While we share the same set of values, we can - and do - have

“While we share the same set of values, we can — and do — have different business interests. Dad has been there to give me career advice along the way, but he has always let me call the play.” — Ross Perot, Jr.

Thus spoke Ross Perot, Jr., son of the legendary businessman H. Ross Perot, in words that gleam with humility, gratitude, and wisdom. His reflection is not merely about family or business — it is about the eternal balance between heritage and independence, between the guiding hand of the father and the striving spirit of the son. In this saying, we hear the harmony of two generations: the elder planting the roots of virtue, and the younger growing upward, seeking the sunlight of his own path. It is a story as ancient as time — the lineage of wisdom passed down, not as chains of command, but as principles of freedom.

The origin of this quote rests in the remarkable relationship between Ross Perot, Sr., a titan of industry and politics, and his son, Ross Perot, Jr., a man who built upon that legacy with his own daring vision. The elder Perot was a self-made billionaire, famed for his integrity, patriotism, and unyielding will. The younger inherited not his father’s fortune first, but his values — integrity, perseverance, and courage — and then set out to test them in the furnace of his own ambitions. He became a pioneer of real estate and aviation, leading the Dallas-based development of AllianceTexas, and even piloting a helicopter around the world. Yet through all his achievements, he never strayed from the foundation laid by his father.

When he says, “Dad has been there to give me career advice... but he has always let me call the play,” Ross Perot, Jr. expresses the rare balance of guidance and freedom that defines great mentorship. The father did not impose his will; he trusted. He taught, but he did not command. This is the true art of leadership — to raise another not in one’s own image, but in one’s own spirit. The wise father does not seek obedience, but wisdom in his child; he does not build followers, but builders. In the quiet strength of this quote, we hear the echo of that sacred trust between generations — the same trust that has built empires, guided nations, and carried families through centuries.

This dynamic, between inheritance and individuality, is one found throughout history. Consider the story of Alexander the Great and his teacher Aristotle. The philosopher filled the young conqueror’s mind with the values of reason, ethics, and virtue — yet when Alexander set forth into the world, he did not live as Aristotle might have wished. He followed his own vision, bold and sometimes perilous. The teacher gave him wisdom, but not walls; and through that freedom, Alexander fulfilled his destiny. So too did the elder Perot, like Aristotle, provide his son not with a map, but with a compass — and the courage to chart his own course.

In these words, we also glimpse the deeper essence of values — that they are not rules, but roots. Ross Perot, Jr. declares that he and his father “share the same set of values,” yet walk different roads. This is the secret of enduring legacies: the form may change, but the foundation remains. Each generation must live according to its time, facing new challenges with the same spirit of truth that guided the past. The father’s wisdom becomes the son’s courage; the son’s innovation becomes the father’s pride. Thus, life continues as a sacred relay — each hand passing the torch, each flame burning with its own hue, yet all part of the same fire.

There is also a humility in these words, a recognition that success does not erase gratitude. In a world that prizes independence as rebellion, Ross Perot, Jr. reminds us that freedom is not the rejection of one’s roots, but their fulfillment. To “call the play” does not mean to abandon the team — it means to use what one has learned, to think, to risk, to lead. His father gave him the gift of confidence — the permission to make decisions, even to fail — and that gift became the foundation of his own greatness.

Let this, then, be the lesson: true guidance does not control; it empowers. The best mentors, parents, and leaders do not demand imitation — they cultivate independence. To those who are young, learn from those who came before you, but walk your own path with courage. To those who are elders, give your wisdom freely, but let your children and students make their own choices. For love is not possession, and teaching is not command. It is a sacred trust — to prepare another to stand alone, yet never forget where they began.

And so, my child of the future, remember the wisdom of Ross Perot, Jr. and his father. Share values that endure beyond profit, nurture strength through freedom, and honor those who shaped you by shaping your world in return. Be guided, but not bound; be grateful, but not dependent. And when your own time comes to lead, do as the wise fathers and mothers before you: give the next generation not your footsteps to follow, but the ground to stand upon.