Well, I think that - I think leadership's always been about two

Hear now the words of Paul Keating, a man who once stood at the helm of a nation, who gazed upon the horizon of his people’s destiny and declared: “Well, I think that — I think leadership’s always been about two main things: imagination and courage.” Though spoken in the language of politics, his words echo with the ageless truth of all great leadership, whether of nations, armies, families, or souls. For leadership, at its heart, is not a title or a throne — it is a flame that must be kindled in the mind and the spirit. It is imagination that gives the leader vision, and courage that gives him strength to walk the path his vision demands.

Paul Keating, former Prime Minister of Australia, was no stranger to the burdens of leadership. In his time, he dared to envision a new identity for his nation — one that reached beyond its colonial past and looked toward the future with boldness. His belief in imagination and courage was not born from philosophy alone but from experience. For he knew that leadership without imagination becomes blind routine, and imagination without courage remains an idle dream. The two must walk together — one seeing the way, the other daring to take it.

Imagination is the sight of the unseen. It is the gift of those who can look at what is and glimpse what might be. The leader must be an architect of possibility, able to dream in color while others see only gray. Without imagination, the people perish, for there can be no progress where no one dares to dream. It was imagination that led explorers across unknown seas, that drove scientists to split the atom, that stirred poets to give voice to the soul of humankind. Every great turning in history began first as an image in the mind of one who refused to see only what was before him.

But courage — ah, courage is the heartbeat of leadership. For imagination alone is a fragile thing, easily crushed by doubt, fear, and ridicule. It is courage that lifts the dream from thought to deed, that allows a leader to stand alone in the tempest and say, “This is the way.” It is courage that keeps him steady when others falter, and that gives his followers faith when the path is dark. The coward may dream, but he will never build; the timid may plan, but they will never begin. Only the courageous transform vision into reality.

Consider the story of Winston Churchill, who, in the darkest hours of the Second World War, embodied both imagination and courage. When Britain stood alone against the gathering shadow of tyranny, he imagined not defeat, but victory. Where others saw despair, he saw destiny. And with words that burned like torches, he gave his people the courage to endure: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds… we shall never surrender.” His vision was his people’s hope; his courage was their survival. In him, Keating’s truth finds perfect form — for leadership, in its purest essence, is the marriage of vision and valor.

Yet this lesson is not only for kings and statesmen. Each soul, in its own sphere, is called at times to lead — to guide a family, a community, or even one’s own wavering heart. In those moments, remember: imagination shows you who you could become, and courage helps you take the first step toward it. When fear whispers, “Stay where you are,” imagination answers, “Look how far you might go.” And courage says, “Then go.” Leadership begins in that dialogue between the dream and the will.

So, my child, if ever you find yourself in command — whether of a nation or of your own destiny — remember the twin fires of imagination and courage. Nurture the first by daring to see beyond what others believe possible. Strengthen the second by acting even when your hands tremble. Let your imagination build the map, and your courage set you upon the road. For history remembers not those who played it safe, but those who dreamed greatly and dared boldly.

Thus spoke Paul Keating, distilling into a single truth what the ancients, too, had known: that to lead is to envision and to act. Without imagination, leadership loses direction; without courage, it loses life. Unite them within yourself, and you will find that you, too, possess the power to guide others — not by command, but by example; not by fear, but by faith. For in the end, the leader’s true gift to the world is not authority, but inspiration — the awakening of courage in others to dream, to act, and to follow the light of what could be.