Leadership Quote by Ursula von der Leyen

Boldness is doing a lot of diplomatic labor here. Ursula von der Leyen’s line turns “achievement” into a moral argument for risk, then gently scolds the audience for drifting into timidity: we “sometimes forget.” It’s a soft rebuke that avoids naming culprits while still implying complacency in European politics, where caution can be treated as virtue and delay as prudence.

The phrasing is designed for coalition governance. “Our” invites every listener into a shared ownership of past successes, smoothing over the fact that the EU’s achievements are routinely contested, unevenly felt, and fought over in Parliament, capitals, and courts. “Always” is the strategic exaggeration: it compresses a messy history into a clean pattern, so today’s disputed initiatives can borrow the halo of yesterday’s triumphs. If the past proves that boldness wins, then reluctance becomes not just political disagreement but a kind of historical amnesia.

Context matters: von der Leyen has led the Commission through moments where the EU has tried to act like a geopolitical actor rather than a regulatory one - pandemic procurement, industrial policy, energy security, defense support, climate targets. In each case, “bold” is a euphemism for spending, pooling sovereignty, moving faster than the treaties’ comfort zone, and accepting backlash from member states and voters.

The subtext is permission-giving. It reassures centrists that ambition is not recklessness; it’s continuity. It also preemptively frames criticism as fear of change, shifting the burden of proof onto skeptics: if you’re not bold, you’re not serious about achievements worth naming.