--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we want to really reduce foreign…" description: "\"If we want to really reduce foreign influence on our elections, then we better think about how to make sure that our political process, our political d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/545/barack-obama-17_dialogue_if-we-want-to-really-reduce-foreign-infl_2631157.jpg" --- # If we want to really reduce foreign influence on our… ![“If we want to really reduce foreign influence on our elections, then we better think about how to make sure that our political process, our political dialogue is stronger than it's been.” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/545/barack-obama-17_dialogue_if-we-want-to-really-reduce-foreign-infl_2631157.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/545/barack-obama-17_dialogue_if-we-want-to-really-reduce-foreign-infl_2631157.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/545/barack-obama-17_dialogue_if-we-want-to-really-reduce-foreign-infl_2631157.jpg) > “If we want to really reduce foreign influence on our elections, then we better think about how to make sure that our political process, our political dialogue is stronger than it's been.” [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates strengthening political dialogue to reduce foreign election interference. **In simple terms:** Strong domestic discourse counters external influence. Key Takeaway Foster robust political conversation. Themes politics sovereignty foreign influence dialogue Mood determined urgent Type political policy When to use this quote - election monitoring - public debates - media literacy - policy reform Key Concepts democratic resilience national security Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards best protect elections? - How can citizens engage more in political dialogue? A Different Perspective May underestimate deep systemic vulnerabilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-dialogue/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [To the extent that our political dialogue is such where everything is under suspicion, everybody is corrupt and everybody is doing things for partisan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/to-the-extent-that-our-political-dialogue-is-such-where-everything-is/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [America, we weaken our ties when we allow our political dialogue to become so corrosive that people of good character aren't even willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/america-we-weaken-our-ties-when-we-allow-our-political-dialogue-to/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We all say in our own lives that money isn't everything. Love matters, friendships matter. My relationship with my kids matters. It shouldn't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/we-all-say-in-our-own-lives-that-money-isn-t-everything-love-matters/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [We have been making constant efforts, all the time, to start dialogue with the SLORC, but you know it takes two. We don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/we-have-been-making-constant-efforts-all-the-time-to-start-dialogue/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [Ever since I became NATO Secretary General, I have emphasised the need for enhanced political dialogue among the Allies. And I am glad that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaap-de-hoop-scheffer/ever-since-i-became-nato-secretary-general-i-have-emphasised-the-need/) Jaap de Hoop Scheffer > [It's much cheaper to influence elections than it is to go to war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/it-s-much-cheaper-to-influence-elections-than-it-is-to-go-to-war/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [When a few people control the bulk of money, they can not only influence elections by money power - which enables various forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prashant-bhushan/when-a-few-people-control-the-bulk-of-money-they-can-not-only/) [Prashant Bhushan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prashant-bhushan/) > [If people are going to donate huge sums of money to influence elections, we have the right to know who is donating, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elissa-slotkin/if-people-are-going-to-donate-huge-sums-of-money-to-influence/) [Elissa Slotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elissa-slotkin/) > [Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, (I conjure you to believe me fellow citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/against-the-insidious-wiles-of-foreign-influence-i-conjure-you-to/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“Elio Vittorini observed in 1957 that ever since Napoleon, France had proved impermeable to any foreign influence except German philosophy: and that was still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/elio-vittorini-observed-in-1957-that-ever-since-napoleon-france-had/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [If faculty and staff at American institutions are under foreign influence, the least we can do is ensure that the United States government is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-james/if-faculty-and-staff-at-american-institutions-are-under-foreign/) [John E. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-james/) > [LGBT people are really convenient: we're sort of the ultimate foreign agent in Russia. There's no doubt in anyone's mind that the values that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/lgbt-people-are-really-convenient-we-re-sort-of-the-ultimate-foreign/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [“George Washington was unambiguous in his distrust of manipulation by political parties, writing that it: “agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-befumo/george-washington-was-unambiguous-in-his-distrust-of-manipulation-by/) [Joseph Befumo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-befumo/) > [Foreign influence is truly the Grecian horse to a republic. We cannot be too careful to exclude its influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/foreign-influence-is-truly-the-grecian-horse-to-a-republic-we-cannot/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence . . . the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/against-the-insidious-wiles-of-foreign-influence-the-jealousy-of-a/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) ## More by Barack Obama > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/donald-trump-is-temperamentally-unfit/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What we've said to the girls is: 'If you guys ever decide that you're going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-ve-said-to-the-girls-is-if-you-guys-ever-decide-that-you-re/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We had a farewell dinner for some of my senior staff, and generally everybody likes to talk about how cool I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-had-a-farewell-dinner-for-some-of-my-senior-staff-and-generally/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ It's good to get fresh legs in \[the White house\]. I think that it refreshes our democracy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-good-to-get-fresh-legs-in-the-white-house-i-think-that-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Believe it or not, entertainment is part of our American diplomacy, it is part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/believe-it-or-not-entertainment-is-part-of-our-american-diplomacy-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Explore all 3,624 Barack Obama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More Dialogue quotes > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [“Clay, if anyone followed anyone, it was me tagging along after you. I didn’t dare order you around.” “Load of shit,” he muttered, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/clay-if-anyone-followed-anyone-it-was-me-tagging-along-after-you-i/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [Dialogue and education for peace can help free our hearts from the impulse toward intolerance and the rejection of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/dialogue-and-education-for-peace-can-help-free-our-hearts-from-the/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [Propaganda begins when dialogue ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/propaganda-begins-when-dialogue-ends/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [I think the biggest problem working with me would be that I'm an only child, and so I have an internal dialogue that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-the-biggest-problem-working-with-me-would-be-that-i-m-an-only/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [ “\[A\]lways get to the dialogue as soon as possible. I always feel the thing to go for is speed. Nothing puts the reader off… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/a-lways-get-to-the-dialogue-as-soon-as-possible-i-always-feel-the/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [ I can hardly believe what these 12 caricatures \[about Prophet Muhammad\] have caused in the world. We Danes feel like we have been placed… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-fogh-rasmussen/i-can-hardly-believe-what-these-12-caricatures-about-prophet-muhammad/) [Anders Fogh Rasmussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-fogh-rasmussen/) > [“Free Flowing Dialogue “Have you ever been engaged in a conversation which was so dynamic that you were both firing on all cylinders, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/free-flowing-dialogue-have-you-ever-been-engaged-in-a-conversation/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [I thought that the world was a vast system of signs, a conversation between giant beings. My actions, the cricket's saw, the star's blink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/i-thought-that-the-world-was-a-vast-system-of-signs-a-conversation/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [As I get older and I get more of this dialogue and I lose more and more brain cells, it really does become the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-spiner/as-i-get-older-and-i-get-more-of-this-dialogue-and-i-lose-more-and/) [Brent Spiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-spiner/) > [It's true that PC culture has created very little honest dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sho-baraka/it-s-true-that-pc-culture-has-created-very-little-honest-dialogue/) [Sho Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sho-baraka/) Browse all 1,919 Dialogue quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If we want to really reduce foreign influence on our elections, then we better think about how to make sure that our political process, our political dialogue is stronger than it's been.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barack Obama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/if-we-want-to-really-reduce-foreign-influence-on-our-elections-then/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dialogue" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/if-we-want-to-really-reduce-foreign-influence-on-our-elections-then/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/545/barack-obama-17_dialogue_if-we-want-to-really-reduce-foreign-infl_2631157.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/545/barack-obama-17_dialogue_if-we-want-to-really-reduce-foreign-infl_2631157.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/545/barack-obama-17_dialogue_if-we-want-to-really-reduce-foreign-infl_2631157.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If we want to really reduce foreign influence on our elections, then we better think about how to make sure…” — Barack Obama", "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": "Barack Obama", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If we want to really reduce...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/if-we-want-to-really-reduce-foreign-influence-on-our-elections-then/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/if-we-want-to-really-reduce-foreign-influence-on-our-elections-then/#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 } } ] } ```