"That was my first lesson from Ben-Gurion. Then I saw him making peace, and I saw him making war. He mobilized me before the war. The man was a very rare combination between a real intellectual and a born leader. There is a contradiction between the two."

Leadership

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Insight & Reflection

The theme of leadership is universal, yet Shimon Peres manages to capture its essence in a uniquely profound way. Taking a moment to internalize this can shift our mindset, reminding us that our perspective on leadership often shapes our reality.

About Shimon Peres

Shimon Peres was an Israeli politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the president of Israel from 2007 to 2014. He was a member of twelve cabinets and represented five political parties in a political career spanning 70 years. Peres was elected to the Knesset in November 1959 and except for three months out of office in early 2006, served as a member of the Knesset continuously until he was elected president in 2007. Serving in the Knesset for 48 years, Peres is the longest serving member in the Knesset's history. At the time of his retirement from politics in 2014, he was the world's oldest head of state and was considered the last link to Israel's founding generation, as well as the last Prime Minister to make aliyah rather than being born on territory that would become Israel.

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Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the Quotes Archive Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by Shimon Peres

"Now, I learned soon enough, that among the three, two don't trust the third one - the third one is the government. Both industry and unions feel the government is a talking organization and a spending organization."

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"The United States is the only power in history that became great by giving and not by taking. I think the crisis was when the United States had more money than ideas. Money doesn't produce money. Ideas produce money."

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"Israel was born under the British mandate. We learned from the British what democracy means, and how it behaves in a time of danger, war and terror. We thank Britain for introducing freedom and respect of human rights both in normal and demanding circumstances."

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More about Leadership

"Ethics is not a doctrine written in marble, but a daily standard lived in conscience. Let this simple maxim guide your daily deeds."

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"A quiet mind perceives the subtle truths that noisy ambitions constantly drown out. Let this simple maxim guide your daily deeds."

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"I figured out it was a social thing, what women were allowed to do. At a very young age, I decided I was not going to follow women's rules."

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"To lead with integrity is to walk the narrow path where words and actions are one. In this truth lies the bedrock of all virtue — an essential principle for the reflective life."

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