day no. 16,379: authority and ability; responsibility and desirability

"Many times traditional men try to take authority first. But authority cannot be taken, it can only be given. Responsibility can be taken, but nobody wants to do that. Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die." — Douglas Wilson,  Responsibility, Guilt, and the Ground of True Authority

Authority is desirable,

but impossible to get without deserving it.

Responsibility is undesirable,

but possible to take without deserving it.

Everybody wants authority,

but nobody wants responsibility.

Any man can take responsibility,

but no man can take it lightly.

Any man can grow into authority,

but no man can be born into it.