--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every new president flatters himself that…" description: "\"Every new president flatters himself that he, kinder and gentler, is beginning the world anew. Yet, when Barack Obama in his inaugural address reached ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/charles-krauthammer-1232_addresses_every-new-president-flatters-himself-tha_1068561.jpg" --- # Every new president flatters himself that he, kinder and… ![“Every new president flatters himself that he, kinder and gentler, is beginning the world anew. Yet, when Barack Obama in his inaugural address reached out to Muslims by saying, 'To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,' his formulation was…” quote by Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/charles-krauthammer-1232_addresses_every-new-president-flatters-himself-tha_1068561.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/charles-krauthammer-1232_addresses_every-new-president-flatters-himself-tha_1068561.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/charles-krauthammer-1232_addresses_every-new-president-flatters-himself-tha_1068561.jpg) > “Every new president flatters himself that he, kinder and gentler, is beginning the world anew. Yet, when Barack Obama in his inaugural address reached out to Muslims by saying, 'To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,' his formulation was needlessly defensive and apologetic.” [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Presidents often claim to bring a fresh start, yet their language can become defensive, undermining the intended optimism. **In simple terms:** Presidential speeches may sound hopeful but can be overly cautious. Key Takeaway Seek genuine optimism without unnecessary defensiveness. Themes politics leadership communication optimism defensiveness Mood hopeful critical Type persuasive inspirational When to use this quote - policy announcements - international relations - public speaking - media analysis Key Concepts rhetoric public trust global diplomacy Questions to Reflect On - What makes a political address both hopeful and credible? - How can leaders balance humility with confidence? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on caution may erode confidence and hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apologetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetic/) [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Inaugural address](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inaugural-address/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Muslim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslim/) [Muslim world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslim-world/) [Mutual interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mutual-interest/) [Mutual respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mutual-respect/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Way forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-forward/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Well, we're just a couple of weeks from new President Barack Obama being sworn in. And he's been very busy naming a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/well-we-re-just-a-couple-of-weeks-from-new-president-barack-obama/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [“The new President’s speech was dark and dystopian. I heard it as a howl straight from the white nationalist gut.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/the-new-president-s-speech-was-dark-and-dystopian-i-heard-it-as-a/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [I truly do live my life a day at a time. When I talk to people trying to get through anything, it's a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-walsh/i-truly-do-live-my-life-a-day-at-a-time-when-i-talk-to-people-trying/) [Marty Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-walsh/) > [During the CPAC conference, Rand Paul told the crowd it was time for a new president and that people need to help make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/during-the-cpac-conference-rand-paul-told-the-crowd-it-was-time-for-a/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [ I really couldn't be more excited about the opportunity that we have with this new president \[Donald Trump\] to really turn this country around… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/i-really-couldn-t-be-more-excited-about-the-opportunity-that-we-have/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [“THE PREDESTINED In 1856, William Walker proclaims himself president of Nicaragua. The ceremony includes speeches, a military parade, a mass, and a banquet featuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/the-predestined-in-1856-william-walker-proclaims-himself-president-of/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [“But now, the new president-elect—after the most astonishing upset in American history—was on tenterhooks waiting for Murdoch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/but-now-the-new-president-elect-after-the-most-astonishing-upset-in/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [Whenever a new president comes in, people that are used to the previous president wonder if he has the same capacity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/whenever-a-new-president-comes-in-people-that-are-used-to-the/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [France now has a new president and he must be respected. I assume full responsibility for this defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-sarkozy/france-now-has-a-new-president-and-he-must-be-respected-i-assume-full/) [Nicolas Sarkozy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-sarkozy/) > [The last time I saw Ted Kennedy was a generation after my first meeting, at the Senate subway below the Capitol on Obama's Inauguration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-pelosi/the-last-time-i-saw-ted-kennedy-was-a-generation-after-my-first/) [Christine Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-pelosi/) > [President Obama, like every other leader on Earth, is still going to be looking out for national and economic interests. States don't cease to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/president-obama-like-every-other-leader-on-earth-is-still-going-to-be/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [In 2020, there will be a new president, and I will be an ex-president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-al-bashir/in-2020-there-will-be-a-new-president-and-i-will-be-an-ex-president/) [Omar al-Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-al-bashir/) > [We'll look to the fall and if there is a new president and a new Senate that's part of a Congress willing to change,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-walker/we-ll-look-to-the-fall-and-if-there-is-a-new-president-and-a-new/) [Scott Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-walker/) > [If a new president personalizes a rather different concept of America and a different sense of America's mission in the world than has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/if-a-new-president-personalizes-a-rather-different-concept-of-america/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [I think with new president Chris Pook of CART, he is very active and strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emerson-fittipaldi/i-think-with-new-president-chris-pook-of-cart-he-is-very-active-and/) [Emerson Fittipaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emerson-fittipaldi/) ## More by Charles Krauthammer > [Obama and the Democrats were so critical of what Bush did, the interrogations, the secret prisons, Guantanamo and all of that, and even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/obama-and-the-democrats-were-so-critical-of-what-bush-did-the/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“America is the most welcoming, religiously tolerant, philo-semitic country in the world. No nation since Cyrus the Great’s Persia has done more for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/america-is-the-most-welcoming-religiously-tolerant-philo-semitic/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [I believe in what I believe, and I think after all these years I've heard a lot of arguments, and I'm convinced by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/i-believe-in-what-i-believe-and-i-think-after-all-these-years-i-ve/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [With our financial house on fire, Obama makes clear both in in his speech and his budget that the essence of his presidency will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/with-our-financial-house-on-fire-obama-makes-clear-both-in-in-his/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [The conservative idea is not that government has no role. You might have argued that in the thirties when conservatives opposed the New Deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-conservative-idea-is-not-that-government-has-no-role-you-might/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [The war is not going well and it is time to say why. It has been fought with half-measures. It has been fought with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-war-is-not-going-well-and-it-is-time-to-say-why-it-has-been/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“International stability is never a given. It is never the norm. When achieved, it is the product of self-conscious action by the great powers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/international-stability-is-never-a-given-it-is-never-the-norm-when/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Look, I don't mind if the President sends a budget which he knows is not going to achieve anything. But when he prefaces his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/look-i-don-t-mind-if-the-president-sends-a-budget-which-he-knows-is/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“Politics is the moat, the walls, beyond which lie the barbarians. Fail to keep them at bay, and everything burns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/politics-is-the-moat-the-walls-beyond-which-lie-the-barbarians-fail/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Don't touch my junk, you airport security goon--my package belongs to no one but me, and do you really think I'm a Nigerian nut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/don-t-touch-my-junk-you-airport-security-goon-my-package-belongs-to/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“The Russian Revolution and its imitators (Chinese, Cuban, Vietnamese, Cambodian) tried to atomize society so thoroughly--to war against the mediating structures that stand between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-russian-revolution-and-its-imitators-chinese-cuban-vietnamese/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Where religion is trivialized, one is unlikely to find persecution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/where-religion-is-trivialized-one-is-unlikely-to-find-persecution/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [We must now brace ourselves for disquisitions on peer pressure, adolescent anomie, and rage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/we-must-now-brace-ourselves-for-disquisitions-on-peer-pressure/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Post-Watergate morality, by which anything left private is taken as presumptive evidence of wrongdoing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/post-watergate-morality-by-which-anything-left-private-is-taken-as/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“The largest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity,' warns Czech president Vaclav Klaus, 'is no longer socialism. It is, instead, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-largest-threat-to-freedom-democracy-the-market-economy-and/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) [Explore all 268 Charles Krauthammer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) ## More Addresses quotes > [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/) [Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-propitious-smiles-of-heaven-can-never-be-expected-on-a-nation/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [The pleasures and the cares of the luckiest ambition, even of limitless power, are nothing next to the intimate happiness that tenderness and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-pleasures-and-the-cares-of-the-luckiest-ambition-even-of/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [You will find a spring by the dwelling of the dead, to the left. Next to it stands a white cypress. Do not approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/you-will-find-a-spring-by-the-dwelling-of-the-dead-to-the-left-next/) [Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/) > [ \[T\]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between-man-and-man-ought-to-be-not/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Like a versatile baller, George Dohrmann swings seamlessly from position to position: investigative journalist, social critic, gifted storyteller. The result is a gem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-jon-wertheim/like-a-versatile-baller-george-dohrmann-swings-seamlessly-from/) [L. Jon Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-jon-wertheim/) > [Each email contains an unsubscribe link. We will NEVER sell, rent, loan, or abuse your email address in ANY way. Writing has been so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mccaffrey/each-email-contains-an-unsubscribe-link-we-will-never-sell-rent-loan/) [Anne McCaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mccaffrey/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [In science, address the few, in literature the many. In science, the few must dictate opinion to the many; in literature, the many, sooner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/in-science-address-the-few-in-literature-the-many-in-science-the-few/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Pedestrian's rights - because we live in California, I've got to address this issue. I don't know where on the fence I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/pedestrian-s-rights-because-we-live-in-california-i-ve-got-to-address/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [With no other privilege than that of sympathy and sincere good wishes, I would address an affectionate exhortation to the youthful literati, grounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/with-no-other-privilege-than-that-of-sympathy-and-sincere-good-wishes/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Senator Obama will be taking office at a critical juncture. There are many pressing challenges facing the international community, including the global financial crisis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark/senator-obama-will-be-taking-office-at-a-critical-juncture-there-are/) [Helen Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark/) Browse all 1,100 Addresses quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every new president flatters himself that he, kinder and gentler, is beginning the world anew. Yet, when Barack Obama in his inaugural address reached out to Muslims by saying, 'To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,' his formulation was needlessly defensive and apologetic.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Krauthammer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/every-new-president-flatters-himself-that-he-kinder-and-gentler-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Addresses" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/every-new-president-flatters-himself-that-he-kinder-and-gentler-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/charles-krauthammer-1232_addresses_every-new-president-flatters-himself-tha_1068561.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/charles-krauthammer-1232_addresses_every-new-president-flatters-himself-tha_1068561.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/charles-krauthammer-1232_addresses_every-new-president-flatters-himself-tha_1068561.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every new president flatters himself that he, kinder and gentler, is beginning the world anew. Yet, when…” — Charles Krauthammer", "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": "Charles Krauthammer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every new president flatters himself that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/every-new-president-flatters-himself-that-he-kinder-and-gentler-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/every-new-president-flatters-himself-that-he-kinder-and-gentler-is/#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 } } ] } ```