I often have said that to be a college president, you need a

In the words of Gordon Gee, “I often have said that to be a college president, you need a thick skin, a good sense of humor, and nerves like sewer pipes.”
Beneath the humor of this saying lies a truth as ancient as leadership itself — that those who stand at the front of others must be both resilient and humble, both strong and lighthearted. Gee’s words, though modern in their wit, carry the tone of an old philosopher speaking to the next generation: a warning, a lesson, and a blessing all at once. To lead — in a college, in a city, or in life — is to walk among storms. And only the one who can endure criticism, laugh through chaos, and stand firm under pressure will see the dawn after the tempest.

When Gordon Gee speaks of needing a thick skin, he speaks of the first armor of the leader — the shield of composure against the arrows of judgment. Every person who strives to do good, to stand for something, will face misunderstanding, opposition, and ridicule. The one who seeks to please all will crumble; the one who dares to stand firm must learn not to bruise easily. The ancients called this fortitude, the calmness of spirit in the face of insult. The wise leader, like the oak, does not break when struck by wind. He bends when needed but remains rooted in purpose. A thick skin is not indifference — it is the wisdom to choose one’s battles and the grace to remain steady while the world shouts around you.

Yet armor alone is not enough. Gee reminds us that one must also possess a good sense of humor — the laughter that lightens burdens and heals the heart. Without humor, duty becomes drudgery; without laughter, leadership becomes tyranny. The wise have always known that laughter is not the enemy of seriousness, but its companion. Even Abraham Lincoln, burdened by the agony of war, told stories and jokes to his cabinet, not to escape his grief but to survive it. His humor was not foolishness — it was courage in disguise. For laughter, when born of wisdom, is not denial of reality, but defiance of despair. It says, “Though the storm rages, I will not lose my joy.”

Then Gee speaks of “nerves like sewer pipes” — a phrase both vivid and profound. In this he captures the essence of endurance. A leader must not only withstand pressure, but channel it, as the pipes do with the floodwaters beneath the city. The world may be filled with noise, complaint, and conflict, but the wise must let it pass through without being poisoned by it. This requires not only strength but discipline — the ability to remain calm when the walls tremble, to think clearly when all others panic. Such composure is rare and holy; it is the calm of the general before battle, the patience of the philosopher amid chaos.

The origin of this kind of wisdom reaches back to every era of trial. Consider Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and philosopher, who ruled amid war and plague yet wrote daily to himself: “Be like the rock against which the waves break.” He, too, needed thick skin to ignore flattery and insult, humor to keep his heart human, and nerves like iron to rule without despair. Though Gee’s language is modern and playful, the spirit behind it is the same: leadership demands a strength that is both external and internal — the strength to endure without losing compassion, to persist without losing laughter.

There is another layer of meaning, too, in Gee’s words: that humor itself is a form of strength. To laugh in difficulty is not to mock fate, but to rise above it. The one who can laugh at himself becomes untouchable, for ridicule cannot harm the one who does not take himself too seriously. In the ancient courts, the jester was often the wisest soul, for he could speak truth to power through jest. So must a leader — not only to see the absurdity of the world, but also to recognize his own fallibility with grace. True humor is humility clothed in laughter.

Thus, the teaching of Gordon Gee’s words is clear and timeless: to lead is to endure, to laugh, and to stay unbroken. When life presses upon you — when critics rise, when burdens weigh heavy — grow a thick skin, but never a hard heart. Keep your humor, for it will carry you where logic cannot. And when the storms of life test your strength, let your nerves be steady, your courage unwavering. The wise do not seek an easy path; they seek the strength to walk the hard one with grace.

And so, dear listener, remember the triad of wisdom in Gee’s teaching: resilience, laughter, and composure. Whether you lead a nation, a household, or your own heart, these three will carry you through. Be strong enough to endure, gentle enough to smile, and steadfast enough to stay the course. For the world will always test you — but if your skin is thick, your humor bright, and your spirit steady as a pipe of iron, you will not only survive — you will lead.