---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Saddam Hussein has set an example of…"
description: "\"Saddam Hussein has set an example of defiance, especially against the first President Bush, that other Arab leaders cannot and should not emulate; the ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/ehud-barak-4791_empty_saddam-hussein-has-set-an-example-of-def_1657854.png"
---

#  Saddam Hussein has set an example of defiance, especially…

![“Saddam Hussein has set an example of defiance, especially against the first President Bush, that other Arab leaders cannot and should not emulate; the example leads only to empty gestures and developmental stagnation, both of which the Arab nations have had enough of already.” quote by Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/ehud-barak-4791_empty_saddam-hussein-has-set-an-example-of-def_1657854.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/ehud-barak-4791_empty_saddam-hussein-has-set-an-example-of-def_1657854.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/ehud-barak-4791_empty_saddam-hussein-has-set-an-example-of-def_1657854.png)

> “Saddam Hussein has set an example of defiance, especially against the first President Bush, that other Arab leaders cannot and should not emulate; the example leads only to empty gestures and developmental stagnation, both of which the Arab nations have had enough of already.”

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

## About This Quote

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

Leaders who defy norms without constructive purpose cause stagnation and superficial actions in their societies.

**In simple terms:** Defiant leaders can stall progress.

Key Takeaway

Seek constructive leadership.

Themes

leadership politics development stagnation regional dynamics

Mood

cautious critical

Type

political analytical

When to use this quote

- government reform
- civil society initiatives
- economic planning
- regional diplomacy

Key Concepts

authorance policy failure social impact

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies encourage responsible leadership?
- What alternatives exist to confront ineffective governance?

A Different Perspective

Such defiance may also inspire necessary change if paired with vision.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Arab Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arab-leaders-655273/) [Arab Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arab-nations-724878/) [Bush Arab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bush-arab-724877/) [Empty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Example Defiance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example-defiance-724875/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [President bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-bush/) [Stagnation Arab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stagnation-arab-724876/)

## Related quotes

> [The Arab leaders, they don't have a love affair with the Palestinians or the Palestinian leadership, but the publics have, and they cannot feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/the-arab-leaders-they-don-t-have-a-love-affair-with-the-palestinians/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [It's important to reach out to moderate Arab nations, like Jordan and Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/it-s-important-to-reach-out-to-moderate-arab-nations-like-jordan-and/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [“I had taken office during a raging intifada, with Yasser Arafat running the Palestinian Authority, Israeli leaders committed to a Greater Israel policy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-had-taken-office-during-a-raging-intifada-with-yasser-arafat/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [Already at the time of Israel's birth, Ben-Gurion extended his hand in peace to the Arab nations. His hand was rejected, but it remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-olmert/already-at-the-time-of-israel-s-birth-ben-gurion-extended-his-hand-in/)

[Ehud Olmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-olmert/)

> [It's particularly incumbent in the Middle East on Sunni Arab nations to fight for values, to fight for the protection of innocent life, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-fortenberry/it-s-particularly-incumbent-in-the-middle-east-on-sunni-arab-nations/)

[Jeff Fortenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-fortenberry/)

> [“In short, Arab leaders committed to the destruction of Israel invented the concept "Palestinian people" in order to justify their interminable war against Israel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meir-levi-david/in-short-arab-leaders-committed-to-the-destruction-of-israel-invented/)

[Meir Levi, David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meir-levi-david/)

> [In Arab capitals, the failure of the United States to stop Iran's nuclear program is understood as American weakness in the struggle for dominance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/in-arab-capitals-the-failure-of-the-united-states-to-stop-iran-s/)

[Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/)

> [Politicians pose and grip and grin, and mouth blandishments, and, like the beloved Arab leaders, are careful to say nothing. The prime photo op…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macdonald/politicians-pose-and-grip-and-grin-and-mouth-blandishments-and-like/)

[Neil Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macdonald/)

> [Arab leaders worry more about making money from the profits they get from oil and gas that they turn the other way when Lebanon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/arab-leaders-worry-more-about-making-money-from-the-profits-they-get/)

[Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/)

> [The Arab view that someone should bomb Iran and stop it from developing nuclear weapons is familiar to anyone who meets privately with Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-arab-view-that-someone-should-bomb-iran-and-stop-it-from/)

[Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/)

> [President Bush deliberately did not apologize for things and that’s because advisers around him, including those there, felt that the press corps would jump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gregory/president-bush-deliberately-did-not-apologize-for-things-and-that-s/)

[David Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gregory/)

> [President Bush is a friend of mine. He's not a moron at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/president-bush-is-a-friend-of-mine-he-s-not-a-moron-at-all/)

[Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/)

> [American forces in Iraq found $650 million in American cash sealed in a hidden cottage. See, this is why President Bush wants to invade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/american-forces-in-iraq-found-650-million-in-american-cash-sealed-in/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [President Bush has had an outstanding Secretary of State in Colin Powell and there are not many people who could replace him, making Condoleezza…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/president-bush-has-had-an-outstanding-secretary-of-state-in-colin/)

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

> [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/)

[Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/)

## More by Ehud Barak

> [A strong, responsible Israel can become a stabilizer in such a turbulent region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/a-strong-responsible-israel-can-become-a-stabilizer-in-such-a/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [There is a thin line between peace of the brave and peace of the hostage... between compromise - even calculated risk - and irresponsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/there-is-a-thin-line-between-peace-of-the-brave-and-peace-of-the/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [The Middle East is a region where predictions go to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/the-middle-east-is-a-region-where-predictions-go-to-die/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [The Israel legendary foreign minister, Abba Eban, used to say that the Palestinians had never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/the-israel-legendary-foreign-minister-abba-eban-used-to-say-that-the/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [With the globalization, it's difficult for governments to impose decisions on private companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/with-the-globalization-it-s-difficult-for-governments-to-impose/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [I delivered lectures, and I was also a consultant for international companies in finance, both private equity and big venture capital funds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/i-delivered-lectures-and-i-was-also-a-consultant-for-international/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [The aim of the Palestinian terror is not just to kill Israelis but also to break the will of Israeli society in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/the-aim-of-the-palestinian-terror-is-not-just-to-kill-israelis-but/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [I will not discuss future hypothetical situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/i-will-not-discuss-future-hypothetical-situations/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [I am the Israeli leader who met most with Arafat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/i-am-the-israeli-leader-who-met-most-with-arafat/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [At this place, Jews have prayed throughout the generations, and it is fitting that the message of brotherhood should go out from here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/at-this-place-jews-have-prayed-throughout-the-generations-and-it-is/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [Hezbollah will support Assad to the end because his continuing hold on power is critical to its own survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/hezbollah-will-support-assad-to-the-end-because-his-continuing-hold/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [I know Fiat plans to start manufacturing cars in Iran. This is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/i-know-fiat-plans-to-start-manufacturing-cars-in-iran-this-is-wrong/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [I remember my days as a graduate student at Stanford, within any leading university, a very active Israeli support, for Israel, Jews fighting for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/i-remember-my-days-as-a-graduate-student-at-stanford-within-any/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [The Left is acting like a young child, saying 'I want peace'... A child says 'I want candy right away,' an adult takes all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/the-left-is-acting-like-a-young-child-saying-i-want-peace-a-child/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [As prime minister, I was the Israeli leader who walked the greatest distance in his offers to the Palestinians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/as-prime-minister-i-was-the-israeli-leader-who-walked-the-greatest/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

[Explore all 106 Ehud Barak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

## More Empty quotes

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [No sane local official who has hung up an empty stocking over the municipal fireplace is going to shoot Santa Claus just before a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-smith/no-sane-local-official-who-has-hung-up-an-empty-stocking-over-the/)

[Al Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-smith/)

> [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/)

[Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/)

> [“Joe!” he groaned, attempting to speak clearly. “Joe! Good ol’ Joe!” “Captain, you’re drunk!” Lofflin said, stating the obvious while trying to keep his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-engela/joe-he-groaned-attempting-to-speak-clearly-joe-good-ol-joe-captain/)

[Christina Engela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-engela/)

> [Why chase after thoughts, which are superficial ripples of present awareness? Rather look directly into the naked, empty nature of thoughts; then there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamgon-kongtrul/why-chase-after-thoughts-which-are-superficial-ripples-of-present/)

[Jamgon Kongtrul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamgon-kongtrul/)

> [Education turns an empty mind into an open mind. It turns information into behavioural transformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiv-khera/education-turns-an-empty-mind-into-an-open-mind-it-turns-information/)

[Shiv Khera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiv-khera/)

> [He that humbles himself shall be preserved entire. He that bends shall be made straight. He that is empty shall be filled. He that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/he-that-humbles-himself-shall-be-preserved-entire-he-that-bends-shall/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [Our real nature is not our imaginary, limited ego. Our true nature is vast, all-comprehensive, and intangible as empty space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anagarika-govinda/our-real-nature-is-not-our-imaginary-limited-ego-our-true-nature-is/)

[Anagarika Govinda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anagarika-govinda/)

> [Adults look upon a child as something empty that is to be filled through their own efforts, as something inert and helpless for which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/adults-look-upon-a-child-as-something-empty-that-is-to-be-filled/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/)

[Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/)

> [I don't see the future as bright, language-wise. I see it as a glass half empty - and evaporating quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-don-t-see-the-future-as-bright-language-wise-i-see-it-as-a-glass/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [I get letters every year from women who think Valentine's Day is an empty exercise, but are ironically pretty exercised when their boyfriends neglect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-get-letters-every-year-from-women-who-think-valentine-s-day-is-an/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

[Browse all 3,081 Empty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Saddam Hussein has set an example of defiance, especially against the first President Bush, that other Arab leaders cannot and should not emulate; the example leads only to empty gestures and developmental stagnation, both of which the Arab nations have had enough of already.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ehud Barak"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/saddam-hussein-has-set-an-example-of-defiance-especially-against-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Empty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/saddam-hussein-has-set-an-example-of-defiance-especially-against-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/ehud-barak-4791_empty_saddam-hussein-has-set-an-example-of-def_1657854.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/ehud-barak-4791_empty_saddam-hussein-has-set-an-example-of-def_1657854.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/ehud-barak-4791_empty_saddam-hussein-has-set-an-example-of-def_1657854.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Saddam Hussein has set an example of defiance, especially against the first President Bush, that other Arab…” — Ehud Barak",
                "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": "Ehud Barak",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Saddam Hussein has set an example...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/saddam-hussein-has-set-an-example-of-defiance-especially-against-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/saddam-hussein-has-set-an-example-of-defiance-especially-against-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
