"Even if the skies were shorter than my knees, I would not kneel."
"Whenever you can, act as a liberator. Freedom, dignity, wealth - these three together constitute the greatest happiness of humanity. If you bequeath all three to your people, their love for you will never die."
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Source: 9 Timeless Leadership Lessons from Cyrus the Great by Ryan Holiday, www.forbes.com. April 19, 2012.
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"A man's enjoyment of all good things is in exact proportion to the pains he has undergone to gain them."
"Diversity in counsel, unity in command."
"Success always calls for greater generosity - though most people, lost in the darkness of their own egos, treat it as an occasion for greater greed. Collecting boot is not an end itself, but only a means for building an empire. Riches would be of little use to us now - except as a means of winning new friends."
"All men have their frailties; and whoever looks for a friend without imperfections, will never find what he seeks."
"Brevity is the soul of command. Too much talking suggests desperation on the part of the leader. Speak shortly, decisively and to the point–and couch your desires in such natural logic that no one can raise objections. Then move on."