Capable Quote by William Blum
“Our leaders are cruel because only those willing to be inordinately cruel and remorseless can hold positions of leadership in the foreign policy establishment. People capable of expressing a full human measure of compassion and empathy toward faraway powerless strangers do not become president of the United States, or vice president, or secretary of state, or national security adviser or secretary of the treasury. Nor do they want to.”
About This Quote
Foreign policy leadership tends to favor ruthless individuals, while compassionate people are excluded from top positions.
In simple terms: Power structures favor cruelty over empathy.
Key Takeaway
Advocate for compassionate leadership.
Themes
politics
power
empathy
Mood
critical
hopeful
Type
political
ethical
When to use this quote
- government appointments
- policy debates
- humanitarian initiatives
- electoral campaigns
Key Concepts
cruelty
leadership
humanity
Questions to Reflect On
- What mechanisms allow compassionate leaders to rise?
- How can empathy be integrated into policy?
A Different Perspective
Not all leaders are cruel; some succeed with empathy.
![“The book, as it stands, seems to me to be one of the most frightful muddles I have ever read, with scarcely a sound proposition in it beginning with page 45 [Hayek provided historical background up to page 45; after that came his theoretical model], and yet it remains a book of some interest…” quote by John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1df/john-maynard-keynes-1380_backgrounds_the-book-as-it-stands-seems-to-me-to-be_646533.jpg)
![“[The Community's] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it is always upon nothingness that God is pleased to rear His works. If at any day we accomplish some good here, the glory will certainly be His alone, since…” quote by Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b8/theodore-guerin-54729_accomplish_the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give_7176.jpg)
