---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They're sheep. They like Bush enough to…"
description: "\"They're sheep. They like Bush enough to credit him with saving the nation after 9/11. Three thousand people get killed, and everybody thinks they're ne..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/ed-asner-14022_after_they-re-sheep-they-like-bush-enough-to-c_1747386.jpg"
---

#  They're sheep. They like Bush enough to credit him with…

![“They're sheep. They like Bush enough to credit him with saving the nation after 9/11. Three thousand people get killed, and everybody thinks they're next on the list. The president comes along, and he's got his six-guns strapped on, and people think he's going to save them.” quote by Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/ed-asner-14022_after_they-re-sheep-they-like-bush-enough-to-c_1747386.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/ed-asner-14022_after_they-re-sheep-they-like-bush-enough-to-c_1747386.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/ed-asner-14022_after_they-re-sheep-they-like-bush-enough-to-c_1747386.jpg)

> “They're sheep. They like Bush enough to credit him with saving the nation after 9/11. Three thousand people get killed, and everybody thinks they're next on the list. The president comes along, and he's got his six-guns strapped on, and people think he's going to save them.”

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote criticizes blind loyalty to leaders despite their failures, suggesting people irrationally trust authority after crises.

**In simple terms:** People trust leaders blindly even after bad outcomes.

Key Takeaway

Question authority and seek evidence.

Themes

political cynicism trust leadership

Mood

skeptical critical concerned

Type

political social commentary.

When to use this quote

- elections
- public rallies
- media consumption
- policy debates

Key Concepts

authoritarianism mass psychology propaganda

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we cling to familiar figures after trauma?
- How can societies foster healthy skepticism?

A Different Perspective

Blind trust can ignore critical evaluation of leaders.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[After](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/) [Along](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/along/) [Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bush/) [Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Everybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everybody/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) [Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/him/) [His](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/his/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Like Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-bush-1043870/) [List](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/list/) [Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President Comes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-comes-1541829/) [Save](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save/) [Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving/) [Saving Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving-nation-1573381/) [Sheep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheep/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinks/) [Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/)

## Related quotes

> [When the citizens of a nation will no longer volunteer to defend it, then it is probably not worth saving. No nation has the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/when-the-citizens-of-a-nation-will-no-longer-volunteer-to-defend-it/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [I don't like Bush. I don't trust him. I don't like his record. He's stupid. He's lazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cher/i-don-t-like-bush-i-don-t-trust-him-i-don-t-like-his-record-he-s/)

[Cher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cher/)

> [I'm like Bush, I see the world more like checkers than chess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/i-m-like-bush-i-see-the-world-more-like-checkers-than-chess/)

[Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/)

> [You don't say, like the Bush crowd, 'I got this guy over here and I don't like him and I'm gonna get him, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/you-don-t-say-like-the-bush-crowd-i-got-this-guy-over-here-and-i-don/)

[Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/)

> [He may be president, but he still comes home and swipes my socks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kennedy/he-may-be-president-but-he-still-comes-home-and-swipes-my-socks/)

[Joseph P. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kennedy/)

> [When a new president comes in, a new president gets to clean house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/when-a-new-president-comes-in-a-new-president-gets-to-clean-house/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [Presidents have to learn how to adapt. Every president comes into the job; it's different than they expect. They must adapt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/presidents-have-to-learn-how-to-adapt-every-president-comes-into-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Whenever a new president comes in, people that are used to the previous president wonder if he has the same capacity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/whenever-a-new-president-comes-in-people-that-are-used-to-the/)

[Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/)

> [If the president comes forward with a strong, qualified nominee, if he, you know, addresses the agenda, if he takes actions, including dealing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-lott/if-the-president-comes-forward-with-a-strong-qualified-nominee-if-he/)

[Trent Lott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-lott/)

> [I feel like Bush presidencies are like "Godfather" films. You should stop at two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/i-feel-like-bush-presidencies-are-like-godfather-films-you-should/)

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

> [Generally, Putin thinks of himself as Christian. I don't think he is, but he pretends to think that he is. In terms of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilya-ponomarev/generally-putin-thinks-of-himself-as-christian-i-don-t-think-he-is/)

[Ilya Ponomarev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilya-ponomarev/)

> [The thing I like about Bush is I think he hates liberals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/the-thing-i-like-about-bush-is-i-think-he-hates-liberals/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [But the point you need to know is that no president at war cut taxes $1.5 trillion, like Bush did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaka-fattah/but-the-point-you-need-to-know-is-that-no-president-at-war-cut-taxes-2/)

[Chaka Fattah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaka-fattah/)

> [I think people are just really disappointed, disappointed with Blair as well, who's just like Bush's lapdog. I think everyone's just disillusioned with politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-weller/i-think-people-are-just-really-disappointed-disappointed-with-blair/)

[Paul Weller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-weller/)

> [Anyone who watched George W. and Karl Rove while the former was governor of Texas will recognize a familiar pattern. Like much of Bush's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/anyone-who-watched-george-w-and-karl-rove-while-the-former-was/)

[Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/)

## More by Ed Asner

> [All capitalists should be like Warren Buffett, and he says he should be taxed more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/all-capitalists-should-be-like-warren-buffett-and-he-says-he-should/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [There are genuinely sufficient resources in the world to ensure that no one, nowhere, at no time, should go hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/there-are-genuinely-sufficient-resources-in-the-world-to-ensure-that/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [The older I've gotten, the more the need to exert comedy no matter how tragic a character I may be portraying because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/the-older-i-ve-gotten-the-more-the-need-to-exert-comedy-no-matter-how/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [“And there you have your Founders and Framers in all their elite glory—the 1 percent of their time. Many spent more than they made.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/and-there-you-have-your-founders-and-framers-in-all-their-elite-glory/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [To my knowledge, there is no blacklist. But there is a mindset, even among liberal producers, that says 'He may be difficult so let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/to-my-knowledge-there-is-no-blacklist-but-there-is-a-mindset-even/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [I've never stopped loving cartoons. I loved cartoons as a kid. I can still look at them and enjoy them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/i-ve-never-stopped-loving-cartoons-i-loved-cartoons-as-a-kid-i-can/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [The treasure shouldn't do the hunting, and you're a treasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/the-treasure-shouldn-t-do-the-hunting-and-you-re-a-treasure/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [Always keep yourself engaged, in theater, in whatever job you can get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/always-keep-yourself-engaged-in-theater-in-whatever-job-you-can-get/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [If you can't get an acting job, then go backstage. Or take tickets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/if-you-can-t-get-an-acting-job-then-go-backstage-or-take-tickets/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [“Of all the Founders, Adams may have been the most churchgoing. But as a Unitarian, he did not believe in the Holy Trinity, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/of-all-the-founders-adams-may-have-been-the-most-churchgoing-but-as-a/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [I went into acting as psychotherapy, and it's still a work in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/i-went-into-acting-as-psychotherapy-and-it-s-still-a-work-in-progress/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [Never thought acting was something you could make a living at. It wasn't until I was in college, and got a lead in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/never-thought-acting-was-something-you-could-make-a-living-at-it-wasn/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [“Pissed off by the lies, misrepresentations, and outright horseshit, I decided it was time to strike back. It was time to reclaim the Constitution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/pissed-off-by-the-lies-misrepresentations-and-outright-horseshit-i/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [Some of my earliest political feelings were based on the anti-Japanese bubblegum cards I got. There were also Spanish Civil War bubblegum cards. Awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/some-of-my-earliest-political-feelings-were-based-on-the-anti/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

> [“Roughly speaking: more than forty held government bonds. More than twenty were moneylenders. Over fifteen were slave owners. The rest an assortment of land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/roughly-speaking-more-than-forty-held-government-bonds-more-than/)

[Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

[Explore all 48 Ed Asner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/)

## More After quotes

> [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/)

[Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/)

> [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/)

[Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/)

> [I was strictly after hits when it came down to the Jackson 5. That's all I was concerned with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deke-richards/i-was-strictly-after-hits-when-it-came-down-to-the-jackson-5-that-s/)

[Deke Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deke-richards/)

> [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/)

[Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/)

> [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/)

[Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/)

> [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/)

[Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/)

> [When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/when-good-media-takes-a-bounded-form-and-comes-once-in-a-period-of/)

[John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/)

> [Markets are designed to allow individuals to look after their private needs and to pursue profit. It's really a great invention and I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/markets-are-designed-to-allow-individuals-to-look-after-their-private/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [I have a lot of success and make a good living, but after while, you start going 'Why? Why are you doing all this?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-have-a-lot-of-success-and-make-a-good-living-but-after-while-you/)

[Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/)

> [See to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-freeman-clarke/see-to-do-good-and-you-will-find-that-happiness-will-run-after-you/)

[James Freeman Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-freeman-clarke/)

> [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/)

[Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/)

> [Sometimes after a compliment about my characterization skills, I'm asked if I model my characters on real people. Emphatically, no. And sort of, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/sometimes-after-a-compliment-about-my-characterization-skills-i-m/)

[Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/)

> [After The Wizard Of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren't all that many parts for lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-lahr/after-the-wizard-of-oz-i-was-typecast-as-a-lion-and-there-aren-t-all/)

[Bert Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-lahr/)

> [I'm pretty cautious and not very athletic, so I've only had really dumb injuries, like sprained ankles and allergic reactions. I did have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-m-pretty-cautious-and-not-very-athletic-so-i-ve-only-had-really/)

[Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/)

> [I'd like an omelet named after me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-sewell/i-d-like-an-omelet-named-after-me/)

[Rufus Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-sewell/)

[Browse all 3,411 After quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "They're sheep. They like Bush enough to credit him with saving the nation after 9/11. Three thousand people get killed, and everybody thinks they're next on the list. The president comes along, and he's got his six-guns strapped on, and people think he's going to save them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ed Asner"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/they-re-sheep-they-like-bush-enough-to-credit-him-with-saving-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "After"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/they-re-sheep-they-like-bush-enough-to-credit-him-with-saving-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/ed-asner-14022_after_they-re-sheep-they-like-bush-enough-to-c_1747386.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/ed-asner-14022_after_they-re-sheep-they-like-bush-enough-to-c_1747386.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/ed-asner-14022_after_they-re-sheep-they-like-bush-enough-to-c_1747386.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“They're sheep. They like Bush enough to credit him with saving the nation after 9/11. Three thousand people…” — Ed Asner",
                "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": "Ed Asner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "They're sheep. They like Bush enough...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/they-re-sheep-they-like-bush-enough-to-credit-him-with-saving-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/they-re-sheep-they-like-bush-enough-to-credit-him-with-saving-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
