--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dirksen's Three Laws of Politics: 1. Get…" description: "\"Dirksen's Three Laws of Politics: 1. Get elected. 2. Get re-elected. 3. Don't get mad, get even.\" — Everett Dirksen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/everett-dirksen-25730_law_dirksen-s-three-laws-of-politics-1-get-e_1423994.jpg" --- # Dirksen's Three Laws of Politics: 1. Get elected. 2. Get… ![“Dirksen's Three Laws of Politics: 1. Get elected. 2. Get re-elected. 3. Don't get mad, get even.” quote by Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/everett-dirksen-25730_law_dirksen-s-three-laws-of-politics-1-get-e_1423994.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/everett-dirksen-25730_law_dirksen-s-three-laws-of-politics-1-get-e_1423994.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/everett-dirksen-25730_law_dirksen-s-three-laws-of-politics-1-get-e_1423994.jpg) > “Dirksen's Three Laws of Politics: 1. Get elected. 2. Get re-elected. 3. Don't get mad, get even.” [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political success follows a cycle: win election, secure re‑election, and retaliate rather than stay angry. **In simple terms:** Politics: win, stay, retaliate. Key Takeaway Focus on long‑term political strategy. Themes politics power revenge Mood cynical critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - campaign planning - legislative negotiations - public relations Key Concepts political science ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders channel anger constructively? - What alternatives exist to “get even”? A Different Perspective Retaliation can erode public trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dirksen Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirksen-laws-5051827/) [Elected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elected/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Laws Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-politics-3369731/) [Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics Elected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-elected-5051828/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [“Robert Conquest once announced three laws of politics, the first of which says that everyone is right-wing in the matters he knows about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/robert-conquest-once-announced-three-laws-of-politics-the-first-of/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [I was elected to Parliament as a Conservative three times, most recently in 2017.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-boles/i-was-elected-to-parliament-as-a-conservative-three-times-most/) [Nick Boles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-boles/) > [There are many Israelis who are not keen on Barack Obama - they did not want to see him elected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/there-are-many-israelis-who-are-not-keen-on-barack-obama-they-did-not/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [I was elected because I believed in what we call "grassroots politics," politics from the bottom up, not the top down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-was-elected-because-i-believed-in-what-we-call-grassroots-politics/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [My goal was never to get re-elected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mccallum/my-goal-was-never-to-get-re-elected/) [Scott McCallum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mccallum/) > [Others will have opinions on how I do and that's just fine... I've been elected four times, delivered results for my constituents and delivered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-poilievre/others-will-have-opinions-on-how-i-do-and-that-s-just-fine-i-ve-been/) [Pierre Poilievre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-poilievre/) > [If elected, I shall see to it that every man has a square deal, no less and no more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/if-elected-i-shall-see-to-it-that-every-man-has-a-square-deal-no-less/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [You now have the potential of 200 people deciding who ends up being elected president every single time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/you-now-have-the-potential-of-200-people-deciding-who-ends-up-being/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The American people, in their own families, they understand that you have to do that. You have to make the tough decisions. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/the-american-people-in-their-own-families-they-understand-that-you/) [Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/) > [I came into office to do what was correct, not to see what was politically expedient to get re-elected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fortuno/i-came-into-office-to-do-what-was-correct-not-to-see-what-was/) [Luis Fortuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fortuno/) > [We hope that the elected officials will respond positively to a ground swell of letters, phone calls, e-mails and visits from parents. The law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-hope-that-the-elected-officials-will-respond-positively-to-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're running, when you're in elected office, you're surrounded with power. And, so every single day, you have to remind yourself why you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-rasoul/when-you-re-running-when-you-re-in-elected-office-you-re-surrounded/) [Sam Rasoul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-rasoul/) > [When I was elected governor of my state, I had a legislature 87 percent Democrat. It was not lost on me that to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/when-i-was-elected-governor-of-my-state-i-had-a-legislature-87/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Realizing that they can't get their agenda across: against religious liberty, against a culture of life, they can't get those issues across through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-parsley/realizing-that-they-can-t-get-their-agenda-across-against-religious/) [Rod Parsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-parsley/) > [No matter how unusual a personality may be who gets elected to office, there are constraints in this country. You don't get to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/no-matter-how-unusual-a-personality-may-be-who-gets-elected-to-office/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) ## More by Everett Dirksen > [When a member of the House moves over to the Senate, he raises the IQ of both bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/when-a-member-of-the-house-moves-over-to-the-senate-he-raises-the-iq/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [The U.S. Senate - an old scow which doesn't move very fast, but never sinks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/the-u-s-senate-an-old-scow-which-doesn-t-move-very-fast-but-never/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [Stronger than all the armies is an idea thats time has come. ... The time has come for equality of opportunity in sharing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/stronger-than-all-the-armies-is-an-idea-thats-time-has-come-the-time/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [During a political campaign everyone is concerned with what a candidate will do on this or that question if he is elected except the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/during-a-political-campaign-everyone-is-concerned-with-what-a/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [“We have two parties here, and only two. One is the evil party, and the other is the stupid party. Occasionally, the two parties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/we-have-two-parties-here-and-only-two-one-is-the-evil-party-and-the/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [When I feel the heat, I see the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/when-i-feel-the-heat-i-see-the-light/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/i-am-a-man-of-fixed-and-unbending-principles-the-first-of-which-is-to/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [The oil can is mightier than the sword.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/the-oil-can-is-mightier-than-the-sword/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [We are becoming so accustomed to millions and billions of dollars that housands has almost passed out of the dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/we-are-becoming-so-accustomed-to-millions-and-billions-of-dollars/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [We have been through this biennial convulsion four or five different times over the past 10 or 12 years, and now it appears that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/we-have-been-through-this-biennial-convulsion-four-or-five-different/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/a-billion-here-a-billion-there-and-pretty-soon-you-re-talking-about/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [There is no force so powerful as an idea whose time has come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/there-is-no-force-so-powerful-as-an-idea-whose-time-has-come/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [But the basic difficulty still remains: It is the expansion of Federal power, about which I wish to express my alarm. How easily we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/but-the-basic-difficulty-still-remains-it-is-the-expansion-of-federal/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [The mind is no match with the heart in persuasion; constitutionality is no match with compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/the-mind-is-no-match-with-the-heart-in-persuasion-constitutionality/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) > [When all is said and done, the real citadel of strength of any community is in the hearts and minds and desires of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-dirksen/when-all-is-said-and-done-the-real-citadel-of-strength-of-any/) [Everett Dirksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) [Explore all 22 Everett Dirksen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-dirksen/) ## More Elected quotes > [No matter how unusual a personality may be who gets elected to office, there are constraints in this country. You don't get to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/no-matter-how-unusual-a-personality-may-be-who-gets-elected-to-office/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [Realizing that they can't get their agenda across: against religious liberty, against a culture of life, they can't get those issues across through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-parsley/realizing-that-they-can-t-get-their-agenda-across-against-religious/) [Rod Parsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-parsley/) > [When I was elected governor of my state, I had a legislature 87 percent Democrat. It was not lost on me that to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/when-i-was-elected-governor-of-my-state-i-had-a-legislature-87/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [When you're running, when you're in elected office, you're surrounded with power. And, so every single day, you have to remind yourself why you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-rasoul/when-you-re-running-when-you-re-in-elected-office-you-re-surrounded/) [Sam Rasoul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-rasoul/) > [We hope that the elected officials will respond positively to a ground swell of letters, phone calls, e-mails and visits from parents. The law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-hope-that-the-elected-officials-will-respond-positively-to-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I came into office to do what was correct, not to see what was politically expedient to get re-elected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fortuno/i-came-into-office-to-do-what-was-correct-not-to-see-what-was/) [Luis Fortuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fortuno/) > [The American people, in their own families, they understand that you have to do that. You have to make the tough decisions. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/the-american-people-in-their-own-families-they-understand-that-you/) [Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/) > [You now have the potential of 200 people deciding who ends up being elected president every single time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/you-now-have-the-potential-of-200-people-deciding-who-ends-up-being/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [If elected, I shall see to it that every man has a square deal, no less and no more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/if-elected-i-shall-see-to-it-that-every-man-has-a-square-deal-no-less/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Others will have opinions on how I do and that's just fine... I've been elected four times, delivered results for my constituents and delivered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-poilievre/others-will-have-opinions-on-how-i-do-and-that-s-just-fine-i-ve-been/) [Pierre Poilievre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-poilievre/) > [I was elected to Parliament as a Conservative three times, most recently in 2017.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-boles/i-was-elected-to-parliament-as-a-conservative-three-times-most/) [Nick Boles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-boles/) > [My goal was never to get re-elected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mccallum/my-goal-was-never-to-get-re-elected/) [Scott McCallum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mccallum/) > [I was elected because I believed in what we call "grassroots politics," politics from the bottom up, not the top down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-was-elected-because-i-believed-in-what-we-call-grassroots-politics/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [There are many Israelis who are not keen on Barack Obama - they did not want to see him elected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/there-are-many-israelis-who-are-not-keen-on-barack-obama-they-did-not/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [Now we have black and white elected officials working together. Today, we have gone beyond just passing laws. Now we have to create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/now-we-have-black-and-white-elected-officials-working-together-today/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) [Browse all 542 Elected quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elected/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Dirksen's Three Laws of Politics: 1. Get elected. 2. Get re-elected. 3. 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