What can we learn about trust from the great leaders, teachers, writers and philosophers?
JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING
This week, and in recognition of Father’s Day we turn our attention to quotes from fathers, for fathers and about fathers. Regardless of your role in life- a parent, teacher, business, religious or military leader, the following contain many messages about character, competence and consistency, the key ingredients for building trust.
- “Being a role model is the most powerful form of educating…too often fathers neglect it because they get so caught up in making a living they forget to make a life.” John Wooden
- “Fathers…it’s vital to exhibit a thoughtful balance between being a tough as nails disciplinarian and compassionate gentle patriarch to our families. Too much of one devastates relationships and too much of the other emasculates our ability to effectively lead. Our wives and children need the security and assurance of knowing that we can be both tough and tender. One side steel…the other side velvet. ~Jason Versey”
- “The greatest mark of a father is how he treats his children when no one is looking.” Dan Pearce
- “The quality of a father can be seen in the goals, dreams and aspirations he sets not only for himself, but for his family.” Reed Markham
- “As fathers, we should have a desire to be active participants in our children’s lives.” Asa Don Brown
- “(My father) didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” Clarence B. Kelland
- “I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.” Umberto Eco
- “Dads. Do you not realize that a child is what you tell them they are? That people almost always become what they are labeled? Was whatever your child just did really the “dumbest thing you’ve ever seen somebody do”? Was it really the “most ridiculous thing they ever could have done”? Do you really believe that your child is an idiot? Because she now does. Think about that. Because you said it, she now believes it. Bravo.” Dan Pearce
- “His client needs him, he says. Needs him? But isn’t he needed at home?” Beth Kephart
- “The strength of a man is in his character. A strong man is great man of wisdom who understands, his top priority is to his family.” Ellen J. Barrier
- “As a father, we need to actively listen.” Asa Don Brown
- “It has been said that as goes the family, so goes the world. It can also be said that as goes the father, so goes the family.” Voddie T. Baucham Jr.
- “My dad kept giving me “love pats.” Love pats are soft punches of encouragement that are administered on the knee, shoulder, and arm.” Stephen Chbosky
- “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” Jim Valvano
- “One father is more than 100 schoolmasters.” George Herbert
- “There’s no better cure for the fear of taking after one’s father, than not to know who he is.” Andre Gide
- “Spiritual fathers have influence over the lives of individuals. Patriarchs have influence over families. The devil has been able to destroy families because there is a lack of spiritual fathers and patriarchs.” Sherry K. White
- “There is no teacher equal to mother and there’s nothing more contagious than the dignity of a father.” Amit Ray
- “A father acts on behalf of his children by working, providing, intervening, struggling, and suffering for them. In so doing, he really stands in their place. He is not an isolated individual, but incorporates the selves of several people in his own self. Every attempt to live as if he were alone is a denial of the fact that he is actually responsible. He cannot escape the responsibility, which is his because he is a father. This reality refutes the fictitious notion that the isolated individual is the agent of all ethical behavior. It is not the isolated individual but the responsible person who is the proper agent to be considered in ethical reflection.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- “Listen, there is no way any true man is going to let children live around him in his home and not discipline and teach, fight and mold them until they know all he knows. His goal is to make them better than he is. Being their friend is a distant second to this.” Victor Devlin
Did your father say or do something that encouraged you to lead with trust? Please share your story with us.
Want to read more from this series?
We recently highlighted some of the best quotes on building trust from:
- John Wooden
- John C. Maxwell
- Zig Ziglar
- Mahtma Gandhi
- Dr. Seuss (for Mother’s Day)
- George Bernard Shaw
- Military Leaders (for Memorial Day)
- Napoleon Hill
- Deepak Chopra
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust, and runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.
Our annual poster, 52 Weeks of Activities to Increase Organizational Trust is available to those who would like to support our work by making a small donation.
Did you know we have published 3 books in our award-winning TRUST Inc. series. They are yours when you join our Alliance.
Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.
Recent Comments