--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Forethought and prudence are the proper…" description: "\"Forethought and prudence are the proper qualities of a leader. [Lat., Ratio et consilium, propriae ducis artes.]\" — Tacitus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/tacitus-1552_forethought_forethought-and-prudence-are-the-proper_1173315.jpg" --- # Forethought and prudence are the proper qualities of a… ![“Forethought and prudence are the proper qualities of a leader. [Lat., Ratio et consilium, propriae ducis artes.]” quote by Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/tacitus-1552_forethought_forethought-and-prudence-are-the-proper_1173315.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/tacitus-1552_forethought_forethought-and-prudence-are-the-proper_1173315.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/tacitus-1552_forethought_forethought-and-prudence-are-the-proper_1173315.jpg) > “Forethought and prudence are the proper qualities of a leader. \[Lat., Ratio et consilium, propriae ducis artes.\]” [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaders need foresight and caution as essential traits. **In simple terms:** Leaders require foresight and caution. Key Takeaway Cultivate foresight and prudence. Themes leadership strategy wisdom Mood reflective serious Type historical advice When to use this quote - policy making - crisis management - team leadership Key Concepts political theory ethics Questions to Reflect On - When is prudence more harmful than helpful? - How balance foresight with decisive action? A Different Perspective Over‑cautiousness can stall action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forethought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forethought/) [Forethought Prudence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forethought-prudence-3410737/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Proper Qualities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proper-qualities-3410739/) [Prudence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prudence/) [Prudence Proper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prudence-proper-3410738/) [Qualities Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qualities-leader-1227181/) [Qualities of a leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qualities-of-a-leader/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Ratios](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ratios/) ## Related quotes > [The insight to see possible new paths, the courage to try them, the judgment to measure results - these are the qualities of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/the-insight-to-see-possible-new-paths-the-courage-to-try-them-the/) [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) > [Preparedness and punctuality are two of the most important qualities of a leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-andreas-widtsoe/preparedness-and-punctuality-are-two-of-the-most-important-qualities/) [John Andreas Widtsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-andreas-widtsoe/) > [Reason and judgment are the qualities of a leader..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/reason-and-judgment-are-the-qualities-of-a-leader/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [The capacity to listen, to observe, to weigh up evidence and to change your mind are some of the most important qualities in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-boles/the-capacity-to-listen-to-observe-to-weigh-up-evidence-and-to-change/) [Nick Boles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-boles/) > [A residential school also takes cares of the problem of malnourishment and interaction with their peers, and their teachers help build the qualities of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiv-nadar/a-residential-school-also-takes-cares-of-the-problem-of/) [Shiv Nadar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiv-nadar/) > [“Leadership does not come from being in a position of authority; it comes from exhibiting the qualities of a leader. 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Ray Kroc "If some of today's leaders don't relearn the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/the-quality-of-a-leader-is-reflected-in-the-standards-they-set-for-2/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [The quality of leaders matters less than the quality of citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-scialabba/the-quality-of-leaders-matters-less-than-the-quality-of-citizens/) [George Scialabba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-scialabba/) > [The quality of a leader cannot be judged by the answers he gives, but by the questions he asks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/the-quality-of-a-leader-cannot-be-judged-by-the-answers-he-gives-but/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [The moment you discover in life that it's not about yourself, that it is about investing in others, I think you're entering a steadier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/the-moment-you-discover-in-life-that-it-s-not-about-yourself-that-it/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [One quality of leaders and high achievers in every area seems to be a commitment to ongoing personal and professional development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/one-quality-of-leaders-and-high-achievers-in-every-area-seems-to-be-a/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) ## More by Tacitus > [Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/benefits-received-are-a-delight-to-us-as-long-as-we-think-we-can/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Rumor does not always err; it sometimes even elects a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/rumor-does-not-always-err-it-sometimes-even-elects-a-man/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [ None mourn more ostentatiously than those who most rejoice at it \[a death\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/none-mourn-more-ostentatiously-than-those-who-most-rejoice-at-it-a/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [So true is it that all transactions of preeminent importance are wrapt in doubt and obscurity; while some hold for certain facts the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-true-is-it-that-all-transactions-of-preeminent-importance-are/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Be assured those will be thy worst enemies, not to whom thou hast done evil, but who have done evil to thee. And those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/be-assured-those-will-be-thy-worst-enemies-not-to-whom-thou-hast-done/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Christianity is a pestilent superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/christianity-is-a-pestilent-superstition/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Indeed, the crowning proof of their valour and their strength is that they keep up their superiority without harm to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/indeed-the-crowning-proof-of-their-valour-and-their-strength-is-that/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Formerly we suffered from crimes; now we suffer from laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/formerly-we-suffered-from-crimes-now-we-suffer-from-laws/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [ None mourn more ostentatiously over the death of Germanicus than those who most rejoice at it \[a death\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/none-mourn-more-ostentatiously-over-the-death-of-germanicus-than/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Once killing starts, it is difficult to draw the line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/once-killing-starts-it-is-difficult-to-draw-the-line/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [The lust of dominion burns with a flame so fierce as to overpower all other affections of the human breast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-lust-of-dominion-burns-with-a-flame-so-fierce-as-to-overpower-all/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [“It is a principle of nature to hate those whom you have injured.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/it-is-a-principle-of-nature-to-hate-those-whom-you-have-injured/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Kindness, so far as we can return it, is agreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/kindness-so-far-as-we-can-return-it-is-agreeable/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Posterity gives every man his true value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/posterity-gives-every-man-his-true-value/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [The most detestable race of enemies are flatterers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-most-detestable-race-of-enemies-are-flatterers/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) [Explore all 227 Tacitus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) ## More Forethought quotes > [Do not tax your life with forethought of grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/do-not-tax-your-life-with-forethought-of-grief/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“I realized that with everything I did from that point onward, I would have to ask myself this question: "How would I feel if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mackey/i-realized-that-with-everything-i-did-from-that-point-onward-i-would/) [John Mackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mackey/) > [Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/choose-your-leaders-with-wisdom-and-forethought-to-be-led-by-a-coward/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Providence that watches over the affairs of men works out of their mistakes, at times, a healthier issue than could have been accomplished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anthony-froude/the-providence-that-watches-over-the-affairs-of-men-works-out-of/) [James Anthony Froude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anthony-froude/) > [“As a man without forethought scarcely deserves the name of a man, so forethought without reflection is but a metaphorical phrase for the instinct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/as-a-man-without-forethought-scarcely-deserves-the-name-of-a-man-so/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Great is the art, Great be the manners, of the bard. He shall not his brain encumber With the coil of rhythm and number;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/great-is-the-art-great-be-the-manners-of-the-bard-he-shall-not-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The most basic task of any museum must be the protection of works of cultural significance entrusted to its care for the edification and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/the-most-basic-task-of-any-museum-must-be-the-protection-of-works-of/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [Whoever fails to turn aside the ills of life by prudent forethought, must submit to fulfill the course of destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/whoever-fails-to-turn-aside-the-ills-of-life-by-prudent-forethought/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [ The first essential character \[of civilization\], I should say, is forethought. This, indeed, is what mainly distinguishes men from brutes and adults from children. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-first-essential-character-of-civilization-i-should-say-is/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/to-be-led-by-a-fool-is-to-be-led-by-the-opportunists-who-control-the/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [Science fiction is one of the smartest genres around because you have to have so much forethought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-schull/science-fiction-is-one-of-the-smartest-genres-around-because-you-have/) [Amanda Schull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-schull/) > [“The Peace of Wild Things When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-peace-of-wild-things-when-despair-for-the-world-grows-in-me-and-i/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The present moment is ever the critical time. The future is merely for intelligent forethought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barr/the-present-moment-is-ever-the-critical-time-the-future-is-merely-for/) [Robert Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barr/) > [The memory should be specially taxed in youth, since it is then that it is strongest and most tenacious. But in choosing the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/the-memory-should-be-specially-taxed-in-youth-since-it-is-then-that/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [People who never had enough thrift and forethought to buy and pay for property in the first place seldom have enough to keep property…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nixon-carver/people-who-never-had-enough-thrift-and-forethought-to-buy-and-pay-for/) [Thomas Nixon Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nixon-carver/) [Browse all 70 Forethought quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forethought/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Forethought and prudence are the proper qualities of a leader. 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