--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The original thing that fascinated me…" description: "\"The original thing that fascinated me most was why we expect leaders, and especially presidents, at times to destroy themselves - and that's a sign of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/642/michael-beschloss-13530_being-a-good-leader_the-original-thing-that-fascinated-me-mo_708533.jpg" --- # The original thing that fascinated me most was why we… ![“The original thing that fascinated me most was why we expect leaders, and especially presidents, at times to destroy themselves - and that's a sign of being a good leader or a good president. We usually don't expect that of almost anyone else in any profession, in particular, in public life.” quote by Michael Beschloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/642/michael-beschloss-13530_being-a-good-leader_the-original-thing-that-fascinated-me-mo_708533.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/642/michael-beschloss-13530_being-a-good-leader_the-original-thing-that-fascinated-me-mo_708533.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/642/michael-beschloss-13530_being-a-good-leader_the-original-thing-that-fascinated-me-mo_708533.jpg) > “The original thing that fascinated me most was why we expect leaders, and especially presidents, at times to destroy themselves - and that's a sign of being a good leader or a good president. We usually don't expect that of almost anyone else in any profession, in particular, in public life.” [Michael Beschloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beschloss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He observes that leaders, especially presidents, are sometimes expected to self‑sacrifice, a sign of good leadership, unlike other professions. **In simple terms:** Leaders are often expected to sacrifice themselves, unlike others. Key Takeaway Accept that leadership may demand personal sacrifice. Themes leadership expectations self‑sacrifice Mood thoughtful critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - political campaigns - crisis management - public service Key Concepts heroic duty public scrutiny personal cost Questions to Reflect On - Is self‑destruction necessary for effective leadership? - How do we balance personal well‑being with public duty? A Different Perspective Self‑sacrifice can be glorified, not always healthy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being a good leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-good-leader/) [Especially Presidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/especially-presidents-3635266/) [Fascinated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascinated/) [Good leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-leader/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leader Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader-good-250784/) [Leaders Especially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders-especially-4714774/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Originals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originals/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-usually-431584/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Public life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [A good general not only sees the way to victory; he also knows when victory is impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polybius/a-good-general-not-only-sees-the-way-to-victory-he-also-knows-when/) [Polybius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polybius/) > [High sentiments always win in the end. The leaders who offer blood, toil, tears and sweat always get more out of their followers than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/high-sentiments-always-win-in-the-end-the-leaders-who-offer-blood/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It is much easier to apologise than it is to get permission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-hopper/if-it-s-a-good-idea-go-ahead-and-do-it-it-is-much-easier-to-apologise/) [Grace Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-hopper/) > [There is no real magic to being a good leader. But at the end of every week, you have to spend your time around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/there-is-no-real-magic-to-being-a-good-leader-but-at-the-end-of-every/) [Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/) > [Leadership is understanding people and involving them to help you do a job. 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We need our leaders, especially those who are teaching our young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-munroe/leadership-will-either-lead-you-into-a-ditch-or-lead-you-into-purpose/) [Myles Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-munroe/) > [“Every good leader are good reader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/istata/every-good-leader-are-good-reader/) [Istata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/istata/) > [To be a good leader, you have to be a good communicator. As a leader, you have to communicate your intent every chance you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-mcraven/to-be-a-good-leader-you-have-to-be-a-good-communicator-as-a-leader/) [William H. McRaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-mcraven/) > [When we're trying to decide whether a leader is a good leader or a bad one, the question to ask is: 'Is he with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/when-we-re-trying-to-decide-whether-a-leader-is-a-good-leader-or-a/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [I plan on being a friend, a good leader and a good governor over these next three years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rowland/i-plan-on-being-a-friend-a-good-leader-and-a-good-governor-over-these/) [John Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rowland/) ## More by Michael Beschloss > [Under the system that we now have to nominate presidential candidates, for instance, I would prefer that we have a system that is closer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beschloss/under-the-system-that-we-now-have-to-nominate-presidential-candidates/) [Michael Beschloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beschloss/) > [Mrs. Johnson was one of our most important First Ladies. 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Bush…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beschloss/the-more-successful-sons-and-daughters-know-when-to-lean-on-their/) [Michael Beschloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beschloss/) > [Historians often find important decisions few knew were important at the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beschloss/historians-often-find-important-decisions-few-knew-were-important-at/) [Michael Beschloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beschloss/) [Explore all 50 Michael Beschloss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beschloss/) ## More Being a good leader quotes > [A good general not only sees the way to victory; he also knows when victory is impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polybius/a-good-general-not-only-sees-the-way-to-victory-he-also-knows-when/) [Polybius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polybius/) > [He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/he-who-has-never-learned-to-obey-cannot-be-a-good-commander/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [A leader leads by example not by force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/a-leader-leads-by-example-not-by-force/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Well, the first quality of being a good leader is you have to be able to follow. See, a good leader cant just be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-leslie/well-the-first-quality-of-being-a-good-leader-is-you-have-to-be-able/) [Lisa Leslie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-leslie/) > [A leader is best when people barely know that he exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witter-bynner/a-leader-is-best-when-people-barely-know-that-he-exists/) [Witter Bynner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witter-bynner/) > [A good manager is best when people barely know that he exists. Not so good when people obey and acclaim him. Worse when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/a-good-manager-is-best-when-people-barely-know-that-he-exists-not-so/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [There is no real magic to being a good leader. But at the end of every week, you have to spend your time around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/there-is-no-real-magic-to-being-a-good-leader-but-at-the-end-of-every/) [Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/) > [If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It is much easier to apologise than it is to get permission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-hopper/if-it-s-a-good-idea-go-ahead-and-do-it-it-is-much-easier-to-apologise/) [Grace Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-hopper/) > [High sentiments always win in the end. The leaders who offer blood, toil, tears and sweat always get more out of their followers than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/high-sentiments-always-win-in-the-end-the-leaders-who-offer-blood/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Leadership is understanding people and involving them to help you do a job. That takes all of the good characteristics, like integrity, dedication of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arleigh-burke/leadership-is-understanding-people-and-involving-them-to-help-you-do/) [Arleigh Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arleigh-burke/) [Browse all 11 Being a good leader quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-good-leader/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The original thing that fascinated me most was why we expect leaders, and especially presidents, at times to destroy themselves - and that's a sign of being a good leader or a good president. 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