---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is my settled opinion, after some…"
description: "\"It is my settled opinion, after some years as a political correspondent, that no one is attracted to a political career in the first place unless he is..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/auberon-waugh-13554_careers_it-is-my-settled-opinion-after-some-year_2041588.png"
---

#  It is my settled opinion, after some years as a political…

![“It is my settled opinion, after some years as a political correspondent, that no one is attracted to a political career in the first place unless he is socially or emotionally crippled.” quote by Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/auberon-waugh-13554_careers_it-is-my-settled-opinion-after-some-year_2041588.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/auberon-waugh-13554_careers_it-is-my-settled-opinion-after-some-year_2041588.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/auberon-waugh-13554_careers_it-is-my-settled-opinion-after-some-year_2041588.png)

> “It is my settled opinion, after some years as a political correspondent, that no one is attracted to a political career in the first place unless he is socially or emotionally crippled.”

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

## About This Quote

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

He argues that many politicians are drawn to the field because they feel emotionally or socially damaged.

**In simple terms:** Politicians often have personal wounds.

Key Takeaway

Recognize hidden motivations in political ambition.

Themes

politics psychology career choice

Mood

skeptical analytical

Type

critical observational

When to use this quote

- career counseling
- political analysis
- mental health advocacy
- media studies

Key Concepts

emotional trauma social alienation

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do some seek power to heal themselves?
- Can political systems support healthier entrants?

A Different Perspective

Not all politicians fit this pattern; many are idealistic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

## Related quotes

> [“I think," said my neighbour, her chin very high in the air (and still spiffed, I am glad to say) "that women who've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/i-think-said-my-neighbour-her-chin-very-high-in-the-air-and-still/)

[Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/)

> [“Is there a support group for people who didn’t like ‘Brokeback Mountain’? We must, if the rave reviews and the newspaper reports are to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-simpson/is-there-a-support-group-for-people-who-didn-t-like-brokeback/)

[Mark Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-simpson/)

> [“I have always swung back and forth between alienation and relatedness. As a child, I would run away from the beatings, from the obscene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-rose/i-have-always-swung-back-and-forth-between-alienation-and-relatedness/)

Wendy Rose

> [I was becoming the cold, emotionally crippled monster I always wanted to be, and I wasn’t so sure I liked it. But it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-was-becoming-the-cold-emotionally-crippled-monster-i-always-wanted/)

[Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/)

> [All of my political career, I've fought for the taxpayers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-price/all-of-my-political-career-i-ve-fought-for-the-taxpayers/)

[Tom Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-price/)

> [My political career goes back to the '60s and those were times of vigorous debates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/my-political-career-goes-back-to-the-60s-and-those-were-times-of/)

[Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/)

> [“Why do you want a political career? Have you ever been in the House of Commons and taken a good look at the inmates?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/why-do-you-want-a-political-career-have-you-ever-been-in-the-house-of/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [No wonder that, when a political career is so precarious, men of worth and capacity hesitate to embrace it. They cannot afford to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bryce/no-wonder-that-when-a-political-career-is-so-precarious-men-of-worth/)

[James Bryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bryce/)

> [My entire political career has been based on building up Britain's political standing and economic prosperity through our membership of the E.U. and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clarke/my-entire-political-career-has-been-based-on-building-up-britain-s/)

[Kenneth Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clarke/)

> [There are ups and downs in every political career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-jayalalithaa/there-are-ups-and-downs-in-every-political-career/)

[J. Jayalalithaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-jayalalithaa/)

> [My father was not in power when I started my political career, or when I fought my first election in 1996. Starting like any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehbooba-mufti/my-father-was-not-in-power-when-i-started-my-political-career-or-when/)

[Mehbooba Mufti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehbooba-mufti/)

> [“He was never rash or hurried, but he was always read. It was the secret, no doubt, of the extraordinary political career he threw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/he-was-never-rash-or-hurried-but-he-was-always-read-it-was-the-secret/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [I'm not sure I had a political career for the future anyway. I'm not sure that politics was what I wanted to spend my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/i-m-not-sure-i-had-a-political-career-for-the-future-anyway-i-m-not/)

[John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/)

> [If a man aspires for a political career, he can start at 18 and go on and on. This is not true about women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/if-a-man-aspires-for-a-political-career-he-can-start-at-18-and-go-on/)

[Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/)

> [Maybe unlike a lot of people who join the SNP today, I never had any expectation of a political career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/maybe-unlike-a-lot-of-people-who-join-the-snp-today-i-never-had-any/)

[Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/)

## More by Auberon Waugh

> [Politicians can forgive almost anything in the way of abuse; they can forgive subversion, revolution, being contradicted, exposed as liars, even ridiculed, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/politicians-can-forgive-almost-anything-in-the-way-of-abuse-they-can/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [“We had to fill in forms which asked us whether we had ever been convicted of any crime. I hesitated about this. The NCO…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/we-had-to-fill-in-forms-which-asked-us-whether-we-had-ever-been/)

[auberon waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [The main objection to killing people as a punishment...is that killing people is wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/the-main-objection-to-killing-people-as-a-punishment-is-that-killing/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [“People enter politics or the Civil Service out of a desire to exert power and influence events; this, I maintain, is an illness. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/people-enter-politics-or-the-civil-service-out-of-a-desire-to-exert/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [The two sides of industry have traditionally always regarded each other in Britain with the greatest possible loathing, mistrust and contempt. They are both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/the-two-sides-of-industry-have-traditionally-always-regarded-each/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [In their quest for power and self-importance, to compensate for whatever feelings of social inadequacy or sexual insecurity, they (Politicians)are prepared to perpetrate something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/in-their-quest-for-power-and-self-importance-to-compensate-for/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [“My own attitude to the innumerable injustices of life has always been a philosophical one, especially when they have tended to operate in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/my-own-attitude-to-the-innumerable-injustices-of-life-has-always-been/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [Judicial execution can never cancel or remove the atrocity it seeks to punish; it can only add a second atrocity to the original one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/judicial-execution-can-never-cancel-or-remove-the-atrocity-it-seeks/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [“...the modern State's greatest single instrument of oppression, its murderous tax on drink...accounts for nearly all the miseries besetting our once-merry land; football hooliganism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/the-modern-state-s-greatest-single-instrument-of-oppression-its/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [There is an old story about the boy at Eton who committed suicide. The other boys in his house were gathered together and asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/there-is-an-old-story-about-the-boy-at-eton-who-committed-suicide-the/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [“Rather to my surprise, I found myself genuinely indignant at the suggestion that murder was to be reintroduced as a means of political advancement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/rather-to-my-surprise-i-found-myself-genuinely-indignant-at-the/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [“It is just a lonely certainty that we are right and everybody else wrong, which makes it worthwhile for us busy-bodies to go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/it-is-just-a-lonely-certainty-that-we-are-right-and-everybody-else/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [When Glenda Jackson reveals that she has never been in a relationship with a man in which he hasn't raised his fists to her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/when-glenda-jackson-reveals-that-she-has-never-been-in-a-relationship/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [“Listening to the Gospel on Palm Sunday, it struck me that many people criticise Pontius Pilate for his role in the affair while letting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/listening-to-the-gospel-on-palm-sunday-it-struck-me-that-many-people/)

[auberon waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

> [Now that Mandela has been released from prison we can all admit what has been apparent, that he is not a Tembu tribesman, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/now-that-mandela-has-been-released-from-prison-we-can-all-admit-what/)

[Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

[Explore all 50 Auberon Waugh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/)

## More Careers quotes

> [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/)

[Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/)

> [The only thing I try to watch carefully is that I never lose the love for the instrument. That's also why I decided against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nils-frahm/the-only-thing-i-try-to-watch-carefully-is-that-i-never-lose-the-love/)

[Nils Frahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nils-frahm/)

> [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/)

[Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/)

[Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/)

> [The truth is I've just never had any kind of plan at all for my career, which is probably not a very flattering thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-burrell/the-truth-is-i-ve-just-never-had-any-kind-of-plan-at-all-for-my/)

[Ty Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-burrell/)

> [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/)

[Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/)

> [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/)

[Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/)

> [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/)

[Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/)

> [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/)

[Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/)

> [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/)

Robbin Crosby

> [There is so much temptation to hold on to my career even more now. To try to micromanage and dictate every little aspect. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/there-is-so-much-temptation-to-hold-on-to-my-career-even-more-now-to/)

[Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/)

> [Everything I've been through, everything I'm about to go through in my career and my life, if my family wasn't with me and didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-malone/everything-i-ve-been-through-everything-i-m-about-to-go-through-in-my/)

[Karl Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-malone/)

> [An image has stuck for most of my career and it isn't flattering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-fowler/an-image-has-stuck-for-most-of-my-career-and-it-isn-t-flattering/)

[Robbie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-fowler/)

Browse all 6,154 Careers quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is my settled opinion, after some years as a political correspondent, that no one is attracted to a political career in the first place unless he is socially or emotionally crippled.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Auberon Waugh"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/it-is-my-settled-opinion-after-some-years-as-a-political/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Careers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/it-is-my-settled-opinion-after-some-years-as-a-political/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/auberon-waugh-13554_careers_it-is-my-settled-opinion-after-some-year_2041588.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/auberon-waugh-13554_careers_it-is-my-settled-opinion-after-some-year_2041588.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/auberon-waugh-13554_careers_it-is-my-settled-opinion-after-some-year_2041588.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is my settled opinion, after some years as a political correspondent, that no one is attracted to a…” — Auberon Waugh",
                "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": "Auberon Waugh",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is my settled opinion, after...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/it-is-my-settled-opinion-after-some-years-as-a-political/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/it-is-my-settled-opinion-after-some-years-as-a-political/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
