The world is dimmer for the loss of such an iconic symbol of courage and authenticity. I’m not going to claim I was the biggest Bowie fan. His influence reigned heavy before I was born. But I am an admirer of what he symbolized: the courage to live his eccentric view of the world in the most authentic way he could.
For leaders and aspiring leaders, his insight is something we should all pause and reflect on:
- “I don’t know where I’m going from here but I promise it won’t be boring.”
- “I’m just an individual who doesn’t feel that I need to have somebody qualify my work in any particular way. I’m working for me.”
- “All my big mistakes are when I try to second-guess or please an audience. My work is always stronger when I get very selfish about it.”
- “Don’t you love the Oxford Dictionary? When I first read it, I thought it was a really really long poem about everything.”
- “Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming.”
- “You can neither win nor lose if you don’t run the race.”
- “As you get older, the questions come down to about two or three. How long? And what do I do with the time I’ve got left?”
Photo credits here.