William Scranton Quotes

Powerful William Scranton for Daily Growth

About William Scranton

William Warren Scranton (September 13, 1917 – May 28, 2013) was an American politician, diplomat, businessman, and author, best known for serving as the Governor of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1967. Born in Philadelphia, Scranton grew up in a politically active family; his father, William T. Scranton, served as Mayor of the city and later as U.S. Ambassador to Cuba during the Eisenhower administration. Scranton attended Phillips Academy and Yale University, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in 1939 and a Master's degree in Business Administration in 1940. He served in the United States Army during World War II, reaching the rank of Major before being discharged in 1946. Post-war, Scranton worked for Dillon, Read & Co., where he rose to become a partner. In 1952, he was elected to the Republican National Committee as an alternate from Pennsylvania, and in 1959, he was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as Ambassador to Canada. In 1962, Scranton won the election for Governor of Pennsylvania as a moderate Republican, defeating incumbent Democratic Governor David L. Lawrence. As governor, he focused on education reform, highway construction, and economic development, and was praised for his fiscal responsibility and bipartisan approach to governance. After leaving office in 1967, Scranton served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Richard Nixon from 1970 to 1972. He later worked as a private consultant and author, publishing several books on politics, history, and leadership. Scranton was known for his eloquence, intellect, and moderation. He was a strong advocate for civil rights, environmental protection, and international cooperation, and was often mentioned as a potential presidential candidate, although he never sought the office himself. In his later years, Scranton remained active in public affairs and continued to write and speak on various issues.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Freedom is not a gift but a challenge."

William Scranton's quote, "Freedom is not a gift but a challenge," emphasizes that the essence of freedom lies in its responsibilities rather than simply being a privilege or an entitlement. It suggests that while we enjoy the liberty to make choices, it also demands that we actively participate in shaping our lives and society, exercising our rights wisely and responsibly, and defending them when necessary. In other words, freedom is not just about what we can do but also about what we should do with that power.

"The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there."

William Scranton's quote emphasizes that leaders should serve as catalysts rather than creators of human potential. Instead of trying to instill greatness in others, they should nurture and encourage existing qualities, helping individuals achieve their full potential. This perspective encourages a leadership style that respects the inherent capabilities within each person, fostering growth through empowerment, inspiration, and guidance, rather than imposition or transformation.

"A society that gives up its principles can go to the dogs quickly, as we have seen happen in our own time and place."

This quote by William Scranton suggests that a society's adherence to its core values and principles is crucial for its stability and prosperity. Neglecting or abandoning these foundational beliefs can lead to rapid decline, as seen in our own society at times. The implication is that it's essential for us to maintain our principles and values to preserve the integrity and longevity of our society.

"We should be proud of our past, not bound by it."

This quote by William Scranton highlights the importance of acknowledging our historical background while also emphasizing that we should not let our past define or limit us. It encourages us to learn from our past experiences, understand their significance, and use that knowledge to shape a better future without being constrained by old traditions, mistakes, or prejudices. Essentially, the quote suggests a balance between respecting our roots and embracing change for progress.

"The true test of leadership lies in the ability to recognize and develop the potential in others."

This quote by William Scranton emphasizes that a great leader not only leads themselves, but also recognizes and cultivates the potential within their team members. The essence lies in fostering an environment where each individual can grow and contribute to the greater goal, ultimately resulting in collective success.

None of us are nuclear experts, but we know that if there is a melt-down and breach of containment, that's clearly the most odious thing that could happen.

- William Scranton

Happen, Could, Breach, Odious

All of the information that we were getting up to that time from the NRC people, from our people who knew something about nuclear power, was that the breach of the core was not a likelihood to happen.

- William Scranton

Happen, Knew, Breach, Our People

You're feeling the responsibility for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people on your shoulder in a way that I couldn't feel as lieutenant governor.

- William Scranton

Feeling, Feel, Lieutenant, Shoulder

The first one, obviously, was walking into my office at eight o'clock in the morning on Wednesday, and being told there was a telephone call saying that there was an incident at Three Mile Island, and that it had shut down and that beyond that we didn't know.

- William Scranton

Office, Shut, Had, Wednesday

The value of government to the people it serves is in direct relationship to the interest citizens themselves display in the affairs of state.

- William Scranton

Government, Interest, Affairs

It took me 45 minutes to get in all of the suits and putting all the dosimeters on me so that they knew how much radiation I got and the protective boots and everything.

- William Scranton

Minutes, Took, Putting, Boots

And at ten, or whatever time, in the morning we had the press conference, what we knew is there had been an incident at Three Mile Island, that it was shut down, that there was water that had escaped but it was contained.

- William Scranton

Conference, Been, Shut, Incident

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and EPA, et cetera, had worked out what allowable releases are.

- William Scranton

Regulatory, Worked, EPA

There were schools and hospitals who were ready to take people with undescribed injuries, but not necessarily ready to take people with severe radiation poisoning.

- William Scranton

People, Injuries, Hospitals, Poisoning

There are allowable limits for radiation going - I mean there's radiation all around us. There's radiation from your television set. There's radiation from your computer. There's radiation actually occurring in the ground.

- William Scranton

Television, Going, Set, Limits

And if you're not going to have a clear health threat, you don't want to panic people.

- William Scranton

Want, Clear, Going, Panic

I was scheduled to give my first official press conference that morning anyway, 'cause I was chairman of the Governors Energy Council and I was making a press conference with regard to energy policy.

- William Scranton

Give, Making, Conference, Energy

When I started walking and I looked down and I saw on the floor this water, which looked like, you know, water in your basement except it happened to be in the auxiliary building of a nuclear power plant.

- William Scranton

Down, Basement, Your, Floor

Nobody could tell us or really had a very good idea, if there were a massive release of radiation, what kind of medical treatment people were going to need and this or that, or, indeed, whether there would be medical personnel around.

- William Scranton

Medical, Very, Treatment, Radiation

And I remember walking in there and, I must say, I was quite unnerved the closer I got to it.

- William Scranton

Remember, I Remember, Quite, Closer

My time inside there was very short compared to the amount of time it took to take on and take off this suit and to test me for how much radioactivity I have.

- William Scranton

Very, Took, Amount, Compared

Another very strong image from the first day was giving my initial press conference in the morning - going down and finding out that everything I had said, the essence of what I had said, was wrong.

- William Scranton

Strong, Image, Very, Press

But the issue became, how long do you keep the press waiting so that you can gather more information?

- William Scranton

How, Became, Issue, Press

They're calling their Washington sources at the NRC or in Congress and they're not hesitating to give their opinion, but their opinion, frankly, in those early days was not very well informed.

- William Scranton

Give, Informed, Very, Calling

And it was at that point that I realized, in fact, our whole administration realized, that we could not rely on Metropolitan Edison for the kind of information we needed to make decisions.

- William Scranton

Fact, Edison, Administration, Metropolitan

Obviously, I'm not looking in the core of the reactor, but I am looking at what, at that time, was considered the source of the trouble, which was the water and where it was.

- William Scranton

Which, Considered, Obviously, Core

None of us knew what this power plant looked like. We had no schematic drawing.

- William Scranton

Like, Knew, Looked, Plant

By Thursday morning, we'd gotten over the worst of it.

- William Scranton

Thursday, Over, Gotten, Worst

You need a graphic understanding of a situation to make a complete judgment and we didn't have that.

- William Scranton

Need, Judgment, Complete, Graphic

What I had said in the morning was that this is what we know has happened, but there has been no significant off-site release. Only to find out moments later that, in fact, there had been an off-site release. I still haven't gotten over that.

- William Scranton

Over, Been, Still, Significant

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