10 Quotes by Eric Burns

Give a man a hoe and he is something to exploit. Give him a book and he is something to fear.

The library is not, as some would have it, a place for the retiring of disposition or faint of heart. It is not an ivory tower or a quiet room in a sanitarium facing away from the afternoon sun. It is, rather, a command center, a power base. A board room, a war room. An Oval Office for all who preside over their own destinies. One does not retreat from the world here; one prepares to join it at an advantage.

He's certainly coming in at the deep end in one of the most partisan committees in the House.

Her opinion is that the people who got us in this mess are not going to be the ones to get us out of it.

He's a leader who doesn't like reporters. I don't know that there's anything about this that reflects badly on his leadership abilities, but I think there's something about this that reflects badly on decision-making, and decision-making is part of leadership.

There's no way to tell how it's going to shake out. The deck is stacked against local communities.

Greatness is more than potential. It is the execution of that potential.

It's not enough to create magic. You have to create a price for magic, too. You have to create rules.

Greatness is more than potential. It is the execution of that potential. Beyond the raw talent. You need the appropriate training. You need the discipline. You need the inspiration. You need the drive.