--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I, as prime minister, never went to…" description: "\"I, as prime minister, never went to Washington. Certainly never went to a presidential ranch. I hate to say this, but I wasn't going to be the pilot fi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/david-lange-23811_along_i-as-prime-minister-never-went-to-washin_2914426.jpg" --- # I, as prime minister, never went to Washington. Certainly… ![“I, as prime minister, never went to Washington. Certainly never went to a presidential ranch. I hate to say this, but I wasn't going to be the pilot fish to the shark, whereas Australia quite happily bobbed along like a happy little pilot fish with a shark who was a messy eater, and I just…” quote by David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/david-lange-23811_along_i-as-prime-minister-never-went-to-washin_2914426.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/david-lange-23811_along_i-as-prime-minister-never-went-to-washin_2914426.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/david-lange-23811_along_i-as-prime-minister-never-went-to-washin_2914426.jpg) > “I, as prime minister, never went to Washington. Certainly never went to a presidential ranch. I hate to say this, but I wasn't going to be the pilot fish to the shark, whereas Australia quite happily bobbed along like a happy little pilot fish with a shark who was a messy eater, and I just couldn't feel like that.” [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He criticizes Australia's passive role in global politics, refusing to be a subordinate “pilot fish.” **In simple terms:** He refuses to be a passive follower. Key Takeaway Stand up against compromising subservience. Themes politics leadership independence national sovereignty assertiveness ethical stance global affairs responsibility integrity courage Mood defiant assertive Type political historical When to use this quote - speech - interview - press conference Key Concepts political speech interview public address Questions to Reflect On - What does “pilot fish” symbolize? - When is compromise justified? A Different Perspective Defiance can strain alliances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Australia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australia/) [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Minister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minister/) [Pilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilot/) [Prime minister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prime-minister/) [Ranch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ranch/) [Shark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shark/) [Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington/) ## Related quotes > [There has always been quite a strong black and white art tradition in Australia, with quite a large contingent of cartoonists, given the size…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-oliphant/there-has-always-been-quite-a-strong-black-and-white-art-tradition-in/) [Pat Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-oliphant/) > [Oddly, I'm not a huge fan of Brisbane in Australia. I can't quite put my finger on why - it just seemed to lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-timothy/oddly-i-m-not-a-huge-fan-of-brisbane-in-australia-i-can-t-quite-put/) [Christopher Timothy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-timothy/) > [Some things have changed, but there's a lot of what went on in the Washington administration that's just been done ever since because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gutzman/some-things-have-changed-but-there-s-a-lot-of-what-went-on-in-the/) [Kevin Gutzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gutzman/) > [I went to Washington several times at the request of different parties to talk about education reform. I used to always say I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sadler/i-went-to-washington-several-times-at-the-request-of-different/) [Paul Sadler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sadler/) > [I went to Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/i-went-to-washington-to-challenge-the-soft-bigotry-of-low-expectations/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [That first week, I also went to Washington. That was really tough. 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If something's worth celebrating, we're going to grab pizza. If it's going bad, girl, pass me the chocolate. Gotta keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurieann-gibson/i-m-an-emotional-eater-if-something-s-worth-celebrating-we-re-going/) [Laurieann Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurieann-gibson/) ## More by David Lange > [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [This is the difficulty about talking about it without sounding big-headed, but you cannot speak of New Zealand now without my involvement in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/this-is-the-difficulty-about-talking-about-it-without-sounding-big/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [New Zealand's nuclear free movement is a broad-based and popular movement. Our nuclear free status is a challenge to much that is accepted as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/new-zealand-s-nuclear-free-movement-is-a-broad-based-and-popular/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Today's Schools are not Tomorrows Schools. 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It was good casting, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-west/it-would-have-been-an-interesting-run-if-we-hadn-t-gotten-along-it/) [Dominic West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-west/) > [Defense spending as a share of the economy dropped significantly during the early 1990s, and that was one of the things, along with other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-orszag/defense-spending-as-a-share-of-the-economy-dropped-significantly/) Peter Orszag > [Just remember: to be grateful and thank the people who are there and support you along the way is a great start to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-davis/just-remember-to-be-grateful-and-thank-the-people-who-are-there-and/) [Meryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-davis/) > [We feel that, with Sidney, we have a great opportunity over the next few years to put a great team on the ice. 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