--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You cannot be driven by the polls. The…" description: "\"You cannot be driven by the polls. The polls change all the time; they're easily manipulated by whoever wants to ask those poll questions; they go up; ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/dick-cheney-1810_cannot_you-cannot-be-driven-by-the-polls-the-po_1280876.jpg" --- # You cannot be driven by the polls. The polls change all… ![“You cannot be driven by the polls. The polls change all the time; they're easily manipulated by whoever wants to ask those poll questions; they go up; they go down.” quote by Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/dick-cheney-1810_cannot_you-cannot-be-driven-by-the-polls-the-po_1280876.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/dick-cheney-1810_cannot_you-cannot-be-driven-by-the-polls-the-po_1280876.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/dick-cheney-1810_cannot_you-cannot-be-driven-by-the-polls-the-po_1280876.jpg) > “You cannot be driven by the polls. The polls change all the time; they're easily manipulated by whoever wants to ask those poll questions; they go up; they go down.” [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Politicians should not base decisions on fluctuating poll results, which can be easily manipulated. **In simple terms:** Avoid letting polls dictate policy. Key Takeaway Prioritize principles over poll numbers. Themes politics leadership media decisionmaking Mood cautious critical Type advisory political When to use this quote - campaign strategy - legislative voting - public communication Key Concepts public opinion manipulation policy Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure policies reflect values, not polls? - What safeguards can protect decision‑making from manipulation? A Different Perspective Polls reflect momentary sentiment, not long‑term truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driven/) [Polls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polls/) [Questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [We will accept no corporate PAC money, and we're not going to be driven by the polls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-swalwell/we-will-accept-no-corporate-pac-money-and-we-re-not-going-to-be/) [Eric Swalwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-swalwell/) > [“New Rule: If the guy who makes up the poll questions at CNN doesn't want to do it anymore more, he should just quit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-if-the-guy-who-makes-up-the-poll-questions-at-cnn-doesn-t/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [The question for politicians here is fundamental: You can read the polls, or you can change the polls. Stand up on the things you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-newsom/the-question-for-politicians-here-is-fundamental-you-can-read-the/) [Gavin Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-newsom/) > [Polls can change; people's opinions can change. Voting intentions can change, and I think it would be a silly leader, a silly political party,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/polls-can-change-people-s-opinions-can-change-voting-intentions-can/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [I think you can not be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/i-think-you-can-not-be-blown-off-course-by-the-fluctuations-in-the/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [The possibility of my presidential candidacy emerged spontaneously in public opinion polls. For my part, I noticed people's affection when I was doing work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-bachelet/the-possibility-of-my-presidential-candidacy-emerged-spontaneously-in/) [Michelle Bachelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-bachelet/) > [I don't think anyone went the polls and said, 'I am casting my vote to make sure that Wall Street has better chances to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-don-t-think-anyone-went-the-polls-and-said-i-am-casting-my-vote-to/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [ Ted Cruz who's been gaining on \[Donald\] Trump in Iowa and is polling ahead of him in the latest Monmouth poll would be quite… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/ted-cruz-who-s-been-gaining-on-donald-trump-in-iowa-and-is-polling/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [How many people disapprove of the job the Conservatives are doing? Seventy percent. 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All thoughts welcome!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/friends-haters-it-s-twitter-poll-time-what-do-you-think-most-holds/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [I know that a lot of people love to say that polls are wrong or don't matter, and from time to time they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/i-know-that-a-lot-of-people-love-to-say-that-polls-are-wrong-or-don-t/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [I always lose the election in the polls, and I always win it on election day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/i-always-lose-the-election-in-the-polls-and-i-always-win-it-on/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [Do you ever get the feeling that the only reason we have elections is to find out if the polls were right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/do-you-ever-get-the-feeling-that-the-only-reason-we-have-elections-is/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) ## More by Dick Cheney > [A little tough talk in the midst of a campaign or as part of a presidential debate cannot obscure a record of 30 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/a-little-tough-talk-in-the-midst-of-a-campaign-or-as-part-of-a/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [Senator Kerry says he sees two Americas. It makes the whole thing mutual - America sees two John Kerrys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/senator-kerry-says-he-sees-two-americas-it-makes-the-whole-thing/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [I am a deficit hawk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/i-am-a-deficit-hawk/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [We know he's been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear weapons, and we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/we-know-he-s-been-absolutely-devoted-to-trying-to-acquire-nuclear/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [I think the decision that's been made with respect to allowing gays to serve openly in the military is a good one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/i-think-the-decision-that-s-been-made-with-respect-to-allowing-gays/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [ \[In response to the question "Do you think that you underestimated the insurgency's strength?"\] I think so. 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You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [The book is not simply the object that one holds in one's hands, and it cannot remain within the little parallelpiped that contains it:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/the-book-is-not-simply-the-object-that-one-holds-in-one-s-hands-and/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [Nothing is more private than a woman's body; it is her physical, emotional, and moral citadel. She cannot be free at all if she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nothing-is-more-private-than-a-woman-s-body-it-is-her-physical/) [Lewis B. 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