The way in which the man of genius rules is by persuading an efficient minority to coerce an indifferent and self-indulgent majority. James Stephens.
Rulers, who neither see, nor feel, nor know,
But leech-like to their fainting country cling,
Till they drop, blind in blood, without a blow,-
A people starved and stabbed in the untilled field.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
The rulers of the state are the only persons who ought to have the privilege of lying, either at home or abroad; they may be allowed to lie for the good of the state. Plato
The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust. James Madison
After having won a scepter, few are so generous as to disdain the pleasures of ruling. Pierre Corneille