'If I were to order a general to fly from one flower to another like a butterfly, or to write a tragedy, or to change himself into a sea-bird, and if the general did not carry out the order, which one of us would be at fault?'

'It would be you,' said the little prince firmly.

'Exactly. One must demand of each and every one what he or she is capable of. Authority is first and foremost based on reason. If you order your people to throw themselves into the sea, you will have a revolution on your hands. I have a right to demand obedience because my orders are reasonable ones.

Le Petit Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry