Famous ISTJs

ISTJ

Arthur Wellington

'The Duke of Wellington' - U.K. Prime Minister and general

Wellington: "Whatever enthusiasm [an army feels is] the result of the example set [by] the head of the army."

Wellington: "The word of an English officer is a sure guarantee."

[Explaining why he broke with Britain's Spanish allies:]
Wellington: "They are really children. ... I cannot say that they do anything as it ought to be done."

[Responding to accusations against him:]
Wellington: "I [trust that the issue] will not be made the subject of that vague and general sort of discussion which sometimes takes place ... but that every fact will be fully and fairly sifted."

ISTJ

George Washington

U.S. President and general

Washington: "Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected."

Washington: "Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience."

[Admonishing his unpaid soldiers not to rise up against Congress:]
Washington: "You will not do it. You will give one more distinguished proof of patriotism and patient virtue, rising superior to suffering."

Kelley L. Ross: "[Washington] was resolute and brave in action, moderate and restrained in his judgment, yet ... ferocious in his rare anger."

Richard Brookhiser: "[Washington had won] a war for independence and then gone home. [He embodied] the legend of the Roman who returned to his plow after saving his country."

ISTJ

Dwight D. Eisenhower

U.S. President (R) and Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during WW2

[On leading the U.S. Army during WW2:]
Eisenhower: "This is a long tough road we have to travel. ... Fake reputations, habits of glib, clever speech, and glittering surface performance are going to be discovered."

Eisenhower: "[Children should contribute] to a family's essential survival and happiness. [In] an urban society, children are ... robbed of the opportunity to do genuinely responsible work."

David M. Oshinsky: "Eisenhower could get diverse factions to work toward a common goal. ... Leadership, he explained, meant patience."

Steven J. Rubenzer: "Eisenhower is the only modern president much like Washington."

ISTJ

Augustus

Emperor of Rome, adoptive son of Julius Caesar

Augustus: "Festina lente."
("Make haste slowly.")

Augustus: "We must plan for our lasting preservation rather than for our temporary pleasure."

Karl Loewenstein: "[He had] unlimited capacity to work; a meticulous attention to detail [and] careful preparation."

Karl Loewenstein: "[He conducted] his government with hard-headed realism and practical common sense ... free from romantic illusions or mysticism."

Zvi Yavetz: "[Augustus] was amazed that Alexander showed no respect for the ... routine of daily management."

Zvi Yavetz: "[Augustus had] tact ... patience, and moderation ... qualities that were [absent] in Julius Caesar."

ISTJ

Warren Buffett

Super-investor and author

Buffett: "There is no formula to figure [value] out. You have to know the business [and the company] has to be run by honest and able people."

Buffett: "[When investing on the stock exchange] what you need is the temperament to control the urges that get other people into trouble."

Buffett: "I've reluctantly discarded the notion of my continuing to manage [my stock] portfolio after my death - abandoning my hope to give new meaning to the term 'thinking outside the box.'"

Bill Gates: "Warren's framework has been [consistent for 40 years] he has always looked at the world in terms of integrity."

ISTJ

Jeff Bezos

Founder of Amazon

Bezos: "A company shouldn't get addicted to being shiny, because shiny doesn't last."

Bezos: "We are an appropriate company only for long-term-oriented investors."

Bezos: "As Warren Buffett says [if you take] a long-term approach ... you get the shareholders you deserve."

Bezos: "I'd rather interview 50 people and not hire anyone than hire the wrong person."

Alan Deutschman: "[He wants to] base all decisions on data, not ... instinct."

Robert Hof: "He often plunges into minute details himself."

ISTJ

Ingvar Kamprad

Founder of IKEA

Kamprad: "Be thankful to those who are the pillars of our society! Those simple, quiet, taken-for-granted people who ... do their duty and shoulder their responsibility without being noticed."

Kamprad: "The aim [of IKEA] is to reach a good result in the long term."

[Asked about his extreme frugality:]
Kamprad: "If I start to acquire luxurious things then this will only incite others to follow suit. It's important that leaders set an example."

The Age Magazine: "IKEA's [morals extend] to the customer. Whether you like it or not, [they] teach you the value of good, honest, simple, hard work. Self-assembly ... is more than a cost-cutting measure: [To them] it's a tool ... to make you sweat for your own edification."

ISTJ

Peter Thiel

Founder of PayPal along with Elon Musk, student of Rene Girard

Thiel: "I don't enjoy being contrarian. ... I think it's much more important to be right than to be contrarian."

Thiel: "[Life] is like a never-ending tournament. ... You have to win the tournament. You have to be realistic about how to win the tournament."

[Asked if he prefers nuclear power to renewable energy:]
Thiel: "I prefer things that work."

[Asked how much luck matters:]
Thiel: "[If] you think of the world as consisting of lottery tickets, you have set yourself up to lose. ... It's really a kind of laziness where people don't want to think as hard about things as they should."

ISTJ

Thomas Hobbes

Philosopher

Hobbes: "During times where men live without a great power to keep them all in awe, they are in a war of every man, against every man."

Hobbes: "By how much one man has more experience of things past, than another, by so much also he is more prudent, and his expectations the seldomer fail him."

Hobbes: "He that has most experience [is] so much more prudent than he that is new, as not to be equalled by any advantage of natural and extemporary wit: though many young men think the contrary."

ISTJ

Sigmund Freud

Psychoanalyst, mentor of Jung and Adler

Freud: "My love is something valuable to me which I ought not to throw away without reflection. ... If I love someone, they must deserve it."

C.G. Jung: "I came to Freud for facts. I read 'The Interpretation of Dreams' and I thought: 'Oh, here is a man who is not just theorizing away, here is a man who has got facts.'"

Albert Einstein: "[Freud's] sense of reality is less clouded by wishful thinking than is the case with other people and [he combines] the qualities of critical judgment, earnestness and responsibility."

ISTJ

Martin Heidegger

Philosopher, student of Husserl, dated Hannah Arendt

Heidegger: "Only where leader and led together bind each other in one destiny ... does true order grow."

Heidegger: "Spiritual superiority [consists in] deep dedication ... in the form of the most rigorous training, as commitment, resistance, solitude, and love."

Heidegger: "A man's first bond is that which ties him into the national community."

Heidegger: "I take great pleasure, every day, in seeing my work deeply rooted in our native soil."

ISTJ

Frederick the Great

King of Prussia, student of Voltaire

Frederick: "Pay the most particular attention to the exact execution of ... duty."

Frederick: "Never imagine a thing to be done as long as it is not actually done."

Frederick: "[A general must physically be] at the head of the army, to set an example."

Frederick: "[If I love a thing] I must take care not to praise it before praise is deserved."

David Fraser: "He personally commanded his army in war after war with such supreme skill that he became acclaimed as the greatest soldier of his time."

ISTJ

Calvin Coolidge

U.S. President (R)

Coolidge: "The right thing to do never requires any subterfuges; it is always simple and direct."

Coolidge: "Surprisingly few men are lacking in capacity, but they fail because... they are too indolent to apply themselves with the seriousness and the attention that is necessary to solve important problems."

David Greenberg: "Coolidge's preference for experience over ideas was a deeply rooted trait."

David Greenberg: "He sought above all to instill his code of discipline, diligence, and responsibility."

ISTJ

Richard Nixon

U.S. President (R)

Nixon: "I never say something I cannot do. And I always will do more than I can say."

Nixon: "To me, the most unhappy people in the world are the people ... in Palm Beach: Going to parties every night. Playing golf every afternoon, then bridge. [They have] no purpose."

John F. Kennedy: "Nixon is not an extrovert."

ISTJ

Woodrow Wilson

U.S. President (D)

Wilson: "A man's rootage means more than his leafage."

Wilson: "Not all change is progress."

Wilson: "The facts of the case will always have the better of [an] argument."

Wilson: "Men grow by having responsibility laid upon them."

Wilson: "What every man seeks is satisfaction. He deceives himself so long as he imagines it to lie in self-indulgence."

ISTJ

Xenophon

Greek historian and soldier, student of Socrates

Xenophon: "For the good man, there is nothing better than owning an estate and tending to it, properly."

Xenophon: "To neglect a detail ... is surely to neglect oneself; since in the hour of danger, one's life will depend on it."

Xenophon: "Whatever you determine to be the right thing to do, endeavor to perform it with diligence."

Robin Waterfield: "[To Xenophon] self-discipline is important not just for itself, but because it enables a person not to be distracted by his appetites from doing his duty."

Robin Waterfield: "He is a quiet thinker; he doesn't trumpet his views, but a great deal of careful thought underpins his work."

ISTJ

Angela Merkel

Chancellor of Germany

Merkel: "I am courageous at the decisive moment. But I need a good deal of start-up time, and I try to take as much as possible into consideration beforehand."

Time Magazine: "She has won [praise] not by [friendliness] but by a quiet, no-frills stress on competence."

Daily Mail: "She is always better informed than anyone else."

Lothar de Maiziere: "She [is] so precise, with ... an eye for detail."

Newsweek: "She [has a] sober approach: If in doubt, stick to the rules."

ISTJ

Joseph Ratzinger

Pope

Ratzinger: "[I am not] one of those thoughtless people who always uncritically accept what is new as necessarily better."

Ratzinger: "Belief [is] the risky enterprise of accepting what cannot be seen as the truly real."

Ratzinger: "Belief [demands that we] accept [what is] eternally valid. And that [is not fashionable] in an age when the idea of 'tradition' has been replaced by the idea of 'progress.'"

Ratzinger: "The church needs to withstand the tides of trends and the latest novelties."

ISTJ

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Critic of Islam and writer, married to Niall Ferguson

Ali: "I judge. I would like us to judge. I would like us to say: One religion is better than the other. One culture is better than the other. One idea is better than the other."

Ali: "I confront the [intellectual] elite's self-image as tolerant while [right] under their noses women are living like slaves."

Ali: "I feel this obligation. ... I think that I can't just lie around ... and enjoy a life of Western progress and at the same time keep quiet about what is not right."

Ali: "Judged by our standards, Muhammad is a pervert."

Ali: "Christopher Hitchens was a dear friend [of mine] and a man who lived for the mind."

ISTJ

Stonewall Jackson

U.S. Civil War general

Jackson: "It is important that those at headquarters set an example by remaining [on] duty. If all our troops, officers, and men were [constantly] at their posts, we might ... expect a more speedy termination of the war."

Jackson: "It is not desirable to have a large number of intimate friends. You may have many acquaintances, but few intimate friends."

Jackson: "I like liquor - its taste and its effects - and that is just the reason why I never drink it."

Jackson: "I am obliged to sweat [my men] tonight, so that I may save their blood tomorrow."

Jackson: "Let your conduct have uniformity: Temperance, silence and order."

ISTJ

Elizabeth Holmes

Founder and CEO of Theranos

Holmes: "[I'm] patient and ... building this company for the very long term."

Holmes: "Person by person, [I] will demonstrate the integrity of what [I] do."

Holmes: "[I] ... keep [my] head down and focus on what [I'm] doing. ... Big waves come and go, but [I'm] there for a reason."

Holmes: "[I'm interested in] less talk and more action that proves [my] company can back up ... its claims."

Holmes: "What we need to do ... is focus on ... the data and put that out there. Because that speaks for itself."

Henry Kissinger: "[Her] determination ... turned me from a ... skeptic to an enthusiast."

ISTJ

Robert De Niro

Actor

De Niro: "You don't just play a part. You've got to earn the right to play it."

De Niro: "As a kid I didn't root for the bad guys."

De Niro: "I certainly know the difference between right and wrong."

De Niro: "The hardest thing about being famous is that ... in a conversation everybody's agreeing with what you're saying. ... You need people who can tell you what you don't want to hear."

Matt Damon: "He's famous for being obsessive about details."

ISTJ

Sean Connery

Actor

Connery: "[James Bond's qualities of] self-containment, his powers of decision, his ability to carry on through till the end and to survive ... I like to think I acquired them before Bond."

Connery: "Ever since the introduction of psychoanalysis there have been too many terms to excuse behavior and phrases that can be [used] to explain everything."

Tom Clancy: "Sean Connery was a most agreeable gentleman. ... I was most impressed with him. Good guy." [Upon meeting Connery in 1989.]

ISTJ

Morgan Freeman

Actor

Freeman: "I don't care who [someone] is. ... You know your job, I know mine, let's go do it."

Freeman: "I can only be so long without work before I start getting antsy."

Freeman: "Work is refreshing ... work is pleasant. The more the better. Lying around ... is debilitating."

Robert Benson: "You cannot act moral fiber, or a certain kind of stature - you either have it or you don't. [Freeman] truly has that quality."

Interview Magazine: "Shrewd, grave, and authoritative, Freeman is one of the most reliable presences in American cinema."

ISTJ

John Malkovich

Actor

Malkovich: "Real stars are [the] people who work in a factory and instill good values in their children."

Malkovich: "I have never been someone who was so ... intent on the future that I couldn't live in the present."

Malkovich: "Unlike ... people who [improvise] I'm a plodder. ... I go and I show up every day ... and it works its way into me."

Malkovich: "I've got a reputation as a cold [intellectual]. But nothing could be further from the truth. ... People confuse roles I play with me."

New York Observer: "[In person he] comes across ... as ... laconic ... understated [and] sincere. ... He's nothing like the characters he has played."

ISTJ

Elizabeth II

Queen of England, mother of King Charles

Elizabeth: "There is nothing quite like the family gathering in familiar surroundings [and] in the traditional atmosphere of love and happiness that springs from the enjoyment of simple well-tried things."

Elizabeth: "Many grave problems and difficulties confront us all, but with a new faith in the old ... beliefs given us by our forefathers ... I know we shall be worthy of our duty."

Christopher Hitchens: "I will [grudgingly] admit that the present queen of England is a person of ... integrity."

ISTJ

Christopher Lee

Actor

Lee: "We live in an age of decline. Look at the world. There is decline in morals, ideals, manners, respect ... just about everything, in fact."

Lee: "The problem today ... is that there are ... very young men and women ... playing very large parts in huge films and they simply ... don't have the ... experience ... to pull it off."

Lee: "[Retirement] is not for me. I hate being idle."

Lee: "I don't say things to the press that aren't true. It [does not] happen ... with me."

Lee: "[When I played Dracula it was] the only time [someone portrayed] the character exactly as Bram Stoker described him."

ISTJ

Jamie Hyneman

Host of 'MythBusters' along with Adam Savage

Hyneman: "Take ... responsibility for yourself. ... Self responsibility is a big, big thing as far as being able to maintain ethical behavior goes."

Hyneman: "I had no ambition to be on stage. As a person, I pretty much am who I seem to be on television; I'm a little bit deadpan."

Hyneman: "I don't want an average person making important decisions. ... People who are in charge of making decisions [should] have some credentials for being given the responsibility. If you want to drive a car, you need a driver's license."

Blast Magazine: "Jamie has a calm, no-nonsense attitude, and a tendency to grumble at anything he considers silly or unnecessary."

ISTJ

Nick Offerman

Actor, married to Megan Mullally

Offerman: "There's a lot of common sense ... which I feel like we have lost touch with."

Offerman: "Stand up for your principles and be loyal to your friends and family."

Offerman: "I always had a lot of confidence in my work ... but [other than that] I'm not a huge dreamer."

Amy Poehler: "When all the shit goes down and the world's about to end, Offerman would be a guy I'd want by my side."

Megan Mullally: "He's just a solid human being."

ISTJ

Natalie Portman

Actress

Portman: "I'd rather be smart than a movie star."

Portman: "I always liked school."

Portman: "[As a child] I was good at working with adults."

Portman: "I had a fashion designer tell me that when I wear a dress of his, it sells out across the country. ... It made me sad, because I want to be an influence in ways other than by [wearing] a pretty dress."

Portman: "I don't mean to criticize anyone. ... I think people should have fun, and have a good time, and enjoy the luck that we have to be lazy and dwell in consumerism. But ... it's a balance. ... I just think it's an important thing to engage in the world."

ISTJ

Rivers Cuomo

(Weezer)

Cuomo: "I believe in finishing what I started."

Cuomo: "[While] I like to explore new territory, deep down there's a piece of me that stays pretty consistent."

Cuomo: "I really am a homebody. I like having a wife and a kid and coming home every day for dinner and doing [household] tasks."

Cuomo: "I [did not] set out to do a fun band. [I am] really serious [about my music] and somehow that works."

Rolling Stone: "[He maintains] an elaborate ... spreadsheet that catalogs all the songs he's written. [Presenting it] he seems more excited about the spreadsheet than the prolificacy it documents."

Gavin Edwards: "He [comes across] more like an engineer than the lead singer of a band."

ISTJ

Matt Damon

Actor

Damon: "I'd had people say, 'You'll enjoy being famous for a week, and you'll never enjoy it again.' But I don't think I had that week. I may have been working and missed that moment."

Damon: "Your decisions here on earth matter, your behavior matters, and how you treat other people matters. ... It ... comes down to accountability for your own behavior [and] that's important."

Damon: "[I appreciate people who] take [their work] very seriously and who [exhibit] discipline and commitment."

Damon: "[In Hollywood there are people who are] famous for ... 10 minutes. Real careers take a long time to unfold."

ISTJ

Danica McKellar

Actress and author of math textbooks aimed at girls

McKellar: "I want to give girls a positive role model when it comes to being smart."

McKellar: "Almost every single section [in my books] has a real-life application. ... [I'm] putting girls in situations that they might actually experience in their lives."