Alexander the Great

When Alexander the Great became king of Macedonia, all the great philosophers of the time rushed to befriend him.  Having himself studied under Aristotle, Alexander considered the knowledge the philosophers had to offer as being one of the keys to his success as a ruler of Macedonia, and, perhaps, the world.  All of the great philosophers came rushing to greet him, except one.  Diogenes, the hermit.

So Alexander went to Diogenes to see what wisdom he could glean from the man.  He found the philosopher sunning himself.  The hermit shaded his eyes and stared at the young king for some time.  When Alexander finally asked him "What can I do for you?"  Diogenese replied, "You are blocking the sun.  Please move to one side." 

When others criticized the philosopher, Alexander is said to have responded: "You may say what you like, but if I weren't Alexander, I would like to be Diogenes."

If I weren't the most powerful man in the world, I'd like to be the man who could brush the most powerful man in the world aside.