At that moment, in the sunset on Watership Down, there was offered to General Woundwort the opportunity to show whether he was really the leader of vision and genius which he believed himself to be, or whether he was no more than a tyrant with the courage and cunning of a pirate. For one beat of his pulse the lame rabbit's idea shone clearly before him. He grasped it and realized what it meant. The next, he had pushed it away from him. . Richard Adams
About This Quote

At that moment, in the sunset on Watership Down, there was offered to General Woundwort the opportunity to show whether he was really the leader of vision and genius which he believed himself to be, or whether he was no more than a tyrant with the courage and cunning of a pirate. For one beat of his pulse the lame rabbit's idea shone clearly before him. He grasped it and realized what it meant. The next, he had pushed it away from him. The first part is about General Woundwort seeing an opportunity for himself that others could not see.

The second part is about his character snapping back into place after he has seen this opportunity. Taken together, this is what makes General Woundwort a great leader. He does not make rash decisions without seeing all sides of an issue before taking action.

He thinks ahead to the repercussions of his actions before making them.

Source: Watership Down

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