Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/)

> [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/)

[Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/)

> [Forgive me for noting that conservatives seem to believe that the rich will work harder if we give them more, and the poor will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-dionne/forgive-me-for-noting-that-conservatives-seem-to-believe-that-the/)

[E. J. Dionne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-dionne/)

> [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/)

[Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/)

> [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [It is easy to take a photograph, but it is harder to make a masterpiece in photography than in any other art medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/it-is-easy-to-take-a-photograph-but-it-is-harder-to-make-a/)

[Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/)

> [Harder to get in than out, like so little else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/harder-to-get-in-than-out-like-so-little-else/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [There's nothing harder than making a mellow, clean record. It's really scary. I can see why people would never want to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-segall/there-s-nothing-harder-than-making-a-mellow-clean-record-it-s-really/)

[Ty Segall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-segall/)

> [I met Tyler Perry and we did 'House of Payne' and a movie. We've done a couple other films since then, but it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-gross/i-met-tyler-perry-and-we-did-house-of-payne-and-a-movie-we-ve-done-a/)

[Lance Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-gross/)

> [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [What is needed, however, isn't just that people working together be nice to each other. It is discipline. Discipline is hard--harder than trustworthiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/what-is-needed-however-isn-t-just-that-people-working-together-be/)

[Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/)

Browse all 3,695 Harder quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jesse Jackson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/leadership-has-a-harder-job-to-do-than-just-choose-sides-it-must/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Harder"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/leadership-has-a-harder-job-to-do-than-just-choose-sides-it-must/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/jesse-jackson-1161_harder_leadership-has-a-harder-job-to-do-than-j_594908.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/jesse-jackson-1161_harder_leadership-has-a-harder-job-to-do-than-j_594908.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/jesse-jackson-1161_harder_leadership-has-a-harder-job-to-do-than-j_594908.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.” — Jesse Jackson",
                "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": "Jesse Jackson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Leadership has a harder job to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/leadership-has-a-harder-job-to-do-than-just-choose-sides-it-must/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/leadership-has-a-harder-job-to-do-than-just-choose-sides-it-must/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
