Principals can easily validate the tension of opposites thinking. Their work is filled with paradoxical dilemmas and days in which the questions are complex and void of definitive answers. In an attempt to balance the often antithetical needs and expectations of the students, the faculty members, the community, and the district office, the principal struggles with a variety of oppositional forces. This article presents examples that illustrate some of the conflicting positions that principals must take as they fulfill their various roles. Also discussed are the cognitive and affective considerations to be taken by the principal in dealing with tensions of opposites.