--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am not sure when it became de rigueur…" description: "\"I am not sure when it became de rigueur for presidential candidates to publish a work between hard covers, but nobody now runs for high office without ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/anne-applebaum-2544_books_i-am-not-sure-when-it-became-de-rigueur_1413026.jpg" --- # I am not sure when it became de rigueur for presidential… ![“I am not sure when it became de rigueur for presidential candidates to publish a work between hard covers, but nobody now runs for high office without having written, or having arranged for the ghostwriting of, a very large book.” quote by Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/anne-applebaum-2544_books_i-am-not-sure-when-it-became-de-rigueur_1413026.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/anne-applebaum-2544_books_i-am-not-sure-when-it-became-de-rigueur_1413026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/anne-applebaum-2544_books_i-am-not-sure-when-it-became-de-rigueur_1413026.jpg) > “I am not sure when it became de rigueur for presidential candidates to publish a work between hard covers, but nobody now runs for high office without having written, or having arranged for the ghostwriting of, a very large book.” [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political candidates increasingly need a book to establish credibility and media presence. **In simple terms:** Candidates must have a book to be taken seriously. Key Takeaway Publish a book to boost political legitimacy. Themes politics media credibility campaigns Mood critical analytical Type observational commentary When to use this quote - campaign launch - media interviews - fundraising events Key Concepts branding public perception ghostwriting Questions to Reflect On - How does a book affect voter trust? - Is ghostwriting ethical in politics? A Different Perspective Not all voters value books; some may view them as propaganda. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [The border between editing and ghostwriting is, at its extremes, a bit porous. An editor really improves and sometimes restructures a manuscript and suggests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-thurman/the-border-between-editing-and-ghostwriting-is-at-its-extremes-a-bit/) [Judith Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-thurman/) > [I worked in the book publishing business for nearly two decades before I turned my attention to writing, first with a couple ghostwriting projects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/i-worked-in-the-book-publishing-business-for-nearly-two-decades/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [Let me get something straight: I have no problem with ghostwriting as a thing unto itself. What bothers me is the way it's shrouded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/let-me-get-something-straight-i-have-no-problem-with-ghostwriting-as/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [“Of all the advantages that ghostwriting offers, one of the greatest must be the opportunity that you get to meet people of interest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-crofts/of-all-the-advantages-that-ghostwriting-offers-one-of-the-greatest/) [Andrew Crofts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-crofts/) > [The trouble with ghostwriting is that it raises the issue of whether the president is in a state of diminished responsibility for what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-raban/the-trouble-with-ghostwriting-is-that-it-raises-the-issue-of-whether/) [Jonathan Raban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raban/) > [I think one of the big things that's come out of ghostwriting for me is real compassion for the complexity of fame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-liftin/i-think-one-of-the-big-things-that-s-come-out-of-ghostwriting-for-me/) [Hilary Liftin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-liftin/) > [I've tried in the past to blog about ghostwriting and have failed. I have a lot of opinions on the whole issue, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/i-ve-tried-in-the-past-to-blog-about-ghostwriting-and-have-failed-i/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [I wanted to write songs about other people because I was sick of myself, basically. I didn't like myself very much. 'Ghostwriting' became an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-lekman/i-wanted-to-write-songs-about-other-people-because-i-was-sick-of/) [Jens Lekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-lekman/) > [I actually was doing ghostwriting jobs since I was 17 years old, so I've been supporting myself off and on with writing jobs for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-corbet/i-actually-was-doing-ghostwriting-jobs-since-i-was-17-years-old-so-i/) [Brady Corbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-corbet/) > [The act of memory is an act of ghostwriting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-act-of-memory-is-an-act-of-ghostwriting/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“Writing all day every day is good, but it’s not good enough. You need to have your clone ghostwriting for you too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/writing-all-day-every-day-is-good-but-it-s-not-good-enough-you-need/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I realize that 'Postcards' was like input, and 'Ghostwriting' was output. I had all these frustrations and feelings before I did those two projects.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-lekman/i-realize-that-postcards-was-like-input-and-ghostwriting-was-output-i/) [Jens Lekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-lekman/) > [I would be miserable if I went to bed without having written 1,000 words about something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-hastings/i-would-be-miserable-if-i-went-to-bed-without-having-written-1-000/) [Max Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-hastings/) > [Twenty-two pages is not a lot of space. Believe me. Having written a bazillion comics, I still find myself more often than nine pages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/twenty-two-pages-is-not-a-lot-of-space-believe-me-having-written-a/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [I still have dreams, but instead of having them written on a little piece of paper, I live a little bit of them every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-gregoire-trudeau/i-still-have-dreams-but-instead-of-having-them-written-on-a-little/) [Sophie Gregoire Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-gregoire-trudeau/) ## More by Anne Applebaum > [Quite a lot has been written, including by me, about the effect of social media on politics, and in particular the way in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/quite-a-lot-has-been-written-including-by-me-about-the-effect-of/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [After Trump became president, it was really too late to investigate his dodgy investments in Azerbaijan or his links to Russian money laundering. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/after-trump-became-president-it-was-really-too-late-to-investigate/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [If Reagan and John Paul II were linked by anything, it was a grand, ambitious, and generous idea of Western political civilization, one in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/if-reagan-and-john-paul-ii-were-linked-by-anything-it-was-a-grand/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [Until the attack on Pearl Harbor, isolationism was an important, even dominant strand in U.S. politics. After the Second World War, this strand disappeared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/until-the-attack-on-pearl-harbor-isolationism-was-an-important-even/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [The U.S.S.R. was a totalitarian state in which judges and prosecutors were controlled by the ruling party. The result was injustice, oppression and corruption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/the-u-s-s-r-was-a-totalitarian-state-in-which-judges-and-prosecutors/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [One knows, of course, that Donald Trump behaves differently from the leaders of other countries, especially the leaders of other Western democracies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/one-knows-of-course-that-donald-trump-behaves-differently-from-the/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [As a nation, we are not good at long-term planning, and no wonder: Our political system insists that every president be allowed to appoint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/as-a-nation-we-are-not-good-at-long-term-planning-and-no-wonder-our/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [Amazingly, quite a few people, even some American conservatives, are taken in by Russian tactics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/amazingly-quite-a-few-people-even-some-american-conservatives-are/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [Like wealth, or health, political freedom may simply be something that people don't value if they've always had it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/like-wealth-or-health-political-freedom-may-simply-be-something-that/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [Unlike most European countries, the police in the US are decentralized; even the FBI has regional offices. Amending the constitution is a long and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/unlike-most-european-countries-the-police-in-the-us-are-decentralized/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [The hard truth is that Trump was not exceptional. He was just another amoral Western businessman, one of many whom the ex-KGB elite have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/the-hard-truth-is-that-trump-was-not-exceptional-he-was-just-another/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [Politics in Slovakia had long been a battle between egotistical men. Caputova sought to be the anti-ego alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/politics-in-slovakia-had-long-been-a-battle-between-egotistical-men/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [European security may now depend on Germany, France, Britain and one or two others, and it's better to start planning now for the possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/european-security-may-now-depend-on-germany-france-britain-and-one-or/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [Americans might not want to intervene in the outside world, but the outside world will still want to intervene in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/americans-might-not-want-to-intervene-in-the-outside-world-but-the/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [Romney was an excellent businessman with a strong record as a public servant - whereas Trump inherited wealth, went bankrupt more than once, created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/romney-was-an-excellent-businessman-with-a-strong-record-as-a-public/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) [Explore all 161 Anne Applebaum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am not sure when it became de rigueur for presidential candidates to publish a work between hard covers, but nobody now runs for high office without having written, or having arranged for the ghostwriting of, a very large book.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Applebaum" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/i-am-not-sure-when-it-became-de-rigueur-for-presidential-candidates/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/i-am-not-sure-when-it-became-de-rigueur-for-presidential-candidates/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/anne-applebaum-2544_books_i-am-not-sure-when-it-became-de-rigueur_1413026.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/anne-applebaum-2544_books_i-am-not-sure-when-it-became-de-rigueur_1413026.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/anne-applebaum-2544_books_i-am-not-sure-when-it-became-de-rigueur_1413026.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am not sure when it became de rigueur for presidential candidates to publish a work between hard covers…” — Anne Applebaum", "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": "Anne Applebaum", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am not sure when it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/i-am-not-sure-when-it-became-de-rigueur-for-presidential-candidates/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/i-am-not-sure-when-it-became-de-rigueur-for-presidential-candidates/#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 } } ] } ```