Leadership Quote by Roy Barnes

“As the leaders and decision-makers of this great state, it is our responsibility to strive for perfection” is the kind of aspirational line that works precisely because it’s impossible. Roy Barnes, speaking as a politician, isn’t promising perfection so much as claiming the moral posture of someone who would chase it. That’s the intent: to frame governing as a high-minded calling, not a grubby set of tradeoffs, and to invite listeners to see the speaker’s side as the adult table where standards still matter.

The phrase “this great state” is doing quiet but heavy lifting. It’s a loyalty test wrapped in praise: if the state is “great,” then critique can be recast as disloyalty or negativity, while the speaker’s agenda becomes an act of stewardship. “Leaders and decision-makers” widens the circle beyond elected officials, a subtle coalition-building move that flatters insiders, donors, agency heads, and civic elites as co-authors of progress.

“Strive for perfection” lands as rhetoric because it’s an ethical north star, not a measurable benchmark. The subtext is accountability without exposure: you can be perpetually “striving” even when outcomes disappoint. It’s also a preemptive defense against cynicism. By setting the bar at “perfection,” any improvement can be sold as movement toward the ideal, while failures become evidence of how hard the work is, not how flawed the leadership might be.

In context, this reads like a statehouse-era appeal to competence and reform: elevate the stakes, claim responsibility, and translate messy governance into a narrative of disciplined aspiration.