Quotes From This Episode

• “I write about their shortcomings and weaknesses, as well as their strength and power; their power to persuade, to communicate, and to make critical decisions at difficult times.”
• On Character – “Lincoln was the icon…he was humble, he had emotional intelligence, he was honest, he had a high sense of integrity, and also had great difficulty with telling something that wasn’t true…These qualities of character are absolutely essential because they set the tone, they set the example with followers”
• On Communication – “I felt John Kennedy had this magnificent quality this, we call it charisma. But it’s the ability for the people at all levels from someone who has a hard hat working-class, individual, like some of my relatives and friends who came over from Italy.”
• On Decision Making – “Truman made some very, very important decisions. He should really be ranked among the 10 greatest. He created NATO…he was the man who implemented the United Nations…when it came to making decisions, he wasn’t afraid… he listened carefully, and made his decisions based on facts… And I felt this was a real commander in chief.”
• On Emotional Intelligence – “Emotional intelligence is complex. But our greatest leaders had it…the two Roosevelts – Theodore and Franklin had, in my view, enormous emotional intelligence. They, under very difficult conditions, held on to their faculties.”
• Advice for President-Elect Biden – (he should) “sincerely try to reach out to those people who didn’t vote for him – at all levels. And to communicate with them and try to understand better what problems they face.”