It is perhaps not surprising that we live in a time of disillusion with our
leaders. We are impressed with the evil that malevolent leaders can bring
about, even as we are frustrated that individuals in whom we have placed
hope so often disappoint.

At such times, it is particularly important to return to fundamentals. Many
assumptions about leadership in the political realm are superficial and
unsubstantiated; there is no need to guide one's policies by the results of the
latest poll or to force every complex idea into a sound bite. Here one can take
inspiration from those individuals who have not accepted the conventional
wisdom, who have risked defeat, rejection, and obscurity in order to pursue
ideas in which they (and perhaps a few followers) believe. To put it simply:
Leaders can actually lead. One of the important roles that elders can provide
in a society is to call attention to those figures from whom one may learn,
and by whose lives one may be guided. Individuals the world over can be
enriched by the words of Europeanist Jean Monnet, who declared, "I regard
every defeat as an opportunity." The individuals portrayed in Leading Minds
certainly have their flaws, but I believe that both ordinary citizens and aspir-
ing leaders can also draw inspiration from their lives and their stories.

Cambridge, Massachusetts
April 1996

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