Initiative Quotes - Page 12

• I believe that the free enterprise system is the greatest engine of prosperity the world's ever known. I believe in self-reliance and individual initiative and risk-takers being rewarded. But I also believe that everybody should have a fair shot and everybody should do their fair share and everybody should play by the same rules, because that's how our economy's grown. That's how we built the world's greatest middle class.

  Barack Obama

  Believe, Self, Should Have

  "Exclusive: Expanding the Debate with Third-Party Candidates Jill Stein, Virgil Goode, Rocky Anderson". www.democracynow.org. October 17, 2012.

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• Most change initiatives either fail or fall far short of original (perhaps unrealistic) expectations. More often than not, resistance is cultural in nature, the result of what James O'Toole so aptly characterizes as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom."

  John Daly

  Fall, Expectations, Resistance

  Source: bobmorris.biz

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• I think words were Reagan's greatest weapon - and more powerful than the Strategic Defense Initiative, which did not come to fruition in his lifetime.

  David E. Hoffman

  Powerful, Thinking, Defense

  Source: www.washingtonpost.com

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• The most important step of all is the first step.  Start something!  What if that idea you have in the back of your head is a really good one, one that might end up helping tens of thousands of people?  You owe it to the world ot act.  Or maybe it will help only a few people:  The same advice applies.  If you don't do it, you are missing out on something big, and so are the people who could have been helped.

  Blake Mycoskie

  Motivational, Ideas, People

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• Considering mankind's indifference to freedom, their easy gullibility and their facile response to conditioning, one might very plausibly argue that collectivism is the political mode best suited to their disposition and their capacities. Under its regime, the citizen, like the soldier, is relieved of the burden of initiative and is divested of all responsibility, save for doing as he is told.

  Albert J. Nock

  Responsibility, Political, Soldier

  "Memoirs of a Superfluous Man" by Albert J. Nock, (p. 319), 1943.

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• The State always moves slowly and grudgingly towards any purpose that accrues to society's advantage, but moves rapidly and with alacrity towards one that accrues to its own advantage; nor does it ever move towards social purposes on its own initiative, but only under heavy pressure, while its motion towards anti-social purposes is self-sprung.

  Albert J. Nock

  Moving, Self, Doe

  "Our Enemy, the State" by Albert J. Nock, (p. 51), 1935.

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• What the carburetor, sparkplug and self-starter are to an automobile, initiative, private enterprise and executive ability are to industry as a whole, including the wage earner, wage payer, wage spender and wage saver, i.e., the investor. If the sparkplug and self-starter get out of commission, the car will come to a standstill.

  William J. H. Boetcker

  Self, Car, Automobile

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• Businessmen should not put their finger in politics, because they tend to think only of their own self-interest. But I worry about the low morale in Italian industry and the lack of government initiatives to help the poor.

  Diego Della Valle

  Thinking, Italian, Government

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• We Americans write our own history. And the chapters of which we're proudest are the ones where we had the courage to change. Time and again, Americans have seen the need for change, and have taken the initiative to bring that change to life.

  Al Gore

  Taken, Writing, Needs

  Al Gore's Speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, www.nytimes.com. August 29, 1996.

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• Having a comic in the White House will assure stability in foreign relations. The world will continue to respond to foreign initiatives by saying, 'You must be joking.'

  Pat Paulsen

  White, House, World

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• State intervention in economic production arises only when private initiative is lacking or insufficient, or when the political interests of the State are involved. This intervention may take the form of control, assistance or direct management.

  Benito Mussolini

  Political, May, Management

  "Mediterranean Fascism 1919-1945" by Charles F. Delzell, The MacMillan Press, (p. 122), 1971.

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• At the age of nineteen, on my own initiative and at my own expense, I raised an army by means of which I restored liberty to the republic, which had been oppressed by the tyranny of a faction. For which service the senate, with complimentary resolutions, enrolled me in its order.

  Augustus

  Mean, Army, Order

  "The Deeds of the Divine Augustus". Book by Augustus, 1924.

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• What would you call America's most priceless asset? Surely not its limitless natural resources, not its matchless national wealth, not its unequalled store of gold, not its giant factories, not its surpassing railroads, not its unprecedented volume of cheap power. Is not its most priceless asset the character of its people, their indomitable self-confidence, their transcendent vision, their sleepless initiative and, perhaps above all, their inherent, irrepressible optimism?

  B. C. Forbes

  Character, Self Confidence, America

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• There is nothing that so raises a young man's self-esteem, that so contributes to the formation of his character as for him to find himself unexpectedly confronted with a task which he has to accomplish entirely on his own initiative and by his own efforts.

  Stefan Zweig

  Self Esteem, Character, Men

  "Beware of Pity". Book by Stefan Zweig, 1939.

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• Either the State for ever, crushing individual and local life, taking over in all fields of human activity, bringing with it its wars and its domestic struggles for power, its palace revolutions which only replace one tyrant by another, and inevitably at the end of this development there is ... death! Or the destruction of States, and new life starting again in thousands of centers on the principle of the lively initiative of the individual and groups and that of free agreement.The choice lies with you!

  Peter Kropotkin

  Crush, War, Lying

  "Anarchism: Its Philosophy and Ideal". Book by Peter Kropotkin, 1896.

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• There can be no doubt that the young of today have to be protected against certain poisonous effects inherent in present-day civilization. Five social diseases surround them, even in early childhood. There is the decline in fitness due to modern methods of locomotion; the decline in initiative due to the widespread disease of spectatoritis; the decline in care and skill due to the weakened tradition of craftsmanship; the decline in self-discipline due to the ever-present availability of tranquilizers and stimulants, and the decline in compassion, which William Temple called "spiritual death.

  Kurt Hahn

  Spiritual, Compassion, Self

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• If we expected self-reliance of family groups, if we expected hardiness and resilience and initiative on the part of individuals, and if we rewarded initiative instead of dependence on government, we would not only ameliorate many of the family-related social problems we see at present, but we would also reduce our vulnerability to terrorism. People who are hardy, resilient, and self reliant are a lot harder to terrorize.

  Bernard Levin

  Government, Self, People

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• We need new proactive policies that focus directly on how authorities in the public and private sphere can blend economic and social policies with an enabling environment for private initiative to create market opportunities for Decent Work.

  Juan Somavia

  Work, Opportunity, Focus

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• When life does not go our way or we inadvertently make a mistake, it is so easy to make excuses, place blame on others, or argue that circumstances were against us. But we only progress in life to the extent that we take responsibility for our actions and attitudes, and put forth the initiative necessary to create our own circumstances.

  Stephen Covey

  Attitude, Freedom, Mistake

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• Our new strategic plan emphasizes the importance of providing access to records anytime, anywhere. This is one of many initiatives that we are launching to make our goal a reality.

  Allen Weinstein

  Reality, Goal, Records

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• Americans have always believed that-within the law-all kinds of people should be allowed to take the initiative in all kinds of activities. And out of that pluralism has come virtually all of our creativity. Freedom is real only to the extent that there are diverse alternatives.

  John W. Gardner

  Real, Creativity, Science

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• When you are leading, you have to take initiative.

  Michael Hyatt

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• This is a timely and relevant initiative. The environmental challenges facing Singapore and the region are becoming more complex. Tackling them will require inter-disciplinary approaches combined with a good understanding of science, economics and governance aspects. The NUS Bachelor of Environment programme will fill a much needed gap in the current framework. NEA is pleased to be a partner to this programme.

  Andrew Tan

  Understanding, Challenges, Environmental

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• I support this proposal and agree with this great and important initiative to abolish militarism and war. I will continue to speak out for an end to the institution of militarism and war and for institutions built on international law and human rights and nonviolent conflict resolution.

  Mairead Corrigan

  War, Rights, Speaks Out

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• The vast majority of local people will neither know all of the initiatives nor have any perception that the individual elements are beginning to contribute to making their home town more environmentally sustainable. It is even less likely that visitors will gain any picture of what is being achieved. It is to solve this problem that the Green Map System has been developed.

  Paul Burrell

  Home, People, Perception

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