Leadership Quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne
““The influential classes, and those who take upon themselves to be leaders of the people, are fully liable to all the passionate error that has ever characterized the maddest mob.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Scarlet Letter, 1850
Leaders who claim moral authority are prone to the same irrational passions as the masses they lead.
In simple terms: Leaders can be as irrational as the mob.
Beware of unchecked authority.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- political campaigns
- corporate governance
- social movements
- community organizing
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you assess a leader’s rationality?
- What safeguards prevent collective error?
Idealizing leaders can blind us to their flaws.