Arrogant Quote by William Manchester
![“He [Gen. Douglas MacArthur] was a great thundering paradox of a man, noble and ignoble, inspiring and outrageous, arrogant and shy, the best of men and the worst of men, the most protean, most ridiculous, and most sublime.” quote by William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b2b/william-manchester-18393_arrogant_he-gen-douglas-macarthur-was-a-great-thu_2912473.jpg)
“He [Gen. Douglas MacArthur] was a great thundering paradox of a man, noble and ignoble, inspiring and outrageous, arrogant and shy, the best of men and the worst of men, the most protean, most ridiculous, and most sublime.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Last Lion: Winston Churchill, 2003 (contains MacArthur passage)
MacArthur embodied contradictory traits, showing that greatness can coexist with flaws.
In simple terms: Great people can be both noble and ignoble.
Key Takeaway
Recognize complexity in leaders.
Themes
leadership
contradiction
humanity
Mood
critical
thoughtful
Type
historical
analytical
When to use this quote
- political analysis
- biography
- leadership training
Key Concepts
history
psychology
paradox
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this paradox reveal about leadership?
- How do we balance admiration and criticism?
A Different Perspective
Focusing on contradictions can obscure achievements.
![“His [Gen. Douglas MacArthurs] twenty-two medals-thirteen of them for heroism-probably exceeded those of any other figure in American history. He seemed to seek death on battlefields.” quote by William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e01/william-manchester-18393_american-history_his-gen-douglas-macarthurs-twenty-two-me_2935806.jpg)
![“He [Gen. Douglas MacArthur] never went to church, but he read the Bible every day and regarded himself as one of the world's two great defenders of Christendom. (The other was the pope.)” quote by William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/82c/william-manchester-18393_christendom_he-gen-douglas-macarthur-never-went-to-c_2521869.jpg)
![“It was his [Gen. Douglas MacArthur's] relationship with the administration In Washington which became poisoned by his egomania. Link upon link the bond between events on the battlefield and his own ruin was forged, and, as is essential in genuine tragedy, the gods used the victim himself to forge…” quote by William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1cd/william-manchester-18393_administration_it-was-his-gen-douglas-macarthur-s-relat_2048769.jpg)
![“His [Gen. Douglas MacArthur's] own heroes were Lincoln and Washington, and in some ways he resembled them. Like them, he was slandered and misunderstood.” quote by William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c0e/william-manchester-18393_hero_his-gen-douglas-macarthur-s-own-heroes-w_1796800.jpg)
![“It is true that despite occasional gleams of Churchillian eloquence he [Gen. Douglas MacArthur] usually spoke poorly. He was far more effective in conversations a deux. But those who dismiss him as shallow because his rhetoric was fustian err.” quote by William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/996/william-manchester-18393_conversation_it-is-true-that-despite-occasional-gleam_124199.jpg)
![“His [Gen. Douglas MacArthur's] own heroes were Lincoln and Washington, and in some ways he resembled them.” quote by William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/572/william-manchester-18393_hero_his-gen-douglas-macarthur-s-own-heroes-w_1273936.jpg)
![“Just go to [Hillary Clinton] website. She tells you how to fight ISIS on her website. I don't think General Douglas MacArthur would like that too much.” quote by Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dba/donald-trump-18_clinton_just-go-to-hillary-clinton-website-she-t_1272026.jpg)
![“[T]he tax code has been piling up, year after year, a symbol of everything gone wrong in America, of arrogant rulers and lost freedom, just waiting for us to pick the whole thing up and heave it away. It has to happen. Free people can put up with such laws only for so long.” quote by Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aed/dick-armey-16265_america_t-he-tax-code-has-been-piling-up-year-af_12886.jpg)
