118 Quotes by John W. Gardner

For every talent that poverty has stimulated it has blighted a hundred.

Whoever I am, or whatever I am doing, some kind of excellence is within my reach.

The idea for which this nation stands will not survive if the highest goal free man can set themselves is an amiable mediocrity. Excellence implies striving for the highest standards in every phase of life.

The hallmark of our age is the tension between aspirations and sluggish institutions.

If you don't give your kid freedom to make choices with money, including stupid choices, he'll make plenty when he gets to college.

Leaders come in many forms, with many styles and diverse qualities. There are quiet leaders and leaders one can hear in the next county. Some find strength in eloquence, some in judgment, some in courage.

I am entirely certain that twenty years from now we will look back at education as it is practiced in most schools today and wonder that we could have tolerated anything so primitive.

Leaders can express the values that hold the society together. Most important, they can conceive and articulate goals that life people out of their petty preoccupations, carry them above the conflicts that tear a society apart, and unite them in the pursuit of objectives worthy of their best efforts.

If they want students to do anything, like reading a newspaper, drinking less alcohol or visiting the library, they need to introduce them to it early.