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Michael A. Ledeen

Michael A. Ledeen Quotes

Historian

Michael A. Ledeen is an American historian and author specializing in modern European history, with a particular emphasis on the history of Italy and the Cold War. He has written extensively on these topics and is a prominent figure in historical research.

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All Leader War Evil Historical May Order People Thinking Tyrants Wells

Famous Michael A. Ledeen Quotes

“So be it. God created profoundly fallible creatures on this earth, and human history is mostly the story of error and accident.”

Humans Stories Earth Creatures Errors Accidents Human History Fallibility

Author:Michael A. Ledeen

“China is a civilization pretending to be a nation.”

Nations Civilization China Pretending

Author:Michael A. Ledeen

“I think the level of casualties is secondary... [A]ll the great scholars who have studied American character have come to the conclusion that we are a warlike people and that we love war... What we hate is not casualties but losing.”

People Thinking War Character Hate Levels Losing Conclusion Scholar Casualties American Character

Author:Michael A. Ledeen

“Just wage a total war against these tyrants; I think we will do very well and our children will sing great songs about us years from now.”

Thinking Years Wells Children War Song Our Children Tyrants Iraq War Total War

Author:Michael A. Ledeen

“In order to achieve the most noble accomplishments, the leader may have to 'enter into evil.' This is the chilling insight that has made Machiavelli so feared, admired, and challenging. It is why we are drawn to him still.”

May Made Stills Order Evil Challenges Leader Achieve Insight Noble Accomplishment Chill

Book:Machiavelli on Modern Leadership: Why Machiavelli's Iron Rules Are As Timely And Important Today As Five Centuries Ago

Source: Machiavelli on Modern Leadership: Why Machiavelli's Iron Rules Are As Timely And Important Today As Five Centuries Ago

“They must attack us in order to survive, just as we must destroy them to advance our historic mission.”

Order Missions Historic

Book:The War Against the Terror Masters: Why It Happened. Where We Are Now. How We'll Win.

Source: The War Against the Terror Masters: Why It Happened. Where We Are Now. How We'll Win.

“Powerful dictatorships that make their leaders powerful need to stage wars to get ordinary people to march in lockstep like mindless Nazi robots. That is the road to Greatness.”

People Needs War Powerful Leader Stage Greatness Ordinary Historical March Dictatorship Nazi Robots Ordinary People Mindless

Author:Michael A. Ledeen

“Paradoxically, preserving liberty may require the rule of a single leader-a dictator-willing to use those dreaded 'extraordinary measures, which few know how, or are willing, to employ.'”

Knows May Use Liberty Leader Know How Willing Historical Extraordinary Dictator

Book:Machiavelli on Modern Leadership: Why Machiavelli's Iron Rules Are As Timely And Important Today As Five Centuries Ago

Source: Machiavelli on Modern Leadership: Why Machiavelli's Iron Rules Are As Timely And Important Today As Five Centuries Ago

“The "Axis of Evil" was - and is - very real, as the tyrants of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea knew full well.”

Wells Real Evil Iraq Iran Tyrants Korea North Korea Axes

Author:Michael A. Ledeen

“There is no more dramatic proof of the death of the Left than the passage of its central vision - global democratic revolution - into the hands of those who call themselves conservatives.”

Hands Politics Left Vision Revolution Democratic Proof Dramatic Passages

Author:Michael A. Ledeen

About the Author

Born: August 1, 1941
Known for: Historian
Quotes: 10

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Leader War Evil Historical May Order People Thinking Tyrants Wells

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Books & Sources

Machiavelli on Modern Leadership: Why Machiavelli's Iron Rules Are As Timely And Important Today As Five Centuries AgoRelated source material

The War Against the Terror Masters: Why It Happened. Where We Are Now. How We'll Win.Related source material

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