--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I could have easily not run for…" description: "\"I could have easily not run for president, and people would have come up and said, \"Oh, man, you would have been a great president.\" Or even a lousy pr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/889/george-w-bush-64_art-of-life_i-could-have-easily-not-run-for-presiden_1662697.jpg" --- # I could have easily not run for president, and people… ![“I could have easily not run for president, and people would have come up and said, "Oh, man, you would have been a great president." Or even a lousy president. But I never would have known had I not chosen to run. Part of life is seizing the moment.” quote by George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/889/george-w-bush-64_art-of-life_i-could-have-easily-not-run-for-presiden_1662697.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/889/george-w-bush-64_art-of-life_i-could-have-easily-not-run-for-presiden_1662697.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/889/george-w-bush-64_art-of-life_i-could-have-easily-not-run-for-presiden_1662697.jpg) > “I could have easily not run for president, and people would have come up and said, "Oh, man, you would have been a great president." Or even a lousy president. But I never would have known had I not chosen to run. Part of life is seizing the moment.” [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing to act reveals opportunities and defines one's path. **In simple terms:** Running shows you can discover your potential. Key Takeaway Embrace chances to uncover your capabilities. Themes leadership opportunity self-discovery Mood motivational encouraging Type inspirational pragmatic When to use this quote - career decisions - public service - entrepreneurship Key Concepts political ambition personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What moment have you hesitated to seize? - How can you assess risks before acting? A Different Perspective Risk of overconfidence may lead to poor outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-life/) [Chosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chosen/) [Come up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-up/) [Great President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-president-410901/) [Great presidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-presidents/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Lousy President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lousy-president-641654/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Part of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/part-of-life/) [Parts of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parts-of-life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-known-776824/) [President People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-people-776823/) [Run President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/run-president/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Seizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seizing/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [The presidency is a serious job that requires sound judgment and good ideas, and there's no doubt in my mind that Jeb Bush has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-presidency-is-a-serious-job-that-requires-sound-judgment-and-good/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [ I'd like to be a president \[known\] as somebody who liberated 50 million people and helped achieve peace. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-d-like-to-be-a-president-known-as-somebody-who-liberated-50-million/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I admire and respect Bill Clinton. I think he was a great president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-clyburn/i-admire-and-respect-bill-clinton-i-think-he-was-a-great-president/) [Jim Clyburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-clyburn/) > [All you need to know about Donald Trump is he loves his family and he loves this country. And he's going to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/all-you-need-to-know-about-donald-trump-is-he-loves-his-family-and-he/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Jeb Bush is my friend. I think he'd make a great president. I've nudged him for some time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boehner/jeb-bush-is-my-friend-i-think-he-d-make-a-great-president-i-ve-nudged/) [John Boehner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boehner/) > [We need a great president who can lead us through the great challenges we face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-robison/we-need-a-great-president-who-can-lead-us-through-the-great/) [James Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-robison/) > [To be a great president, you have to have a war. All the great presidents have had their wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adm-james-crowe/to-be-a-great-president-you-have-to-have-a-war-all-the-great/) [Adm James Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adm-james-crowe/) > [No great president in the USA has been primarily a me-first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/no-great-president-in-the-usa-has-been-primarily-a-me-first-person/) [Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/) > [George Herbert Walker Bush. He was a pretty-pretty great President and anything but.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/george-herbert-walker-bush-he-was-a-pretty-pretty-great-president-and/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [He was a great president in his first term; in his second term, he wasn't the same Grover Cleveland he was to begin with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/he-was-a-great-president-in-his-first-term-in-his-second-term-he-wasn/) [Harry S. 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We talked regularly both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/as-prime-minister-i-worked-closely-with-ronald-reagan-for-eight-of/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [We imagine much more appropriately an artisan on his toilet seat or on his wife than a great president, venerable by his demeanorand his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/we-imagine-much-more-appropriately-an-artisan-on-his-toilet-seat-or/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Mr. Lincoln was not only a great President, but a great man - too great to be small in anything. In his company I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/mr-lincoln-was-not-only-a-great-president-but-a-great-man-too-great/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) ## More by George W. Bush > [Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [We will make sure our troops have all that is necessary to complete their missions. That's why I went to the Congress last September…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-will-make-sure-our-troops-have-all-that-is-necessary-to-complete/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible - and no one can now doubt the word of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/for-diplomacy-to-be-effective-words-must-be-credible-and-no-one-can/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/you-can-fool-some-of-the-people-all-the-time-and-those-are-the-ones/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [If you take all the food aid, America is by far the most generous country. If you take the direct aid, we're very generous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-you-take-all-the-food-aid-america-is-by-far-the-most-generous/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-tyrant-has-fallen-and-iraq-is-free/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“One of our energy strategies is to increase the CAFE standards to 35 miles per hour..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/one-of-our-energy-strategies-is-to-increase-the-cafe-standards-to-35/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [There's a lot that I want to accomplish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-s-a-lot-that-i-want-to-accomplish/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [My answer is bring 'em on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/my-answer-is-bring-em-on/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [As Americans, we want peace - we work and sacrifice for peace. 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Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/) [One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/) > [Having depression is tough, but surviving every day and telling yourself to go one more day longer is truly courageous. Amidst, all the pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/having-depression-is-tough-but-surviving-every-day-and-telling/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [“The mistaken and unhappy notion that a man is an enduring unity is known to you. It is also known to you that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-mistaken-and-unhappy-notion-that-a-man-is-an-enduring-unity-is/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [“Learning what to want is the most radical, the most painful and the most creative art of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-vickers/learning-what-to-want-is-the-most-radical-the-most-painful-and-the/) [Geoffrey Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-vickers/) > [New teachers were just a part of life, for a few days after one arrived, squawks of interest were emitted from various corners, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/new-teachers-were-just-a-part-of-life-for-a-few-days-after-one/) [Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/) > [“Everywhere you go you'll see highs and lows These things are just part of life and its flows It helps to understand that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-marques/everywhere-you-go-you-ll-see-highs-and-lows-these-things-are-just/) [Joan Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-marques/) > [I need someone...to be half of myself...to carry my 2nd part of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/singu/i-need-someone-to-be-half-of-myself-to-carry-my-2nd-part-of-life/) [SINGU](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/singu/) > [The easy part of life is finding someone to love you. The hard part of life is finding some to love you back!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-easy-part-of-life-is-finding-someone-to-love-you-the-hard-part-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's a part of life. You never know what you are going to get; you just have to be strong enough to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-hill/it-s-a-part-of-life-you-never-know-what-you-are-going-to-get-you-just/) [Melissa Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-hill/) > [Experience is the only real teacher and if you keep a diary you get three bites at educating yourself - when it happens, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/experience-is-the-only-real-teacher-and-if-you-keep-a-diary-you-get/) [Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/) > [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Mistakes are a part of life, everyone makes them, everyone regrets them, but no one notices them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil/mistakes-are-a-part-of-life-everyone-makes-them-everyone-regrets-them/) [Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil/) > [“What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore? Nobody really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/what-advice-would-you-give-to-a-smart-driven-college-student-about-to/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) [Browse all 957 Art of life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I could have easily not run for president, and people would have come up and said, \"Oh, man, you would have been a great president.\" Or even a lousy president. But I never would have known had I not chosen to run. Part of life is seizing the moment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George W. 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