---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm forever a former president and I…"
description: "\"I'm forever a former president and I understand that, but at this point in my post-presidency, I don't want to be involved with politics.\" — George W. ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/george-w-bush-64_forever_i-m-forever-a-former-president-and-i-und_1088914.jpg"
---

#  I'm forever a former president and I understand that, but…

![“I'm forever a former president and I understand that, but at this point in my post-presidency, I don't want to be involved with politics.” quote by George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/george-w-bush-64_forever_i-m-forever-a-former-president-and-i-und_1088914.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/george-w-bush-64_forever_i-m-forever-a-former-president-and-i-und_1088914.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/george-w-bush-64_forever_i-m-forever-a-former-president-and-i-und_1088914.jpg)

> “I'm forever a former president and I understand that, but at this point in my post-presidency, I don't want to be involved with politics.”

[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.

He wishes to stay out of politics despite his former role.

**In simple terms:** Former president wants no political involvement.

Key Takeaway

Respect boundaries after office.

Themes

politics legacy personal choice

Mood

reflective detached

Type

statement personal

When to use this quote

- media interviews
- private life
- public speaking

Key Concepts

public service identity post‑career transition

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you define purpose after leaving office?
- Can former leaders stay neutral?

A Different Perspective

May limit influence on public discourse.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [Forever President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever-president-2804764/) [Former](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/former/) [Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involved/) [Involved Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involved-politics/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Post Presidency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/post-presidency-1587128/) [Posts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/posts/) [Presidency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidency/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/)

## Related quotes

> [My post-presidency is evolving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/my-post-presidency-is-evolving/)

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

> [George H. W. Bush. He's been a classy guy in his post-presidency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/george-h-w-bush-he-s-been-a-classy-guy-in-his-post-presidency/)

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

> [The post-presidency, as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have proved, is a win-win. Money, Nobels, the ability to leverage your global celebrity for any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/the-post-presidency-as-jimmy-carter-and-bill-clinton-have-proved-is-a/)

[Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/)

> [I think it's hilarious the way Obama is depicted post-presidency. He's always kayaking or playing jai alai like he's some retired athlete or something.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burr/i-think-it-s-hilarious-the-way-obama-is-depicted-post-presidency-he-s/)

[Bill Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burr/)

> [I think my dad's post-presidency, he didn't miss a beat. He didn't get into any kind of 'Woe is me.' He dusted himself off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/i-think-my-dad-s-post-presidency-he-didn-t-miss-a-beat-he-didn-t-get/)

[Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/)

> [This is how the great post-partisan, post-racial, New Politics presidency ends - not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with a desperate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/this-is-how-the-great-post-partisan-post-racial-new-politics/)

[Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/)

> [Trump will have to take up juggling if he goes ahead and scraps the agreement with Iran and at the same time, seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/trump-will-have-to-take-up-juggling-if-he-goes-ahead-and-scraps-the/)

[Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [We have entered the era of the "imperial" former presidency with lavish libraries, special staffs and benefits, around-the-clock Secret Service protection for life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawton-chiles/we-have-entered-the-era-of-the-imperial-former-presidency-with-lavish/)

[Lawton Chiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawton-chiles/)

> [Some of the offers that have come to me would never have come if I had not been President. That means these people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/some-of-the-offers-that-have-come-to-me-would-never-have-come-if-i/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [ \[Former chief executives\] come away thinking that America needs a strong, functioning presidency to succeed, and they become very protective of that office. Democrats… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/former-chief-executives-come-away-thinking-that-america-needs-a/)

[Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/)

> [Even here in America, we felt the cool, refreshing breeze of freedom when Nelson Mandela took the seat of Presidency in his country where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/even-here-in-america-we-felt-the-cool-refreshing-breeze-of-freedom/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [The Oval Office is a place where there's been, obviously, a lot of amazing experiences over a seven-and-a-half year period. My presidency is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-oval-office-is-a-place-where-there-s-been-obviously-a-lot-of/)

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

> [We spend less time with each other now than we did during the presidency. When you're president, you're usually out and back in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-spend-less-time-with-each-other-now-than-we-did-during-the/)

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

> [I am comfortable knowing that I put my heart and soul into the presidency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-am-comfortable-knowing-that-i-put-my-heart-and-soul-into-the/)

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

## 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. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/as-americans-we-want-peace-we-work-and-sacrifice-for-peace-but-there/)

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

> [I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Chanukah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-couldn-t-imagine-somebody-like-osama-bin-laden-understanding-the/)

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

[Explore all 1,717 George W. Bush quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

## More Forever quotes

> [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/)

[Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/)

> [“I believe in forever, and that’s what you and I are. We define eternity. This may sound cheesy, but you make me go there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-mchugh/i-believe-in-forever-and-that-s-what-you-and-i-are-we-define-eternity/)

[Gail McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-mchugh/)

> [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/)

[Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/)

> [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/)

[Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/)

> [When you find someone you want to spend forever with you, you don't let them go, whether forever turns out to be a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/when-you-find-someone-you-want-to-spend-forever-with-you-you-don-t/)

[Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/)

> [What does forever mean to you? When you couldnt even keep it true You said were youd forever be there But were those just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fad-ibra/what-does-forever-mean-to-you-when-you-couldnt-even-keep-it-true-you/)

[Fad Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fad-ibra/)

> [Forever is a really long time, you know? What do you do with forever?" "The same thing you do when you don't have forever."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/forever-is-a-really-long-time-you-know-what-do-you-do-with-forever/)

[Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

> [Whole scenes of your life slip away forever if you don't put them down in ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-house/whole-scenes-of-your-life-slip-away-forever-if-you-don-t-put-them/)

[Silas House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-house/)

> [Tonight I feel like a prisoner on fire, waiting desperately... denied, sentenced forever more. Only your love can set me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/tonight-i-feel-like-a-prisoner-on-fire-waiting-desperately-denied/)

[Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/)

> [It all depends on you. You can go on sleeping forever, you can wake up right this moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/it-all-depends-on-you-you-can-go-on-sleeping-forever-you-can-wake-up/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/)

[John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/)

> [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/)

[Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/)

> [I want to do - I want to be putting out classic stuff that's gonna stick and last forever, you feel me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yg/i-want-to-do-i-want-to-be-putting-out-classic-stuff-that-s-gonna/)

[YG](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yg/)

> [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/)

[Mennah al refaey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mennah-al-refaey/)

[Browse all 10,689 Forever quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I'm forever a former president and I understand that, but at this point in my post-presidency, I don't want to be involved with politics.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George W. Bush"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-m-forever-a-former-president-and-i-understand-that-but-at-this/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Forever"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-m-forever-a-former-president-and-i-understand-that-but-at-this/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/george-w-bush-64_forever_i-m-forever-a-former-president-and-i-und_1088914.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/george-w-bush-64_forever_i-m-forever-a-former-president-and-i-und_1088914.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/george-w-bush-64_forever_i-m-forever-a-former-president-and-i-und_1088914.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I'm forever a former president and I understand that, but at this point in my post-presidency, I don't want…” — George W. Bush",
                "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": "George W. Bush",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I'm forever a former president and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-m-forever-a-former-president-and-i-understand-that-but-at-this/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-m-forever-a-former-president-and-i-understand-that-but-at-this/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
