--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The important thing is that the President…" description: "\"“The important thing is that the President be saved from his friends. Bill Hassett urged Truman to rid himself of Boyle without delay. “Your friends wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/david-mccullough-1091_truman_the-important-thing-is-that-the-presiden_2994044.png" --- # The important thing is that the President be saved from… ![“The important thing is that the President be saved from his friends. Bill Hassett urged Truman to rid himself of Boyle without delay. “Your friends will destroy you,” Hassett pleaded. “It’s all right, Bill,” Truman said, as if trying to calm a child. “It’s all right.” Truman” quote by David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/david-mccullough-1091_truman_the-important-thing-is-that-the-presiden_2994044.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/david-mccullough-1091_truman_the-important-thing-is-that-the-presiden_2994044.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/david-mccullough-1091_truman_the-important-thing-is-that-the-presiden_2994044.png) > ““The important thing is that the President be saved from his friends. Bill Hassett urged Truman to rid himself of Boyle without delay. “Your friends will destroy you,” Hassett pleaded. “It’s all right, Bill,” Truman said, as if trying to calm a child. “It’s all right.” Truman”” [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Truman was warned that his close allies could betray him, highlighting the danger of trusting friends without scrutiny. **In simple terms:** Friends can be dangerous if not examined. Key Takeaway Question counsel, not just friendship. Themes politics trust leadership Mood cautious reflective Type historical political When to use this quote - government decisions - personal relationships - advisory roles Key Concepts betrayal decision making power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you evaluate the loyalty of close advisors? - What safeguards can protect leaders from harmful influences? A Different Perspective Friends may have hidden agendas that undermine goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [President Saved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-saved-4719773/) [Right Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-truman-4719772/) [Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truman/) [Truman Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truman-said-3113231/) [Urged Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urged-truman-4719771/) ## Related quotes > [“Harry S. 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But we need to balance them with other kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/about-these-scientists-truman-said-we-need-men-with-great-intellects/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“The loyalty of those around Truman was total and would never falter. 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What does that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morrow/i-made-the-only-decision-i-ever-knew-how-to-make-truman-famously/) [James Morrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morrow/) > [During his presidency, Truman and the Republicans were locked in a series of furious assaults on each other that outraged him and made Truman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/during-his-presidency-truman-and-the-republicans-were-locked-in-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [“What turns an honest, good-looking guy like you into a theif?" Scott couldn't help but smirk. "I blame chocolate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-knight/what-turns-an-honest-good-looking-guy-like-you-into-a-theif-scott/) [Geoffrey Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-knight/) > [The only President who clearly died of overwork was Polk, and that was a long time ago. 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Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [Some of our finest leaders were not intellectuals at all, and I admire them enormously because they weren't. Harry Truman wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/some-of-our-finest-leaders-were-not-intellectuals-at-all-and-i-admire/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [“Truman knew that government employees deserved fair procedures and asserted that his loyalty program would provide them. But he nonetheless expanded an already flawed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-patterson/truman-knew-that-government-employees-deserved-fair-procedures-and/) [James T. Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-patterson/) > [I am the heterosexual Truman Capote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-am-the-heterosexual-truman-capote/) [Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/) > [Recognise that the free world is at war with Putin, and America is the leader of the free world and should build the coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/recognise-that-the-free-world-is-at-war-with-putin-and-america-is-the/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) [Browse all 191 Truman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truman/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The important thing is that the President be saved from his friends. 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