Charles B. Handy > Quotes

“The moment will arrive when you are comfortable with who you are, and what you are– bald or old or fat or poor, successful or struggling- when you don't feel the need to apologize for anything or to deny anything. To be comfortable in your own skin is the beginning of strength.”
― Charles Handy

“The world may admire the truth-tellers, but few will want to employ them.”
― Charles B. Handy, Myself and Other More Important Matters

“Anything that takes us out of our comfort zones for a while can act as a reminder that the past we are used to may not be our best future.”
― Charles B. Handy, The Second Curve: Thoughts on Reinventing Society

“Democracy assumes that individuals must be allowed to be the best judge of their own interests, even if they often seem to be misguided. Governments are not there to tell us what to believe or think, they are there to represent our beliefs, and to translate them into laws or regulations.”
― Charles B. Handy, The Hungry Spirit: New Thinking for a New World

“Differences can also make a big difference in the workplace. Take Margaret Thatcher and Abraham Lincoln. When Thatcher formed a Cabinet, she wanted people who thought the same way she did – were ‘one of us’, as she put it. That meant she could be guaranteed a harmonious discussion. So much so, I was told, that she felt able to sum it up before it started and challenge anyone to disagree with her. Of course this led to tyranny, which always ends in disaster – in her case with her decision to introduce the unpopular Poll Tax that led to the end of her reign.”
― Charles B. Handy, The View from Ninety: Reflections on How to Live a Long, Contented Life

“I do not believe in god, but I miss him.”
― Charles Handy, 21 Letters on Life and Its Challenges