--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think all presidents should take the…" description: "\"I think all presidents should take the long view of history.\" — George W. Bush" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/george-w-bush-64_history_i-think-all-presidents-should-take-the-l_2163837.jpg" --- # I think all presidents should take the long view of history. ![“I think all presidents should take the long view of history.” quote by George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/george-w-bush-64_history_i-think-all-presidents-should-take-the-l_2163837.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/george-w-bush-64_history_i-think-all-presidents-should-take-the-l_2163837.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/george-w-bush-64_history_i-think-all-presidents-should-take-the-l_2163837.jpg) > “I think all presidents should take the long view of history.” [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. Leaders should consider long‑term historical impacts rather than short‑term gains. **In simple terms:** Think about history’s big picture. Key Takeaway Plan policies with future generations in mind. Themes leadership history long‑term planning Mood thoughtful strategic Type advisory philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - education reform - infrastructure projects - environmental planning Key Concepts strategic foresight historical context Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance immediate needs with future legacy? - What historical lessons guide your choices? A Different Perspective Short‑term pressures often dominate decision‑making. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long View](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-view-1470306/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Presidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidents/) [Presidents Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidents-long-1984638/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Think Presidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-presidents-2970629/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [View History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/view-history-1165163/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) ## Related quotes > [I think that presidents don't give up power that has accrued to them by the precedent of previous presidents. Even when they say they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/i-think-that-presidents-don-t-give-up-power-that-has-accrued-to-them/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [We have to judge presidents not only by the long-term consequences of their actions but also by how they make citizens in their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-greenberg/we-have-to-judge-presidents-not-only-by-the-long-term-consequences-of/) [David Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-greenberg/) > [Once you have a point of view all history will back you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-wyck-brooks/once-you-have-a-point-of-view-all-history-will-back-you-up/) [Van Wyck Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-wyck-brooks/) > [“Our view of history . . . is first and foremost a guide to study, not a tool for constructing objects after the Hegelian model. The whole of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-angus/our-view-of-history-is-first-and-foremost-a-guide-to-study-not-a-tool/) [Ian Angus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-angus/) > [“Augustine recast how people should view history, that history was not the story of the rise and fall of empires because those are human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-f-madden/augustine-recast-how-people-should-view-history-that-history-was-not/) [Thomas F. Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-f-madden/) > [I subscribe to William Faulkner's' view that history is not just about what we were before but who we are now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/i-subscribe-to-william-faulkner-s-view-that-history-is-not-just-about/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [From the totalitarian point of view, history is something to be created rather than learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/from-the-totalitarian-point-of-view-history-is-something-to-be/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We cannot be spun, or at least we'd like to think that we cannot be. And the presidents who are trying to - too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beschloss/we-cannot-be-spun-or-at-least-we-d-like-to-think-that-we-cannot-be/) [Michael Beschloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beschloss/) > [I think all presidents should have teenage girls before they become presidents. If you can handle those hormones, you can handle anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-kunis/i-think-all-presidents-should-have-teenage-girls-before-they-become/) [Mila Kunis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-kunis/) > [I think if the White House or the President want to say anything about our conversations or anything I tried to do to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-think-if-the-white-house-or-the-president-want-to-say-anything/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [I think most presidents are amazed at the overwhelming responsibility they have when they enter office and the tremendous amount of work there is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/i-think-most-presidents-are-amazed-at-the-overwhelming-responsibility/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [I think that presidents deserve to be questioned. Maybe irreverently, most of the time. Bring 'em down a size. You see a president, ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-thomas/i-think-that-presidents-deserve-to-be-questioned-maybe-irreverently/) [Helen Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-thomas/) > [We don't think well of our presidents when they are serving. Even Kennedy, with such a short presidency, was beginning to lose his remarkable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-heston/we-don-t-think-well-of-our-presidents-when-they-are-serving-even/) [Charlton Heston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-heston/) > [ \[Gerald\] Ford and \[Jimmy\] Carter, in fact, were huge disappointments to me. Think about this: They were the presidents around the time of America's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/gerald-ford-and-jimmy-carter-in-fact-were-huge-disappointments-to-me/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [“Really, weren't these facts just placeholders until the long view could really assert itself?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/really-weren-t-these-facts-just-placeholders-until-the-long-view/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## 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 History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think all presidents should take the long view of history.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George W. 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