---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mitt Romney had a horse competing in the…"
description: "\"Mitt Romney had a horse competing in the Olympics. He didn't win. But next year, he'll be competing in 'Dancing with the Stars.'\" — David Letterman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/david-letterman-378_competing_mitt-romney-had-a-horse-competing-in-the_1387114.jpg"
---

#  Mitt Romney had a horse competing in the Olympics. He…

![“Mitt Romney had a horse competing in the Olympics. He didn't win. But next year, he'll be competing in 'Dancing with the Stars.'” quote by David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/david-letterman-378_competing_mitt-romney-had-a-horse-competing-in-the_1387114.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/david-letterman-378_competing_mitt-romney-had-a-horse-competing-in-the_1387114.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/david-letterman-378_competing_mitt-romney-had-a-horse-competing-in-the_1387114.jpg)

> “Mitt Romney had a horse competing in the Olympics. He didn't win. But next year, he'll be competing in 'Dancing with the Stars.'”

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

## About This Quote

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

A humorous contrast between Olympic competition and reality TV, highlighting the shift from serious sport to entertainment.

**In simple terms:** Switching from serious sport to TV entertainment.

Key Takeaway

Embrace humor in setbacks.

Themes

humor celebrity media competition

Mood

lighthearted ironic

Type

satire commentary

When to use this quote

- Sports fans
- TV audiences
- celebrity gossip
- media analysis

Key Concepts

Public perception celebrity culture entertainment industry

Questions to Reflect On

- How does media framing affect public respect for athletes?
- What does this say about our entertainment values?

A Different Perspective

The joke may downplay the athlete's effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Competing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competing/) [Dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [London olympics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/london-olympics/) [Olympics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olympics/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/)

## Related quotes

> [The Romneys have a horse competing in the Olympics. Ann Romney's horse failed to win a medal in the dressage event today, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-romneys-have-a-horse-competing-in-the-olympics-ann-romney-s-horse/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [Tough Olympic news for the Romneys. Ann Romney's horse Rafalka did not advance to the Olympic finals. Apparently it was beat by a smooth-talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/tough-olympic-news-for-the-romneys-ann-romney-s-horse-rafalka-did-not/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [Mitt Romney will travel to London where he will attend the Olympics opening ceremony. Of course it's going ot be weird when they're announcing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/mitt-romney-will-travel-to-london-where-he-will-attend-the-olympics/)

[Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/)

> [How about those Olympics, ladies and gentlemen. Didn't London look like the place to be? New York City was in the running for this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/how-about-those-olympics-ladies-and-gentlemen-didn-t-london-look-like/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [Have you seen the Olympic uniforms? It's for the American Olympic team and it's berets. To me, nothing says America like a guy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/have-you-seen-the-olympic-uniforms-it-s-for-the-american-olympic-team/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [The European countries are really hoping to do well in the Olympics. If they win gold medals, they can use them as cash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/the-european-countries-are-really-hoping-to-do-well-in-the-olympics/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [The night before the Olympics opening ceremony, my son, who is eight years old, gets very excited and likes to put out a plate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/the-night-before-the-olympics-opening-ceremony-my-son-who-is-eight/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [Four world titles is a good swath at the top of the podium. The Olympics didn't work out for a couple of reasons, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-browning/four-world-titles-is-a-good-swath-at-the-top-of-the-podium-the/)

[Kurt Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-browning/)

> [Have mixed feelings about tonight! Definitely bitter sweet. Tied for third at the Olympics but didn't get a medal with the tie breaker!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aly-raisman/have-mixed-feelings-about-tonight-definitely-bitter-sweet-tied-for/)

[Aly Raisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aly-raisman/)

> [I trained my whole life for the Olympics. I didn't have a childhood, I really couldn't go to the beach with my friends. Couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claressa-shields/i-trained-my-whole-life-for-the-olympics-i-didn-t-have-a-childhood-i/)

[Claressa Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claressa-shields/)

> [Putin got lucky with the Sochi Olympics - it didn't fail, it was a great spectacle - and then he thought, "Why not grab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-voinovich/putin-got-lucky-with-the-sochi-olympics-it-didn-t-fail-it-was-a-great/)

[Vladimir Voinovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-voinovich/)

> [At my first Olympics, I didn't have a contract, and I wasn't making any money. After my first Olympics, I was working at 24…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-carter/at-my-first-olympics-i-didn-t-have-a-contract-and-i-wasn-t-making-any/)

[Michelle Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-carter/)

> [“Competing in an Olympics didn't scare her now. The thought of stepping up into the full roar of the crowd, in London, seemed simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/competing-in-an-olympics-didn-t-scare-her-now-the-thought-of-stepping/)

[Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/)

> [We make two mistakes about the ancient world. One is to assume they were better than us - that, for instance, the ancient Olympics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/we-make-two-mistakes-about-the-ancient-world-one-is-to-assume-they/)

[Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/)

> [When I was training for the Olympics, I didn't eat the way I should have. I missed out on much-needed protein and opted for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-sanders/when-i-was-training-for-the-olympics-i-didn-t-eat-the-way-i-should/)

[Summer Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-sanders/)

## More by David Letterman

> [Two things you need to know about taxes. They've extended the deadline to April 18, and when you write your check, just make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/two-things-you-need-to-know-about-taxes-they-ve-extended-the-deadline/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [You know Kim Jong Un, the evil dictator of North Korea? Apparently, a guy in his inner circle used his ashtray while smoking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-know-kim-jong-un-the-evil-dictator-of-north-korea-apparently-a/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [It's the first day of spring. That means this weekend I'll take down my Christmas lights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/it-s-the-first-day-of-spring-that-means-this-weekend-i-ll-take-down/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [There are a lot of New York City Thanksgiving traditions. For example, a lot of New Yorkers don't buy the frozen Thanksgiving turkey. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/there-are-a-lot-of-new-york-city-thanksgiving-traditions-for-example/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [I can hardly wait until Donald Trump announces his celebrity cabinet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/i-can-hardly-wait-until-donald-trump-announces-his-celebrity-cabinet/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [Experts say this global warming is serious, and they are predicting now that by the year 2050, we will be out of party ice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/experts-say-this-global-warming-is-serious-and-they-are-predicting/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [We make a lot of fun at President Clinton's expense. But this transition is going to be tough because it's been 25 years since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/we-make-a-lot-of-fun-at-president-clinton-s-expense-but-this/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [I'm worried about John Kerry, he's so confident now that he's already planning his White House sex scandal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/i-m-worried-about-john-kerry-he-s-so-confident-now-that-he-s-already/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [“There is no off position on the genius”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/there-is-no-off-position-on-the-genius/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [I vote Democrat because I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/i-vote-democrat-because-i-m-way-too-irresponsible-to-own-a-gun-and-i/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [Do I think there is a heaven? Uh, yeah I do. Like a really big gymnasium. How do I see myself there? With really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/do-i-think-there-is-a-heaven-uh-yeah-i-do-like-a-really-big-gymnasium/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [If it wasn't for coffee, I'd have no discernible personality at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/if-it-wasn-t-for-coffee-i-d-have-no-discernible-personality-at-all/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [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/)

> [Sometimes when you look in his eyes you get the feeling that someone else is driving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/sometimes-when-you-look-in-his-eyes-you-get-the-feeling-that-someone/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [Prince William and Kate Middleton are in New York City. We have got to do something about immigration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/prince-william-and-kate-middleton-are-in-new-york-city-we-have-got-to/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

[Explore all 619 David Letterman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

## More Competing quotes

> [When you reach that competing point, when you reach that time when the gun is about to go off, everyone's level is pretty much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apolo-ohno/when-you-reach-that-competing-point-when-you-reach-that-time-when-the/)

[Apolo Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apolo-ohno/)

> [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/)

[Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/)

> [I have no social life. There is no time for one. Once in a while I may go to dinner with a friend but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-halliday/i-have-no-social-life-there-is-no-time-for-one-once-in-a-while-i-may/)

[Liz Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-halliday/)

> [I competed every day as a professional football player... You've got to like competing. That's how your team gets better, when you have competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-competed-every-day-as-a-professional-football-player-you-ve-got-to/)

[Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/)

> [There are 16 year olds competing at the olympics and i still push on pull doors &amp; struggle getting through the whole day without a nap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-eastwood/there-are-16-year-olds-competing-at-the-olympics-and-i-still-push-on/)

[Scott Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-eastwood/)

> [I love nothing more than going out there and competing. And baseball's my outlet to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-fried/i-love-nothing-more-than-going-out-there-and-competing-and-baseball-s/)

[Max Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-fried/)

> [I've always worked closely with the designers and whoever's making the costumes. Comfort is the last thing you want on your mind when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristi-yamaguchi/i-ve-always-worked-closely-with-the-designers-and-whoever-s-making/)

[Kristi Yamaguchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristi-yamaguchi/)

> [I don't think anybody who carries a rifle carries the future. Because I don't believe that you can really change the world by killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-don-t-think-anybody-who-carries-a-rifle-carries-the-future-because/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [America breeds ambition and while that can be a good thing, sometimes it's not. Ambition also breeds competition and that can be a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaka-khan/america-breeds-ambition-and-while-that-can-be-a-good-thing-sometimes/)

[Chaka Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaka-khan/)

> [I'll miss the competitive side and the camaraderie of being around the players and competing each and every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scottie-pippen/i-ll-miss-the-competitive-side-and-the-camaraderie-of-being-around/)

[Scottie Pippen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scottie-pippen/)

> [Being away from the game and just remembering why I love competing and all of that, I think it helped me tremendously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-keys/being-away-from-the-game-and-just-remembering-why-i-love-competing/)

[Madison Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-keys/)

> [Competing is intense among humans, and within a group, selfish individuals always win. But in contests between groups, groups of altruists always beat groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/competing-is-intense-among-humans-and-within-a-group-selfish/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [We're competing against other great cities: Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo. That's why it's important that we all join together on the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-daley/we-re-competing-against-other-great-cities-madrid-rio-de-janeiro-and/)

[Richard M. Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-daley/)

> [That this is not a sense of innovation and competition increasing prices because some other company is coming in and competing with Martin Shkreli.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-ann-reid/that-this-is-not-a-sense-of-innovation-and-competition-increasing/)

[Joy-Ann Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-ann-reid/)

> [Some people steal from others, or defraud them, or enslave them, seizing their product and preventing them from living as they choose, or forcibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-nozick/some-people-steal-from-others-or-defraud-them-or-enslave-them-seizing/)

[Robert Nozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-nozick/)

[Browse all 1,003 Competing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competing/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Mitt Romney had a horse competing in the Olympics. He didn't win. But next year, he'll be competing in 'Dancing with the Stars.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Letterman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/mitt-romney-had-a-horse-competing-in-the-olympics-he-didn-t-win-but/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Competing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/mitt-romney-had-a-horse-competing-in-the-olympics-he-didn-t-win-but/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/david-letterman-378_competing_mitt-romney-had-a-horse-competing-in-the_1387114.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/david-letterman-378_competing_mitt-romney-had-a-horse-competing-in-the_1387114.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/david-letterman-378_competing_mitt-romney-had-a-horse-competing-in-the_1387114.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Mitt Romney had a horse competing in the Olympics. He didn't win. But next year, he'll be competing in…” — David Letterman",
                "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": "David Letterman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Mitt Romney had a horse competing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/mitt-romney-had-a-horse-competing-in-the-olympics-he-didn-t-win-but/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/mitt-romney-had-a-horse-competing-in-the-olympics-he-didn-t-win-but/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
