--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: a successful politician does not have…" description: "\"a successful politician does not have convictions; he has emotions.\" — Ellen Glasgow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/ellen-glasgow-1897_conviction_a-successful-politician-does-not-have-co_2730984.png" --- # a successful politician does not have convictions; he has… ![“a successful politician does not have convictions; he has emotions.” quote by Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/ellen-glasgow-1897_conviction_a-successful-politician-does-not-have-co_2730984.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/ellen-glasgow-1897_conviction_a-successful-politician-does-not-have-co_2730984.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/ellen-glasgow-1897_conviction_a-successful-politician-does-not-have-co_2730984.png) > “a successful politician does not have convictions; he has emotions.” [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Politicians prioritize emotions over firm convictions. **In simple terms:** Leaders may act on feelings rather than principles. Key Takeaway Seek leaders with clear values. Themes politics emotions convictions Mood critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - election cycles - policy debates - media analysis - public speeches Key Concepts psychology of leadership ethical governance public trust Questions to Reflect On - How to differentiate sincere conviction from emotional rhetoric? - What role do emotions play in effective leadership? A Different Perspective Emotions can also inspire genuine commitment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Convictions Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convictions-emotions-2955197/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politician Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician-does-1652874/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Successful Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-politician-657183/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [A consensus politician is someone who does something that he doesn't believe is right because it keeps people quiet when he does it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-major/a-consensus-politician-is-someone-who-does-something-that-he-doesn-t/) [John Major](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-major/) > [Did you ever notice that when a politician does get an idea he usually gets it all wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/did-you-ever-notice-that-when-a-politician-does-get-an-idea-he/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [A stand in is a politician who can deliver her constituency to her Wall Street backers. That's what a politician does in America. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/a-stand-in-is-a-politician-who-can-deliver-her-constituency-to-her/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) > [Are you a politician or does lying just run in your family?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/are-you-a-politician-or-does-lying-just-run-in-your-family/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [I am not going to be the sort of politician who does all that stuff about their private life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-kendall/i-am-not-going-to-be-the-sort-of-politician-who-does-all-that-stuff/) [Liz Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-kendall/) > [Today, a politician does not just need public support to win elections; he needs it to govern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/today-a-politician-does-not-just-need-public-support-to-win-elections/) [Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/) > [Apparently Arnold was inspired by President Bush, who proved you can be a successful politician in this country even if English is your second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/apparently-arnold-was-inspired-by-president-bush-who-proved-you-can/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [Probably the most distinctive characteristic of the successful politician is selective cowardice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris/probably-the-most-distinctive-characteristic-of-the-successful/) [Richard Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris/) > [Like any successful politician, Obama has benefitted from being well-liked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-enten/like-any-successful-politician-obama-has-benefitted-from-being-well/) [Harry Enten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-enten/) > [The most successful politician is he who says what the people are thinking most often in the loudest voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-most-successful-politician-is-he-who-says-what-the-people-are/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“But it is one of the tricks of the successful politician to be able to hold many things in mind at once and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/but-it-is-one-of-the-tricks-of-the-successful-politician-to-be-able/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“The most successful politician is he who says what everybody is thinking most often and in the loudest voice. Theodore Roosevelt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-brogan/the-most-successful-politician-is-he-who-says-what-everybody-is/) [Hugh Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-brogan/) > [A successful politician must not only be able to read the mood of the public, he must have the skill to get the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/a-successful-politician-must-not-only-be-able-to-read-the-mood-of-the/) [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) > [The successful politician owes his power to the fact that he moves within the accepted framework of thought, that he thinks and talks conventionally.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-successful-politician-owes-his-power-to-the-fact-that-he-moves/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [A statesman is a successful politician who is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-statesman-is-a-successful-politician-who-is-dead/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ellen Glasgow > [Too much principle is often more harmful than too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/too-much-principle-is-often-more-harmful-than-too-little/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [I have watchedmany literary fashions shoot up and blossom, and then fade and drop… Yet with the many that I have seen comeand go,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-have-watchedmany-literary-fashions-shoot-up-and-blossom-and-then/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [After a day of rain the sun came out suddenly at five o'clock and threw a golden bar into the deep Victorian gloom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/after-a-day-of-rain-the-sun-came-out-suddenly-at-five-o-clock-and/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [What I hated even more than the conflict was the lurid spectacle of a world of unreason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/what-i-hated-even-more-than-the-conflict-was-the-lurid-spectacle-of-a/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [Preserve, within a wild sanctuary, an inaccessible valley of reverie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/preserve-within-a-wild-sanctuary-an-inaccessible-valley-of-reverie/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [The attraction of horror is a mental, or even an intellectual, excitement, but the fascination of the repulsive, so noticeable incontemporary writing, can spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or-even-an-intellectual/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [I was always a feminist, for I liked intellectual revolt as much as I disliked physical violence. On the whole, I think women havelost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-was-always-a-feminist-for-i-liked-intellectual-revolt-as-much-as-i/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [Although the primitive in art may be both interesting and impressive, as portrayed in American fiction it is conspicuous for dullness alone. Drab persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/although-the-primitive-in-art-may-be-both-interesting-and-impressive/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [Do you know there is always a barrier between me and any man or woman who does not like dogs?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/do-you-know-there-is-always-a-barrier-between-me-and-any-man-or-woman/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [You look as if you lived on duty and it hadn't;t agreed with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/you-look-as-if-you-lived-on-duty-and-it-hadn-t-t-agreed-with-you/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [there are times when life surprises one, and anything may happen, even what one had hoped for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/there-are-times-when-life-surprises-one-and-anything-may-happen-even/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [Life may take away happiness. But it can't take away having had it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/life-may-take-away-happiness-but-it-can-t-take-away-having-had-it/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [So long as one is able to pose one has still much to learn about suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/so-long-as-one-is-able-to-pose-one-has-still-much-to-learn-about/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [...I had grown up in a world that was dominated by immature age. Not by vigorous immaturity, but by immaturity that was old and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-had-grown-up-in-a-world-that-was-dominated-by-immature-age-not-by/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [I hated the things they believe in, the things they so innocently and charmingly pretended. I hated the sanctimonious piety that let people hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-hated-the-things-they-believe-in-the-things-they-so-innocently-and/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) [Explore all 200 Ellen Glasgow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) ## More Conviction quotes > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) > [I've been around in public life for a long time. I think people know what I stand for. They know that I have strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/i-ve-been-around-in-public-life-for-a-long-time-i-think-people-know/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [“Desert are you, deluge are you, in a crowd of fakes, only truth is you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/desert-are-you-deluge-are-you-in-a-crowd-of-fakes-only-truth-is-you/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/for-a-successful-revolution-it-is-not-enough-that-there-is-discontent/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > ['Peace on earth, good will toward men' - democracy must cling to that message. For it is my deep conviction that democracy cannot live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/peace-on-earth-good-will-toward-men-democracy-must-cling-to-that/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [ Beneath everything else, North and West, there ran a profound, unvoiced, almost subconscious conviction that the \[American\] nation was going to go on growing-in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-catton/beneath-everything-else-north-and-west-there-ran-a-profound-unvoiced/) [Bruce Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-catton/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [When you fight to give your family bread, that's not passion anymore: that's conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoel-romero/when-you-fight-to-give-your-family-bread-that-s-not-passion-anymore/) [Yoel Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoel-romero/) > [If you know the differences between an oak and a poplar, a spruce and a pine, down to the needles... you are able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/if-you-know-the-differences-between-an-oak-and-a-poplar-a-spruce-and/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [We need the conviction to be able to think for ourselves and to take action outof our own sense of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/we-need-the-conviction-to-be-able-to-think-for-ourselves-and-to-take/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [The law of England has established trial by judge and jury in the conviction that it is the mode best calculated to ascertain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/the-law-of-england-has-established-trial-by-judge-and-jury-in-the/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [If you are going to flip something, you must have the courage of your convictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/if-you-are-going-to-flip-something-you-must-have-the-courage-of-your/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [We embark unhesitatingly on the path, in a direction that is absolutely right and urgent, supported by everyone, in the knowledge that this path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehudi-menuhin/we-embark-unhesitatingly-on-the-path-in-a-direction-that-is/) [Yehudi Menuhin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehudi-menuhin/) [Browse all 2,157 Conviction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "a successful politician does not have convictions; he has emotions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ellen Glasgow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/a-successful-politician-does-not-have-convictions-he-has-emotions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conviction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/a-successful-politician-does-not-have-convictions-he-has-emotions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/ellen-glasgow-1897_conviction_a-successful-politician-does-not-have-co_2730984.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/ellen-glasgow-1897_conviction_a-successful-politician-does-not-have-co_2730984.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/ellen-glasgow-1897_conviction_a-successful-politician-does-not-have-co_2730984.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“a successful politician does not have convictions; he has emotions.” — Ellen Glasgow", "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": "Ellen Glasgow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "a successful politician does not have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/a-successful-politician-does-not-have-convictions-he-has-emotions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/a-successful-politician-does-not-have-convictions-he-has-emotions/#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 } } ] } ```