---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a president, you've got to show some…"
description: "\"As a president, you've got to show some example. I am disturbed for instance when I read that a candidate said, 'I will not probe anybody or something ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/841/wole-soyinka-1587_agency_as-a-president-you-ve-got-to-show-some-e_1431083.jpg"
---

#  As a president, you've got to show some example. I am…

![“As a president, you've got to show some example. I am disturbed for instance when I read that a candidate said, 'I will not probe anybody or something like that'. You don't fight corruption by sweeping everything under the carpet, you don't. You just say, am going to allow the law take its course…” quote by Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/841/wole-soyinka-1587_agency_as-a-president-you-ve-got-to-show-some-e_1431083.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/841/wole-soyinka-1587_agency_as-a-president-you-ve-got-to-show-some-e_1431083.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/841/wole-soyinka-1587_agency_as-a-president-you-ve-got-to-show-some-e_1431083.jpg)

> “As a president, you've got to show some example. I am disturbed for instance when I read that a candidate said, 'I will not probe anybody or something like that'. You don't fight corruption by sweeping everything under the carpet, you don't. You just say, am going to allow the law take its course; I am going to empower the agencies which has been set up for such specific purpose of stemming the corrupt out flow of resources from this nation and don't even talk to me about corruption beyond saying you going to strengthen existing institutions.”

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A president must lead by example, confronting corruption openly rather than ignoring it, and empower institutions to act.

**In simple terms:** Leaders should fight corruption directly and strengthen institutions.

Key Takeaway

Enforce accountability and empower agencies.

Themes

leadership integrity governance

Mood

serious urgent

Type

political inspirational

When to use this quote

- government policy
- public administration
- corporate compliance
- NGO advocacy

Key Concepts

Rule of law institutional empowerment

Questions to Reflect On

- What steps can you take to promote transparency?
- How do you balance authority with accountability?

A Different Perspective

Changing entrenched systems can be politically risky.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) [Empowering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empowering/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/)

## Related quotes

> [I am disturbed for instance when I read that a candidate said, 'I will not probe anybody or something like that'. You don't fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-am-disturbed-for-instance-when-i-read-that-a-candidate-said-i-will/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [When we talk about corruption, there's corruption on both sides of the border. That's what I think is interesting. I'm from Mexico, so when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demian-bichir/when-we-talk-about-corruption-there-s-corruption-on-both-sides-of-the/)

[Demian Bichir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demian-bichir/)

> [People talk about immigration, but they won't talk about the corruption that actually exists between Mexico and the U.S.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rodriguez/people-talk-about-immigration-but-they-won-t-talk-about-the/)

[Robert Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rodriguez/)

> [If you talk about corruption, you can talk about a lot of things in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-benitez/if-you-talk-about-corruption-you-can-talk-about-a-lot-of-things-in/)

[Rafael Benitez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-benitez/)

> [It is not fair to those who fight corruption that they have to fight the aggressiveness, the impunity of the corrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/it-is-not-fair-to-those-who-fight-corruption-that-they-have-to-fight/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [When you fight corruption, corruption strikes back and that is the truth because when you fight corruption, you get confidence and when it gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/when-you-fight-corruption-corruption-strikes-back-and-that-is-the/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [All those who talk about democracy, freedom, and the rule of law, of human rights, of the fight against corruption are, I believe, important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-guaido/all-those-who-talk-about-democracy-freedom-and-the-rule-of-law-of/)

[Juan Guaido](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-guaido/)

> [Corruption has been tolerated for too long now, and with Buhari, we will, for the first time ever, have a president who will fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yemi-osinbajo/corruption-has-been-tolerated-for-too-long-now-and-with-buhari-we/)

[Yemi Osinbajo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yemi-osinbajo/)

> [Any strategy to promote democracy and human rights must have the fight against corruption at its heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-malinowski/any-strategy-to-promote-democracy-and-human-rights-must-have-the/)

[Tom Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-malinowski/)

> [This gentleman has taken on the very fashionable theme of fighting corruption and I say again: In order to fight corruption you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/this-gentleman-has-taken-on-the-very-fashionable-theme-of-fighting/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [The IMF and the World Bank, the most opaque and secretive entities, put millions into NGOs who fight against "corruption" and for "transparency." They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-imf-and-the-world-bank-the-most-opaque-and-secretive-entities-put/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [We did not organize press conferences and talk about fighting against corruption, we acted on the ground and brought changes in the schemes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-did-not-organize-press-conferences-and-talk-about-fighting-against/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [“China will make real progress in the fight against corruption only when prosecution and conviction are separated from politics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-g-chang/china-will-make-real-progress-in-the-fight-against-corruption-only/)

[Gordon G. Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-g-chang/)

> [When you fight corruption, it fights back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuhu-ribadu/when-you-fight-corruption-it-fights-back/)

[Nuhu Ribadu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuhu-ribadu/)

> [As you fight corruption, it fights back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yemi-osinbajo/as-you-fight-corruption-it-fights-back/)

[Yemi Osinbajo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yemi-osinbajo/)

## More by Wole Soyinka

> [Writers and intellectuals have a duty to humanity. It is to insist that the human entity remains the primary asset in overall development; thus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/writers-and-intellectuals-have-a-duty-to-humanity-it-is-to-insist/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [When I tried to create a new political party, which I stressed that this is not my party. I believe very much that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/when-i-tried-to-create-a-new-political-party-which-i-stressed-that/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [Each time I think I've created time for myself, along comes a throwback to disrupt my private space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/each-time-i-think-i-ve-created-time-for-myself-along-comes-a/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [I began writing early - very, very early... I was already writing short stories for the radio and selling poems to poetry and art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-began-writing-early-very-very-early-i-was-already-writing-short/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [My horizon on humanity is enlarged by reading the writers of poems, seeing a painting, listening to some music, some opera, which has nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/my-horizon-on-humanity-is-enlarged-by-reading-the-writers-of-poems/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [Under a dictatorship, a nation ceases to exist. All that remains is a fiefdom, a planet of slaves regimented by aliens from outer-space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/under-a-dictatorship-a-nation-ceases-to-exist-all-that-remains-is-a/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [The phenomenon of creativity, we know, is closely related to the ability to yoke together separate, and even seemingly incompatible, matrices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/the-phenomenon-of-creativity-we-know-is-closely-related-to-the/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [One, a mass movement from within, which, as you know, is constantly being put down brutally but which, again, regroups and moves forward as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/one-a-mass-movement-from-within-which-as-you-know-is-constantly-being/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [One has to confront history honestly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/one-has-to-confront-history-honestly/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [We wasted a lot of creative energy in that immediate post colonial era, when there was a struggle between, you know, the Cold War…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/we-wasted-a-lot-of-creative-energy-in-that-immediate-post-colonial/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [I have a kind of magnetic attraction to situations of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-have-a-kind-of-magnetic-attraction-to-situations-of-violence/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [The Egba kingdom was one of the very last to be ceded to the British protectorate. It remained almost an independent entity within what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/the-egba-kingdom-was-one-of-the-very-last-to-be-ceded-to-the-british/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [One's own self-worth is tied to the worth of the community to which one belongs, which is intimately connected to humanity in general. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/one-s-own-self-worth-is-tied-to-the-worth-of-the-community-to-which/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [I was born into a Christian household, in a parsonage in fact, so I grew up in sort of a missionary atmosphere but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-was-born-into-a-christian-household-in-a-parsonage-in-fact-so-i/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [The problem with literature, with writing, is that it works sometimes in terms of correction of social ills. Other times, it just does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/the-problem-with-literature-with-writing-is-that-it-works-sometimes/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

[Explore all 225 Wole Soyinka quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

## More Agency quotes

> [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/)

[Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/)

> [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/)

[Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/)

> [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/)

[John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/)

> [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [In 1949 there was a new thing called Television, to which my agency and advisers opposed as a performance medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-young/in-1949-there-was-a-new-thing-called-television-to-which-my-agency/)

[Loretta Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-young/)

> [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/)

[Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/)

> [I know that God loves us. He allows us to exercise our moral agency even when we misuse it. He permits us to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/i-know-that-god-loves-us-he-allows-us-to-exercise-our-moral-agency/)

[Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/)

> [I was taking all prints and I brought them to the Magnum meetings, trying the old Josef Koudelka trick: Give them to photographers, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/i-was-taking-all-prints-and-i-brought-them-to-the-magnum-meetings/)

[Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/)

> [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [In most agencies, account executives outnumber the copywriters two to one. If you were a dairy farmer, would you employ twice as many milkers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/in-most-agencies-account-executives-outnumber-the-copywriters-two-to/)

[David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/)

> [Free agency is a gift of God…The world does not comprehend the significance of that divine gift to the individual. It is as inherent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/free-agency-is-a-gift-of-god-the-world-does-not-comprehend-the/)

[David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/)

> [You are also asked to take an oath, and that's the oath of service. The oath of service is not to secrecy, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-are-also-asked-to-take-an-oath-and-that-s-the-oath-of-service-the/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [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/)

> [I do a lot of writing in my capacity as the creative director for a marketing agency. These days, though, I'm trying to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-doescher/i-do-a-lot-of-writing-in-my-capacity-as-the-creative-director-for-a/)

[Ian Doescher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-doescher/)

> [Unfortunately, corruption is widespread in government agencies and public enterprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-papandreou/unfortunately-corruption-is-widespread-in-government-agencies-and/)

[George Papandreou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-papandreou/)

Browse all 1,225 Agency quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As a president, you've got to show some example. I am disturbed for instance when I read that a candidate said, 'I will not probe anybody or something like that'. You don't fight corruption by sweeping everything under the carpet, you don't. You just say, am going to allow the law take its course; I am going to empower the agencies which has been set up for such specific purpose of stemming the corrupt out flow of resources from this nation and don't even talk to me about corruption beyond saying you going to strengthen existing institutions.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wole Soyinka"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/as-a-president-you-ve-got-to-show-some-example-i-am-disturbed-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agency"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/as-a-president-you-ve-got-to-show-some-example-i-am-disturbed-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/841/wole-soyinka-1587_agency_as-a-president-you-ve-got-to-show-some-e_1431083.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/841/wole-soyinka-1587_agency_as-a-president-you-ve-got-to-show-some-e_1431083.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/841/wole-soyinka-1587_agency_as-a-president-you-ve-got-to-show-some-e_1431083.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As a president, you've got to show some example. I am disturbed for instance when I read that a candidate…” — Wole Soyinka",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Wole Soyinka",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As a president, you've got to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/as-a-president-you-ve-got-to-show-some-example-i-am-disturbed-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/as-a-president-you-ve-got-to-show-some-example-i-am-disturbed-for/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
