Resource Review by Michael Duduit Armey's Axioms: 40 Hard-Earned Truths from Politics, Faith and Life by Dick Armey (John Wiley & Sons, 2003)

Good advice from an honest, experienced leader is worth its weight in gold. That's why leaders will find Armey's Axioms a wealth of insight and observation.

Dick Armey is a Texan, an economist and a former college professor who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 18 years, eventually becoming Majority Leader. Over the years he collected folksy observations about life, and those "axioms" form the foundation of this book. Along the way, Armey offers a fascinating collection of stories drawn from his years in Congress as well as his life in Texas.

Here are some of my favorite axioms:

Tattoos last forever

You can't stand on principle with feet of clay

You can't get ahead while you're getting even

You can't get your finger on the problem if you've got it to the wind

If it's about your power, you lose

If you insist on center stage, you get the tomatoes

No man can ever lose his daddy's spurs

The wise hen doesn't cackle until the egg is laid

You can't hunt with the big dogs dressed like a bone

And one of my all-time favorites:

Don't go back and check on a dead skunk

One chapter of particular value to leaders is the axiom: "The idea is bigger than the man." Armey observes: "In the end it is ideas that move us, not people. We praise the person only for the idea for which he is credited. Most of us realize this, but on occasion people who have been credited with ideas get confused and think the acclaim is for them. The person who wants personal acclaim is often the one most likely to discount his own ideas . . .

"It is interesting to watch a person jealous of the attention given an idea for which he thinks he should be credited. He shows a high degree of need, one that is likely to get him into serious trouble. It is far healthier to join in the celebration of the idea and to bask in its reflected glory than to show oneself to be insecure and in need of even more attention."

Readers with an interest in politics will enjoy the "insider" anecdotes and illustrations. Even those without a political bone in their bodies will still benefit from the winsome insights shared by a wise, experienced leader.

Excerpted from Armey's Axioms: 40 Hard-Earned Truths from Politics, Faith, and Life by Dick Armey (John Wiley & Sons, 2003) Used with permission. For more information on this book and other great resources, click here.