---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always thought George Bush was more…"
description: "\"I always thought George Bush was more oblivious than mean, but oblivious can quickly go to mean.\" — Adam McKay"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/adam-mckay-2140_always_i-always-thought-george-bush-was-more-ob_780466.jpg"
---

#  I always thought George Bush was more oblivious than mean…

![“I always thought George Bush was more oblivious than mean, but oblivious can quickly go to mean.” quote by Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/adam-mckay-2140_always_i-always-thought-george-bush-was-more-ob_780466.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/adam-mckay-2140_always_i-always-thought-george-bush-was-more-ob_780466.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/adam-mckay-2140_always_i-always-thought-george-bush-was-more-ob_780466.jpg)

> “I always thought George Bush was more oblivious than mean, but oblivious can quickly go to mean.”

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Obliviousness can mask underlying hostility, turning indifference into cruelty if unchecked.

**In simple terms:** Being unaware can become mean.

Key Takeaway

Watch for hidden aggression.

Themes

perception behavior empathy

Mood

reflective critical

Type

observational analytical

When to use this quote

- workplace
- personal relationships
- politics

Key Concepts

psychology social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you assume others' intentions?
- How can you address hidden hostility?

A Different Perspective

Obliviousness may stem from ignorance, not intent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/)

## Related quotes

> [George W. Bush was a silver spoon dolt with no record to speak of other than bankruptcy and selling tropical plants, and we let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/george-w-bush-was-a-silver-spoon-dolt-with-no-record-to-speak-of/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [“A thick-skinned person and a fool are oblivious to the ways of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haresh-sippy/a-thick-skinned-person-and-a-fool-are-oblivious-to-the-ways-of-the/)

[Haresh Sippy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haresh-sippy/)

> [How mysterious it is, to be in love. For you can be in love with one who knows nothing of you. Perhpas our greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/how-mysterious-it-is-to-be-in-love-for-you-can-be-in-love-with-one/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [I think I have to remain eternally oblivious to age. Honestly, when you put a number on it yourself, it's just like, Why? Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/i-think-i-have-to-remain-eternally-oblivious-to-age-honestly-when-you/)

[Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/)

> [In my career I have never felt that my being a woman was an obstacle or an advantage. I guess I've been oblivious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-king/in-my-career-i-have-never-felt-that-my-being-a-woman-was-an-obstacle/)

[Carole King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-king/)

> [“There was no answer, except the general answer life gives to all the most complex and insoluble questions. That answer is: one must live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/there-was-no-answer-except-the-general-answer-life-gives-to-all-the/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [While we women dilly-dally, making decisions, leaving jobs half done, forgetting where we've put the house keys while we water the Hoover and leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/while-we-women-dilly-dally-making-decisions-leaving-jobs-half-done/)

[Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/)

> [I hate people walking down the street listening to the soundtrack of their lives which responds to them but not their setting. I hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/i-hate-people-walking-down-the-street-listening-to-the-soundtrack-of/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [I seriously think I could have sat in the middle of the kitchen floor rubbing two sticks together over a pile of dynamite blocks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-sonnenblick/i-seriously-think-i-could-have-sat-in-the-middle-of-the-kitchen-floor/)

[Jordan Sonnenblick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-sonnenblick/)

> [Music can minister to minds diseased, pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow, raze out the written troubles of the brain, and with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/music-can-minister-to-minds-diseased-pluck-from-the-memory-a-rooted/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [In the U.S., ironically, people work longer hours in the U.S. than they do in Europe or in any other industrialized country. They seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/in-the-u-s-ironically-people-work-longer-hours-in-the-u-s-than-they/)

[Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/)

> [ \[On living in New York City:\] I'm oblivious to everything. I just don't notice anything. I sat in a coffee shop, drank half a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kightlinger/on-living-in-new-york-city-i-m-oblivious-to-everything-i-just-don-t/)

[Laura Kightlinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kightlinger/)

> [After coming from a major label, I realized the entire business has been decimated, and you can't look to labels to try to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/after-coming-from-a-major-label-i-realized-the-entire-business-has/)

[Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/)

> [The first thing I would like to tell you about death is that there is no bigger lie than death. And yet, death appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-first-thing-i-would-like-to-tell-you-about-death-is-that-there-is/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [We live in all we seek. The hidden shows up in too-plain sight. It lives captive on the face of the obvious - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-live-in-all-we-seek-the-hidden-shows-up-in-too-plain-sight-it/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

## More by Adam McKay

> [Since FDR's New Deal, corporations and wealthy families have been non-stop finding new ways to get tax breaks, deregulation and entitlements from the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/since-fdr-s-new-deal-corporations-and-wealthy-families-have-been-non/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [I was a huge fan of comedy in high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/i-was-a-huge-fan-of-comedy-in-high-school/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [I think I'm better than Mamet, I would say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/i-think-i-m-better-than-mamet-i-would-say/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [I'll tell you one thing... no doubt about it, my favorite kind of comedy is talking head comedy. I mean, if it were up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/i-ll-tell-you-one-thing-no-doubt-about-it-my-favorite-kind-of-comedy/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [The 'Police Academy' stuff was all hyper-slapsticky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/the-police-academy-stuff-was-all-hyper-slapsticky/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [The only way that Hollywood ever skews toward liberal is because part of what we make out of Hollywood involves writers, actors, directors, musicians,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/the-only-way-that-hollywood-ever-skews-toward-liberal-is-because-part/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> ['Blazing Saddles' is one of the funniest movies ever made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/blazing-saddles-is-one-of-the-funniest-movies-ever-made/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [Blanket cynicism toward government has always existed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/blanket-cynicism-toward-government-has-always-existed/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [I have certain beliefs about how people should treat employees and how companies should be run, but I was really surprised though this process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/i-have-certain-beliefs-about-how-people-should-treat-employees-and/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [If you're calling yourself a maverick and you're not Dirk Nowitzki, then you are probably not one. In fact, this rule applies to anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/if-you-re-calling-yourself-a-maverick-and-you-re-not-dirk-nowitzki/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [Celebrities and 'famous' people are just regular folks. I know, it's a shocking and potentially dangerous statement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/celebrities-and-famous-people-are-just-regular-folks-i-know-it-s-a/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [I don't want to speak for my movies; you could say my movies are just completely silly and dumb, but in the case of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/i-don-t-want-to-speak-for-my-movies-you-could-say-my-movies-are-just/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [A lot of shorts spend too much time setting up the idea; sometimes they meander.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/a-lot-of-shorts-spend-too-much-time-setting-up-the-idea-sometimes/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [I think everyone knows the news has become ridiculous. It's entertainment driven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/i-think-everyone-knows-the-news-has-become-ridiculous-it-s/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [Word of mouth and the Internet are the only press we have left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/word-of-mouth-and-the-internet-are-the-only-press-we-have-left/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

[Explore all 183 Adam McKay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

## More Always quotes

> [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/)

[Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/)

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/)

[William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/)

[Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/)

> [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/)

[Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/)

> [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/)

[Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/)

> [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/)

[Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/)

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/)

[Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/)

> [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/)

[Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/)

> [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/)

[Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/)

> [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/)

[Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/)

Browse all 36,048 Always quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I always thought George Bush was more oblivious than mean, but oblivious can quickly go to mean.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Adam McKay"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/i-always-thought-george-bush-was-more-oblivious-than-mean-but/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Always"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/i-always-thought-george-bush-was-more-oblivious-than-mean-but/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/adam-mckay-2140_always_i-always-thought-george-bush-was-more-ob_780466.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/adam-mckay-2140_always_i-always-thought-george-bush-was-more-ob_780466.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/adam-mckay-2140_always_i-always-thought-george-bush-was-more-ob_780466.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I always thought George Bush was more oblivious than mean, but oblivious can quickly go to mean.” — Adam McKay",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Adam McKay",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I always thought George Bush was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/i-always-thought-george-bush-was-more-oblivious-than-mean-but/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/i-always-thought-george-bush-was-more-oblivious-than-mean-but/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
