But our leaders of today have decided it's more important to be popular, to say and do what's easy, and say yes rather than to say no, when no is what is required.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Popularity isn't my compass. Unless it can help one to act, to be understood... that's what counts.
The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.
My own personal popularity can have no influence over me when the dictates of my best judgment and the obligations of an oath require of me a particular course. Under such circumstances, whether I sink or swim on the tide of popular favor is, to me, a matter of inferior consideration.
It would be nice if we could all agree to this proposition: popularity is not the same as achievement.
If your only objective is to be popular, you're going to be popular but you will be known as the Prime Minister who achieved nothing.
That is what leadership is all about: staking your ground ahead of where opinion is and convincing people, not simply following the popular opinion of the moment.
What is right is not always popular.
I was never looking to be popular. The trade-off for me in seeking other people's opinions is the potential to help that you get in the media. And we don't always do that, but when we do, it's a beautiful thing.
Popularity is a crime from the moment it is sought; it is only a virtue where men have it whether they will or no.
We live in a society obsessed with public opinion. But leadership has never been about popularity.