John W. Gardner
John W. Gardner
John William Gardner,was Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfareunder President Lyndon Johnson...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionEducator
Date of Birth8 October 1912
CountryUnited States of America
nature technology men
More and more Americans feel threatened by runaway technology, by large-scale organization, by overcrowding. More and more Americans are appalled by the ravages of industrial progress, by the defacement of nature, by man-made ugliness. If our society continues at its present rate to become less livable as it becomes more affluent, we promise all to end up in sumptuous misery.
believe thinking law
Some people seem to believe that for each problem there is a solution readily available - a solution that can be promptly achieved by passing a law and voting some money. I think of this as the vending machine concept of social change. Put a coin in the machine and out comes a piece of candy. If there is a social problem, pass a law and out comes a solution.
believe hard-work best-kept-secrets
The best kept secret in America today is that people would rather work hard for something they believe in than live a life of aimless diversion.
celebration behavior celebrate
All of us celebrate our values in our behavior.
excellence mediocrity phases
Excellence implies striving for the highest standards in every phase of life.
failure learning want
There is no learning without some difficulty and fumbling. If you want to keep on learning, you must keep on risking failure-all your life.
attitude integrity people
A nation is held together by shared values, shared beliefs, shared attitudes. That is what enables a people to maintain a cohesive society despite the tensions of daily life. This is what enables them to rise above the conflicts that plague any society. That is what gives a nation its tone, its fiber, its integrity, its moral style, its capacity to endure.
educational moving weather
Mastery is not something that strikes in an instant, like a thunderbolt, but a gathering power that moves steadily through time, like weather.
education teacher philosopher
An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher.
children age six
It is not easy to be crafty and winsome at the same time, and few accomplish it after the age of six.
character world-love pay
The world loves talent but pays off on character.
leadership style quality
Leaders come in many forms, with many styles and diverse qualities. There are quiet leaders and leaders one can hear in the next county. Some find strength in eloquence, some in judgment, some in courage.
greatness perfection people
Some people have greatness thrust upon them. Very few have excellence thrust upon them.
men ideas goal
The idea for which this nation stands will not survive if the highest goal free man can set themselves is an amiable mediocrity. Excellence implies striving for the highest standards in every phase of life.