RIP - Colin Powell

[WestUniversity]

I didn’t entirely agree with him but he was a principled man and and a great statesman.

You always knew where he stood, unlike the politicians today that read the polls first thing in the morning to decide who they are going to be each day…

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WestUniversity You always knew where he stood, unlike the politicians today that read the polls first thing in the morning to decide who they are going to be each day…

I am reminded of this one-liner by Groucho Marx.

"Those are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others" -- Groucho Marx

[Koolau]

It will be a long while until someone of his calibre comes along. RIP General Powell.

[Markola]

I heard him speak once, and his leadership and charisma were entirely clear. I’ve also long wrestled with his UN speech. During the many tributes to him, I heard an author quote him, “They say I’m a reluctant warrior but, in the end, I’m a warrior.”

That quote at least helped me resolve the contradiction in who I wanted him to be versus who he actually was. RIP.

[2177V]

He reminded me of Abe Lincoln. Malice toward none.

[eytonxav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markola I heard him speak once, and his leadership and charisma were entirely clear. I’ve also long wrestled with his UN speech. During the many tributes to him, I heard an author quote him, “They say I’m a reluctant warrior but, in the end, I’m a warrior.” That quote at least helped me resolve the contradiction in who I wanted him to be versus who he actually was. RIP.

That quote does not sound like Powell, are you sure it wasn't: "They say I'm a warrior, but in the end I'm a reluctant warrior."

[clifp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markola I heard him speak once, and his leadership and charisma were entirely clear. I’ve also long wrestled with his UN speech. During the many tributes to him, I heard an author quote him, “They say I’m a reluctant warrior but, in the end, I’m a warrior.” That quote at least helped me resolve the contradiction in who I wanted him to be versus who he actually was. RIP.

I went to hear him speak at one of those inspirational speaking conferences. The organizers got their money's worth because I won't have gone without him. I got my money's worth because he was truly a remarkable speaker.

I remember during the 1st Gulf war, A reporter asked Intel's legendary CEO Andy Grove, (who I knew well). "Would you hire Colin Powell? Andy: No, but I'd happily work for him.

If you Google City College of New York Notable Alumni. Colin Powell is listed first, and Andy Grove is 2nd. It is an impressive list, Jonas Salk, Henry Kissenger, Supreme Court justice Felix Frankfurter, Woody Allen.

But what I find even more remarkable is that almost every notable alumni, is either an immigrant like Grove, or a child of an immigrant like Colin Powell.
It restore faith in the American dream.

[Gumby]

These appear to be his actual words in an unpublished interview with Time

Quote:

You are Episcopalian. In the Old Testament, God tells King David that he cannot build the temple because “Thou has been a man of war and has shed blood.” Do you feel that having been a man of war has cut you off from—I’m not talking about job opportunities—but other opportunities? Would there have been a different Colin Powell if you had not gone into the ROTC? See, I would characterize myself as a man of peace, who, when it becomes necessary to fight war, knows how to fight a war, and has a pretty good sense of how you are successful in a war. I had a debate with a former archbishop of Canterbury in early 2003, just before that war began in Iraq, and he asked me, ‘Why don’t we use soft power? Why do we always have to go to war? Why do we always use hard power?’ My answer to him was, ‘I agree with you. I always prefer soft power. I’m known as a reluctant warrior. But you know it wasn’t soft power that got rid of Hitler. It wasn’t soft power that saved the United Kingdom. It isn’t soft power that got rid of the Japanese imperial army and stopped that war finally.’

Source: https://time.com/6107966/colin-powell-time-interview/

[SecondAttempt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrapr I always felt better knowing he had a voice in the room when weighty decisions were being made......however.....I'm unsure of his role in the lead up to the Iraq war. Esp looking backwards with no WMD. Duped is too strong a word but I felt like I could trust the decision if he was behind it. RIP

"Used" might be better than "duped."

My mentor in business development was one of Colin Powell's direct reports in the White House back in the 80s when he was national security advisor. This is a man (my mentor) who had stints as vice president at several major defense/national security companies including Boeing, Lockheed, SAIC, and a few others. He said Powell was probably the best leader he had come across in his entire career!

[Closet_Gamer]

A real loss on so many levels. I saw him speak once and it was exceptional. Definitely one of the best public speakers I've ever seen. Funny. Humble. Experienced. Landed big messages gracefully.

His book should be required reading in high school and again in any situation looking to develop leaders. I read it ages ago and words/lessons from it still stick with me.

One of the "adults" has left the field. We're the poorer for it.