According to Confucius:
Everyone has a stake in the moral standing of the human community, and at the same time the wherewithal to affect it either positively or negatively. But rulers are uniquely positioned, because of their unparalleled authority, to affect whole nations. A scrupulous gentleman might be able to affect his family and perhaps a few of his neighbours; a sage ruler, by contrast, could conceivably lead all human beings to that ideal Confucian kingdom of universal moral excellence. And with great power comes great responsibility: while a selfish commoner will probably never be more than a local pest, a tyrant could hurl his whole kingdom to perdition. Most rulers, in Confucius’s view, do not comprehend the momentous duties that accompany their lofty titles.
Paul R. Goldin. Confucianism. University of California Press, 2011. 24.
Everyone knows this, not only Confucius.
We wouldn’t make comments like “lead by example,” and “set a good example,” and “role models,” and “look up to” if we didn’t.
We become what we choose.
That matters.
Matters of Interpretation 