There is, I suggest, a strong positive correlation between a) the height of the rung occupied on the ladder of power, b) the strength of a sense of personal virtue, and c) the firmness of the conviction that those lower down could and certainly should act more responsibly.

David Smail
About This Quote

This quote by William C. Westmoreland continues to make me wonder about the proper role of government in our lives. He suggests that there is a strong, positive correlation between the height of the rung occupied on the ladder of power, the strength of a sense of personal virtue, and the firmness of the conviction that those lower down could and certainly should act more responsibly. His observation is based on his personal experience as an infantry general.

If you are at the top of your game, he writes, then you have every right to expect others to do their duty. But if you are not at your best, then you have no right to expect others to do their duty.

Source: Power, Interest And Psychology: Elements Of A Social Materialist Understanding Of Distress

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