--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, I'm wrestling alligators." description: "\"Well, I'm wrestling alligators.\" — Claire McCaskill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/claire-mccaskill-5688_alligators_well-i-m-wrestling-alligators-3167412_3167412.png" --- # Well, I'm wrestling alligators. ![“Well, I'm wrestling alligators.” quote by Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/claire-mccaskill-5688_alligators_well-i-m-wrestling-alligators-3167412_3167412.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/claire-mccaskill-5688_alligators_well-i-m-wrestling-alligators-3167412_3167412.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/claire-mccaskill-5688_alligators_well-i-m-wrestling-alligators-3167412_3167412.png) > “Well, I'm wrestling alligators.” [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She uses a vivid metaphor to describe confronting a daunting challenge with confidence. **In simple terms:** Facing big problems head‑on. Key Takeaway Tackle tough challenges directly. Themes courage challenge metaphor Mood determined energetic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - public speaking - leadership - crisis management - negotiations Key Concepts political rhetoric confidence building Questions to Reflect On - What 'biggest" challenge are you wrestling with? - How can you prepare before confronting it? A Different Perspective Metaphors can oversimplify complex issues, leading to underestimation of difficulty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alligators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alligators/) [Well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well/) [Wrestling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestling/) [Wrestling Alligators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestling-alligators-3380541/) ## Related quotes > [Well, Im wrestling alligators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/well-im-wrestling-alligators/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [Writing is the hardest way of earning a living, with the possible exception of wrestling alligators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/writing-is-the-hardest-way-of-earning-a-living-with-the-possible/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Just take them rascals \[rapists, killers, child abusers\] out in the swamp / Put 'em on their knees and tie 'em to a stump… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-daniels/just-take-them-rascals-rapists-killers-child-abusers-out-in-the-swamp/) [Charlie Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-daniels/) > [I’ve tried that. I’ve tried aspirin, too. Rusty thinks I should smoke marijuana, and I did for a while, but it only makes me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/i-ve-tried-that-i-ve-tried-aspirin-too-rusty-thinks-i-should-smoke/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“My love life couldn't be more nonexistent if Julius was all all-girls' boarding school with a moat full of alligators around it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flynn-meaney/my-love-life-couldn-t-be-more-nonexistent-if-julius-was-all-all-girls/) [Flynn Meaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flynn-meaney/) > [She gazed toward the marsh that grew thicker, deeper, greener with approaching summer. Mosquitoes whined in there, breeding in the dark water. Alligators slid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/she-gazed-toward-the-marsh-that-grew-thicker-deeper-greener-with/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [ Everything on Saturday morning \[cartoons\] moves alike that's one of the reasons it's not animation. The drawings are different, but everybody acts the same… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-jones/everything-on-saturday-morning-cartoons-moves-alike-that-s-one-of-the/) [Chuck Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-jones/) > [When we were shooting in Shreveport, me and a couple of friends went down to Lafayette, because they had a big Zydeco music festival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-skarsgard/when-we-were-shooting-in-shreveport-me-and-a-couple-of-friends-went/) [Alexander Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-skarsgard/) > [Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/don-t-taunt-the-alligator-until-after-you-ve-crossed-the-creek/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [I’ve wrestled with alligators, I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning And throw thunder in jail. You know I’m bad. just last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-ve-wrestled-with-alligators-i-ve-tussled-with-a-whale-i-done/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Never insult an alligator until after you have crossed the river.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordell-hull/never-insult-an-alligator-until-after-you-have-crossed-the-river/) [Cordell Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordell-hull/) > [It makes my skin crawl to think about the violent ways snakes, lizards, alligators and other exotic creatures are raised and killed for boots,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-brook/it-makes-my-skin-crawl-to-think-about-the-violent-ways-snakes-lizards/) [Kelly Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-brook/) > [The government competes in the private sector the way an alligator competes with a duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-government-competes-in-the-private-sector-the-way-an-alligator/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [See you later, alligator. After a while, crocodile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-haley/see-you-later-alligator-after-a-while-crocodile/) [Bill Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-haley/) > [All the pictures on the walls, they all white as lilies and smiling like alligators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/all-the-pictures-on-the-walls-they-all-white-as-lilies-and-smiling/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) ## More by Claire McCaskill > [No commander in chief would ever say, 'I'm not going to listen to the guys on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/no-commander-in-chief-would-ever-say-i-m-not-going-to-listen-to-the/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [Only in Washington would the Republican operatives get the entire press corps ginned up over the notion that I'm going to be home campaigning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/only-in-washington-would-the-republican-operatives-get-the-entire/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I'm going to work with Republicans when they do things I agree with and I'm going to fight Republicans when they're doing things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/i-m-going-to-work-with-republicans-when-they-do-things-i-agree-with/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I'm a moderate. I hang out in the middle. I vote against my party with some regularity and try to compromise. It doesn't appear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/i-m-a-moderate-i-hang-out-in-the-middle-i-vote-against-my-party-with/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I think, first of all, you know, Washington has a bad habit of a very short attention span.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/i-think-first-of-all-you-know-washington-has-a-bad-habit-of-a-very/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I worry about the lack of experience that Rex Tillerson has had on the diplomatic front and, frankly, I think that's true for many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/i-worry-about-the-lack-of-experience-that-rex-tillerson-has-had-on/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [First of all, Donald Trump cabinet or - I call it the 3-G cabinet, Goldman, generals and gazillionaires. And I think it's one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/first-of-all-donald-trump-cabinet-or-i-call-it-the-3-g-cabinet/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I want to compliment the fraternity and sorority organizations for taking the time to meet with us and then removing their support from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/i-want-to-compliment-the-fraternity-and-sorority-organizations-for/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [My first obligation is my job. It's very hard to really get into campaign mode when you've got to focus on doing the work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/my-first-obligation-is-my-job-it-s-very-hard-to-really-get-into/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [ What is most heartbreaking to me is the young women who don't report \[being raped\] because they were drinking, and they feel like it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/what-is-most-heartbreaking-to-me-is-the-young-women-who-don-t-report/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [ \[Hillary Clinton\] and I are fine. Are we going to be besties for the rest of our lives? No. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/hillary-clinton-and-i-are-fine-are-we-going-to-be-besties-for-the/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I have fought the establishment, run primaries, my entire career. I think that for Planned Parenthood or NARAL or the Human Rights Campaign to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/i-have-fought-the-establishment-run-primaries-my-entire-career-i/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [Corporate governance is a huge issue too. We don't have women on these corporate boards. More than half of the students in law school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/corporate-governance-is-a-huge-issue-too-we-don-t-have-women-on-these/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I've got a really hard election. If you had a really hard election and it was after Labor Day would you go to North…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/i-ve-got-a-really-hard-election-if-you-had-a-really-hard-election-and/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [After holding hearings to get input from Missourians, I led the fight to pass legislation that protects seniors from predatory lending in the mortgage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/after-holding-hearings-to-get-input-from-missourians-i-led-the-fight/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) [Explore all 100 Claire McCaskill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) ## More Alligators quotes > [All the pictures on the walls, they all white as lilies and smiling like alligators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/all-the-pictures-on-the-walls-they-all-white-as-lilies-and-smiling/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [See you later, alligator. After a while, crocodile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-haley/see-you-later-alligator-after-a-while-crocodile/) [Bill Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-haley/) > [The government competes in the private sector the way an alligator competes with a duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-government-competes-in-the-private-sector-the-way-an-alligator/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [It makes my skin crawl to think about the violent ways snakes, lizards, alligators and other exotic creatures are raised and killed for boots,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-brook/it-makes-my-skin-crawl-to-think-about-the-violent-ways-snakes-lizards/) [Kelly Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-brook/) > [Never insult an alligator until after you have crossed the river.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordell-hull/never-insult-an-alligator-until-after-you-have-crossed-the-river/) [Cordell Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordell-hull/) > [I’ve wrestled with alligators, I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning And throw thunder in jail. You know I’m bad. just last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-ve-wrestled-with-alligators-i-ve-tussled-with-a-whale-i-done/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/don-t-taunt-the-alligator-until-after-you-ve-crossed-the-creek/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [When we were shooting in Shreveport, me and a couple of friends went down to Lafayette, because they had a big Zydeco music festival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-skarsgard/when-we-were-shooting-in-shreveport-me-and-a-couple-of-friends-went/) [Alexander Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-skarsgard/) > [ Everything on Saturday morning \[cartoons\] moves alike that's one of the reasons it's not animation. The drawings are different, but everybody acts the same… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-jones/everything-on-saturday-morning-cartoons-moves-alike-that-s-one-of-the/) [Chuck Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-jones/) > [She gazed toward the marsh that grew thicker, deeper, greener with approaching summer. Mosquitoes whined in there, breeding in the dark water. Alligators slid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/she-gazed-toward-the-marsh-that-grew-thicker-deeper-greener-with/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“My love life couldn't be more nonexistent if Julius was all all-girls' boarding school with a moat full of alligators around it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flynn-meaney/my-love-life-couldn-t-be-more-nonexistent-if-julius-was-all-all-girls/) [Flynn Meaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flynn-meaney/) > [I’ve tried that. I’ve tried aspirin, too. Rusty thinks I should smoke marijuana, and I did for a while, but it only makes me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/i-ve-tried-that-i-ve-tried-aspirin-too-rusty-thinks-i-should-smoke/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [ Just take them rascals \[rapists, killers, child abusers\] out in the swamp / Put 'em on their knees and tie 'em to a stump… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-daniels/just-take-them-rascals-rapists-killers-child-abusers-out-in-the-swamp/) [Charlie Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-daniels/) > [“Boys, the longer you wait to get my requested prehistoric attack dogs, the more chance we have of people we care about getting hurt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gini-koch/boys-the-longer-you-wait-to-get-my-requested-prehistoric-attack-dogs/) [Gini Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gini-koch/) > [That dreadful alligator attack in Orlando would never have happened if Disney had put up real warning signs, like other Florida resorts do. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hiaasen/that-dreadful-alligator-attack-in-orlando-would-never-have-happened/) [Carl Hiaasen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hiaasen/) [Browse all 94 Alligators quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alligators/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Well, I'm wrestling alligators.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claire McCaskill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/well-i-m-wrestling-alligators/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alligators" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/well-i-m-wrestling-alligators/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/claire-mccaskill-5688_alligators_well-i-m-wrestling-alligators-3167412_3167412.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/claire-mccaskill-5688_alligators_well-i-m-wrestling-alligators-3167412_3167412.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/claire-mccaskill-5688_alligators_well-i-m-wrestling-alligators-3167412_3167412.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Well, I'm wrestling alligators.” — Claire McCaskill", "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": "Claire McCaskill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Well, I'm wrestling alligators.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/well-i-m-wrestling-alligators/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/well-i-m-wrestling-alligators/#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 } } ] } ```