The Rhetoric of Leadership

A look at messages during a time of crisis

Sermon on the Mount by Carl Bloch, 1877 (public domain - Wikipedia)

“We'll lead, not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.” — Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2021

Words matter, as we’ve said here before.

Not only the words you read and the words you write, but the words you choose to speak.

George Washington, as we discussed in the previous edition, was careful about the words he chose, being acutely aware of the precedents he would set.

So too were the words spoken about Washington in his eulogy, given by his longtime friend and fellow soldier Major-General Henry Lee:

“First in war, first in peace, first in the heart of his countrymen.”

Those words are still in use today, not only because they accurately sum up George Washington’s place in our collective memory, but because of the musicality of the phrase.

Even in the age of technological advances, scientific reason, and intergalactic exploration, we need more than logic, facts, and reason to move people to action. …