The most important attribute of any successful leader is wisdom, a trait not reducible to any particular set of skills, techniques, or strategies. It is, instead, the capacity of understanding how the world works and especially what motivates people to do what they do, their fundamental hopes, fears, and desires. This course will examine the writings of Plato, Augustine, Freud, Emerson, and Simone Weil (among others), with a focus on how their ideas might illuminate leadership.