All the president is, is a glorified public relations man who

Harry S. Truman, plain-spoken son of Missouri and accidental heir to the throne of power, once confessed with biting honesty: “All the president is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing, and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway.” In this saying lies a lesson both humbling and profound: that the presidency, clothed in grandeur, is not the work of a demigod, but of a negotiator, persuader, and relentless cajoler. It is less the hand upon the sword, and more the voice that bends wills toward action.

The origin of these words rests in Truman’s weary experience after taking office upon the death of Franklin Roosevelt. Thrust into the maelstrom of World War II and then into the birth of the Cold War, he discovered that commanding armies and shaping policies required less the issuing of decrees and more the endless task of managing men—senators, generals, bureaucrats, allies—each with their own stubborn pride. The president, in his eyes, was not omnipotent, but the nation’s chief persuader, forever caught between flattery and force.

History itself bears witness to this truth. When Truman sought to push forward the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, he faced opposition from weary lawmakers who balked at the cost. He could not command them outright. Instead, he coaxed, argued, and pressed, appealing to their sense of duty and fear of communism. Only through this labor of persuasion did the plan take life, and through it, the recovery of Europe. His words reflect that hard truth: leadership is often less about power than persistence.

Even in ancient days, we find the same pattern. Pericles of Athens, though hailed as a great leader, swayed his people not by decree but by oratory. He flattered their pride, invoked their duty, and at times rebuked them with stern words. His greatness lay not in dictating, but in inspiring—a role strikingly similar to what Truman, centuries later, called a “glorified public relations man.” For the heart of governance is not the sword, but the art of persuasion.

Therefore, O seekers of wisdom, do not be deceived by the majesty of office. The president is no omnipotent ruler, but a servant bound to the endless work of guiding, cajoling, and urging men to do what is just and necessary. The glory lies not in the illusion of supreme power, but in the patient art of persuasion, wielded for the good of the people. For true leadership is not command, but the ability to move hearts and minds toward action.