Every story as a beginning, middle and end. When judging a great story you have to consider all parts of it and not just the ones you find convenient.
Firstly, we would like to extend our condolence to the family of Colin Powell. He was a great leader and even a greater man. More importantly, as a member of the black community he broke down boundaries and opted to support Barack Obama for president rather than running for office himself. But, it is essential we look at the other part of his story.
➡️Colin Powell was the man whose testimony before the United Nations Security Council about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction, convinced many Americans and elected officials to invade the nation.
➡️Various statistics point out that between a 100k to more than one million people have lost their lives directly or indirectly, because the US decided to invade Iraqi.
➡️While this was not one of Colin Powell’s finest moments, he would later admit that the intel he received was wrong. But alas, millions of lives were lost in this war, and Iraq became a hotspot for terror groups.
➡️It takes a true leader to admit they are wrong but this is a grey area. Should Colin Powell be remembered for justifying a war with wrong intel that led to the deaths of millions or should he be remembered as the great leader and true American patriot who supported Barack Obama and gave America its first black president? We will leave that to you to decide. Once more we say Rest in peace Colin Powell.
👉A reminder to all, our words carry weight. They can bring peace or cause wars. Be careful how you use them.
Below are some motivational quotes from the late Colin Powell
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.Colin Powell
A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.Colin Powell
Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.Colin Powell If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.Colin Powell
Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.Colin Powell Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.Colin Powell
Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.Colin Powell
Don't let your ego get too close to your position, so that if your position gets shot down, your ego doesn't go with it.Colin Powell
I think whether you're having setbacks or not, the role of a leader is to always display a winning attitude.Colin Powell
The commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proved otherwise.Colin Powell
No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.Colin Powell Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it.Colin Powell
Diplomacy is listening to what the other guy needs. Preserving your own position, but listening to the other guy. You have to develop relationships with other people so when the tough times come, you can work together.Colin Powell
Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team's mission.Colin Powell
Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard.Colin Powell
My own experience is use the tools that are out there. Use the digital world. But never lose sight of the need to reach out and talk to other people who don't share your view. Listen to them and see if you can find a way to compromise.Colin Powell Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.Colin Powell
Children need to get a high-quality education, avoid violence and the criminal-justice system, and gain jobs. But they deserve more. We want them to learn not only reading and math but fairness, caring, self-respect, family commitment, and civic duty.Colin Powell Experts often possess more data than judgment.Colin Powell
Don't bother people for help without first trying to solve the problem yourself.Colin Powell Giving back involves a certain amount of giving up.Colin Powell
Some of the generals are saying, 'We're making progress. We are clearing an area.' But you really don't defeat the Taliban by clearing an area. They move.Colin Powell There's not going to be a World War III, because there is no one to have World War III with.Colin Powell
You need to understand, if you take out a government, take out a regime, guess who becomes the government and regime and is responsible for the country? You are. So if you break it, you own it.Colin Powell
We all hoped in 2001 that we could put in place an Afghan government under President Karzai that would be able to control the country, make sure al-Qaeda didn't come back, and make sure the Taliban wasn't resurging. It didn't work out.Colin Powell
In other words, don't expect to always be great. Disappointments, failures and setbacks are a normal part of the lifecycle of a unit or a company and what the leader has to do is constantly be up and say 'we have a problem, let's go and get it'.Colin Powell
The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting above average effort.Colin Powell
War should be the politics of last resort. And when we go to war, we should have a purpose that our people understand and support.Colin Powell
The chief condition on which, life, health and vigor depend on, is action. It is by action that an organism develops its faculties, increases its energy, and attains the fulfillment of its destiny.Colin Powell
If a leader doesn't convey passion and intensity then there will be no passion and intensity within the organization and they'll start to fall down and get depressed.Colin Powell
Indeed, we're strongest when the face of America isn't only a soldier carrying a gun but also a diplomat negotiating peace, a Peace Corps volunteer bringing clean water to a village, or a relief worker stepping off a cargo plane as floodwaters rise.Colin Powell
Trump just looks stupid trying to appeal to blacks and Latinos.Colin Powell It was the Congress that imposed 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' it was certainly my position, my recommendation to get us out of an even worse outcome that could have occurred.Colin Powell
Standing in support of children is something we should all be able to get behind, regardless of party affiliation.Colin Powell
You're not just voting for an individual, in my judgment, you're voting for an agenda. You're voting for a platform. You're voting for a political philosophy.Colin Powell
I was born in Harlem, raised in the South Bronx, went to public school, got out of public college, went into the Army, and then I just stuck with it.Colin Powell
The only bipartisanship you ever see is when they finally sign a bill and everybody says, 'Gee, isn't that wonderful?'Colin Powell
I consider myself a moderate Republican. I have very, very moderate social views, and I'm pretty strong on, on defense matters.Colin Powell
Have fun in your command. Don't always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you've earned it, spend time with your families.Colin Powell
The United States is not stingy. We are the greatest contributor to international relief efforts in the world.Colin Powell
Wouldn't it be great if we could look forward to a whole world in which no child will be left behind?Colin Powell
You have to make sure you know why you are going to war and then use decisive force to end it as soon as possible.Colin Powell People have asked me, 'What would you have done if you hadn't gone into the Army?' I'd say I'd probably be a bus driver. I don't know.Colin Powell I try to be the same person I was yesterday.Colin Powell
Today I can declare my hope and declare it from the bottom of my heart that we will eventually see the time when that number of nuclear weapons is down to zero and the world is a much better place.Colin Powell
When you decide to get involved in a military operation in a place like Syria, you've got to be prepared, as we learned from Iraq and Afghanistan, to become the government, and I'm not sure any country, either the United States or I don't hear of anyone else, who's willing to take on that responsibility.Colin Powell
It isn't enough just to scream at the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations. We need our political system to start reflect this anger back into, 'How do we fix it? How do we get the economy going again?'Colin Powell
President Assad, I worked with. I know him reasonably well, met with him a few times, and he's a liar.Colin Powell
I respect the fact that many denominations have different points of view with respect to gay marriage and they can hold that in the sanctity in the place of their religion and not bless them or solemnize them.Colin Powell
I think the Iranians are clearly determined to have a nuclear program. And we have to assume that with a nuclear program they have the capability and the will to create a nuclear weapon.Colin Powell
