--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can be a great president and be…" description: "\"You can be a great president and be ridden with flaws. Of course we know that.\" — Morley Safer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/morley-safer-17896_flaws_you-can-be-a-great-president-and-be-ridd_678592.png" --- # You can be a great president and be ridden with flaws. Of… ![“You can be a great president and be ridden with flaws. Of course we know that.” quote by Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/morley-safer-17896_flaws_you-can-be-a-great-president-and-be-ridd_678592.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/morley-safer-17896_flaws_you-can-be-a-great-president-and-be-ridd_678592.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/morley-safer-17896_flaws_you-can-be-a-great-president-and-be-ridd_678592.png) > “You can be a great president and be ridden with flaws. Of course we know that.” [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great leaders can be effective despite personal imperfections, acknowledging human fallibility. **In simple terms:** Leaders can be flawed yet effective. Key Takeaway Accept flaws, focus on strengths. Themes leadership humanity imperfection Mood reflective balanced Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - political office - team management - public speaking - personal development Key Concepts political science psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance acknowledging flaws with maintaining authority? - What strategies help leaders mitigate their weaknesses? A Different Perspective Flaws can undermine credibility if ignored. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flaws/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) ## Related quotes > [Donald Trump would make a great president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-stone/donald-trump-would-make-a-great-president/) [Roger Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-stone/) > [We imagine much more appropriately an artisan on his toilet seat or on his wife than a great president, venerable by his demeanorand his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/we-imagine-much-more-appropriately-an-artisan-on-his-toilet-seat-or/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [I'm not sure that the American people are looking for a lot of speeches. I think what they're looking for is action. But one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-m-not-sure-that-the-american-people-are-looking-for-a-lot-of/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [One right decision doth not a great president make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-cain/one-right-decision-doth-not-a-great-president-make/) [Herman Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-cain/) > [“I think Gore would have been a great president, may well have prevented 9/ 11, and would not have sent us to war in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-think-gore-would-have-been-a-great-president-may-well-have/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [I'm a Republican, but if I had my choice of running or having Obama - or somebody, but Obama, even Barack Obama - be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-a-republican-but-if-i-had-my-choice-of-running-or-having-obama-or/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I think Trump's gonna be a great president. And Hillary's a great woman too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farrah-abraham/i-think-trump-s-gonna-be-a-great-president-and-hillary-s-a-great/) [Farrah Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farrah-abraham/) > [I admire and respect Bill Clinton. I think he was a great president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-clyburn/i-admire-and-respect-bill-clinton-i-think-he-was-a-great-president/) [Jim Clyburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-clyburn/) > [Look, would I think my dad would make a great president in 2016 and going forward? Of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beau-biden/look-would-i-think-my-dad-would-make-a-great-president-in-2016-and/) [Beau Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beau-biden/) > [I love President Bush. I think it's great we have a president who always looks like he's looking directly into the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-caliendo/i-love-president-bush-i-think-it-s-great-we-have-a-president-who/) [Frank Caliendo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-caliendo/) > [Whether history will view Ronald Reagan as a great president depends, more than anything else, on one question: how much credit does he deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beschloss/whether-history-will-view-ronald-reagan-as-a-great-president-depends/) [Michael Beschloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beschloss/) > [That was my choice at that time, and I still say Nixon was a great president. A very beautiful and wise man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-burke/that-was-my-choice-at-that-time-and-i-still-say-nixon-was-a-great/) [Solomon Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-burke/) > [I'm obviously very loyal and very dedicated to Mr. Trump. I think he's going to be not just a good president, I think he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cohen/i-m-obviously-very-loyal-and-very-dedicated-to-mr-trump-i-think-he-s/) [Michael Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cohen/) > [People always try to separate the good from the bad in Clinton and say that, if he had not done certain things, he would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-moranis/people-always-try-to-separate-the-good-from-the-bad-in-clinton-and/) [David Moranis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-moranis/) > [As prime minister, I worked closely with Ronald Reagan for eight of the most important years of all our lives. We talked regularly both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/as-prime-minister-i-worked-closely-with-ronald-reagan-for-eight-of/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) ## More by Morley Safer > [You can never have enough garlic. With enough garlic, you can eat The New York Times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/you-can-never-have-enough-garlic-with-enough-garlic-you-can-eat-the/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [The Republicans learned well from Bill Clinton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/the-republicans-learned-well-from-bill-clinton/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [Arrogance and snobbism live in adjoining rooms and use a common currency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/arrogance-and-snobbism-live-in-adjoining-rooms-and-use-a-common/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [I am not in this business as a calling. I don't do what I do to right any wrongs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/i-am-not-in-this-business-as-a-calling-i-don-t-do-what-i-do-to-right/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [What has reality shows got to do with reality? It is beyond unreality; there is nothing real about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/what-has-reality-shows-got-to-do-with-reality-it-is-beyond-unreality/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [In his lifetime the great French impressionist painter Corot painted 2000 canvases. Of that number, 3000 are in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/in-his-lifetime-the-great-french-impressionist-painter-corot-painted/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [ \[The\] BBC was known as Auntie suggesting someone prudish and Victorian and that she still is on some days. On others she's a champagne-soaked… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/the-bbc-was-known-as-auntie-suggesting-someone-prudish-and-victorian/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [BBC Radio is not so much an art or industry as it is a way of life . . . a mirror that reflects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/bbc-radio-is-not-so-much-an-art-or-industry-as-it-is-a-way-of-life-a/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [I think it has sullied his presidency. As brilliant a politician as Bill Clinton is, as magnetic a personality as he can be, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/i-think-it-has-sullied-his-presidency-as-brilliant-a-politician-as/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [The helicopter is a fine way to travel, but it induces a view of the world that only God and CEOs share on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/the-helicopter-is-a-fine-way-to-travel-but-it-induces-a-view-of-the/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [Who knows who will be on board? A couple of spies, for sure. At least one grand duke; a few beautiful woman, no doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/who-knows-who-will-be-on-board-a-couple-of-spies-for-sure-at-least/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [BBC Radio is a never-never land of broadcasting, a safe haven from commercial considerations, a honey pot for every scholar and every hare-brained nut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/bbc-radio-is-a-never-never-land-of-broadcasting-a-safe-haven-from/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [I did three tours in Vietnam. I guess a total of about almost two years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/i-did-three-tours-in-vietnam-i-guess-a-total-of-about-almost-two-years/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [Pilgrims who are looking for a cure are soon looking for a curio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/pilgrims-who-are-looking-for-a-cure-are-soon-looking-for-a-curio/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [Reality TV is sleazy, it is manipulative. It is as momentary as anything in popular culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/reality-tv-is-sleazy-it-is-manipulative-it-is-as-momentary-as/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) [Explore all 36 Morley Safer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) ## More Flaws quotes > [I'm perfectly flawed... I've got tons of flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-m-perfectly-flawed-i-ve-got-tons-of-flaws/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [The queen of virtues is the recognition of one's own flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/the-queen-of-virtues-is-the-recognition-of-one-s-own-flaws/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) > [That's your friend. My husband is my best friend. He's not the mirror that holds up my flaws. He's just the guy who's like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/that-s-your-friend-my-husband-is-my-best-friend-he-s-not-the-mirror/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I almost always mess up. I fall too easily in love. I cry over boys. I'm not the prettiest girl you can find. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-almost-always-mess-up-i-fall-too-easily-in-love-i-cry-over-boys-i-m/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [Louisville is a place with no labels. It’s not the South, it’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/louisville-is-a-place-with-no-labels-it-s-not-the-south-it-s-not/) [Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/) > [..in that moment i realize how much i love the little everyday routines of my life..the details that are my life's special pattern, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/in-that-moment-i-realize-how-much-i-love-the-little-everyday-routines/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Heroes became heroes flaws and all gives us hope. "You mean I don't have to be perfect to fulfill my Dream, to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/heroes-became-heroes-flaws-and-all-gives-us-hope-you-mean-i-don-t/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [“Perfection was a myth. Beauty was in the flaws." - Tommas de Rossi “Chicago War: The Complete Series”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-kris/perfection-was-a-myth-beauty-was-in-the-flaws-tommas-de-rossi-chicago/) [Bethany-Kris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-kris/) > [Liberalism's fatal flaw,... is that it has no permanent norms, only a succession of enthusiasms espoused by minor prophets. Each of these seems like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/liberalism-s-fatal-flaw-is-that-it-has-no-permanent-norms-only-a/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [Pure essence, and pure matter, and the two joined into one were shot forth without flaw, like three bright arrows from a three-string bow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/pure-essence-and-pure-matter-and-the-two-joined-into-one-were-shot/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [I'm attracted to playing characters that have flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-shahi/i-m-attracted-to-playing-characters-that-have-flaws/) [Sarah Shahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-shahi/) > [Certain flaws are necessary for the whole. It would seem strange if old friends lacked certain quirks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/certain-flaws-are-necessary-for-the-whole-it-would-seem-strange-if/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Rich men are resolved to be astonished at nothing. When they see a masterpiece, they must needs at one glance recognize some flaw to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/rich-men-are-resolved-to-be-astonished-at-nothing-when-they-see-a/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) [Browse all 1,403 Flaws quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flaws/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can be a great president and be ridden with flaws. 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