---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's amazing I won. I was running against…"
description: "\"It's amazing I won. I was running against peace, prosperity, and incumbency.\" —George W. Bush, June 14, 2001, speaking to Swedish Prime Minister Goran ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/george-w-bush-64_cameras_it-s-amazing-i-won-i-was-running-against_2035189.jpg"
---

#  It's amazing I won. I was running against peace…

![“It's amazing I won. I was running against peace, prosperity, and incumbency.&quot; —George W. Bush, June 14, 2001, speaking to Swedish Prime Minister Goran Perrson, unaware that a live television camera was still rolling.” quote by George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/george-w-bush-64_cameras_it-s-amazing-i-won-i-was-running-against_2035189.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/george-w-bush-64_cameras_it-s-amazing-i-won-i-was-running-against_2035189.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/george-w-bush-64_cameras_it-s-amazing-i-won-i-was-running-against_2035189.jpg)

> “It's amazing I won. I was running against peace, prosperity, and incumbency." —George W. Bush, June 14, 2001, speaking to Swedish Prime Minister Goran Perrson, unaware that a live television camera was still rolling.”

[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 claims victory while opposing peace, prosperity, and established power.

**In simple terms:** He says he won but fought against peace and prosperity.

Key Takeaway

Beware rhetoric that celebrates winning over common good.

Themes

politics leadership ethics competition

Mood

skeptical reflective

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- elections
- policy debates
- public statements

Key Concepts

Power dynamics moral paradox

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “winning” mean in public service?
- Can success be measured beyond personal gain?

A Different Perspective

Winning can be framed to ignore broader harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [June](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/june/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Prime minister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prime-minister/) [Prosperity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperity/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/)

## Related quotes

> [It's amazing I won. I was running against peace, prosperity, and incumbency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/it-s-amazing-i-won-i-was-running-against-peace-prosperity-and/)

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

> [Now I'm where I want to be and who I want to be and doing what I always said I would and yet I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-rice/now-i-m-where-i-want-to-be-and-who-i-want-to-be-and-doing-what-i/)

[Tim Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-rice/)

> [If there was one fact that sent me hurtling off to write 'Politics Lost,' it was when I learned that John Kerry had focus-grouped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-klein/if-there-was-one-fact-that-sent-me-hurtling-off-to-write-politics/)

[Joe Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-klein/)

> [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/)

> [“But the truth is that I never had to search for a role model. I was the son of George Bush.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/but-the-truth-is-that-i-never-had-to-search-for-a-role-model-i-was/)

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

> [George H. W. Bush is gracious. And I'm not saying any of the former presidents aren't gracious, I'm just saying, this man is gracious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/george-h-w-bush-is-gracious-and-i-m-not-saying-any-of-the-former/)

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

> [“I'm not the expert on how the Iraqi people think, because I live in America, where it's nice and safe and secure." --George W.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-m-not-the-expert-on-how-the-iraqi-people-think-because-i-live-in-2/)

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

> [I urge all Texans to answer the call to serve those in need. By volunteering their time, energy or resources to helping others, adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-urge-all-texans-to-answer-the-call-to-serve-those-in-need-by/)

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

> [Actually I liked that 'Let the Right One In,' that Swedish vampire movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/actually-i-liked-that-let-the-right-one-in-that-swedish-vampire-movie/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [The Swedish style of songwriting is so mathematical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-hemmings/the-swedish-style-of-songwriting-is-so-mathematical/)

[Luke Hemmings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-hemmings/)

> [But, as old Swedish legends say, Of all the birds upon that day, The swallow felt the deepest grief, And longed to give her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-godfrey-leland/but-as-old-swedish-legends-say-of-all-the-birds-upon-that-day-the/)

[Charles Godfrey Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-godfrey-leland/)

> [I was a Swedish guy who listened to Too Short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-was-a-swedish-guy-who-listened-to-too-short/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [Scandinavian crime fiction has become a great success all across the world and rightfully so. Sjowall and Wahloo ushered in a whole generation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camilla-l-ckberg/scandinavian-crime-fiction-has-become-a-great-success-all-across-the/)

[Camilla Lackberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camilla-l-ckberg/)

> [I had a gig in Sweden. There were thousands of people there, and when I launched into 'I'm Yours,' they were all singing along.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/i-had-a-gig-in-sweden-there-were-thousands-of-people-there-and-when-i/)

[Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/)

> [I had the advantage, that I know Swedish. So I had the Swedish book and I had a lot of English translations, and German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-ullmann/i-had-the-advantage-that-i-know-swedish-so-i-had-the-swedish-book-and/)

[Liv Ullmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-ullmann/)

## 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 Bush quotes

> [President Bush is a friend of mine. He's not a moron at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/president-bush-is-a-friend-of-mine-he-s-not-a-moron-at-all/)

[Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/)

> [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/)

[Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/)

> [Obama's policies have been approximately the same as Bush's, though there have been some slight differences, but that's not a great surprise. The Democrats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/obama-s-policies-have-been-approximately-the-same-as-bush-s-though/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [This country was the moral leader of the world until George Bush became president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-dean/this-country-was-the-moral-leader-of-the-world-until-george-bush/)

[Howard Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-dean/)

> [We're half an hour from Toronto, which offers everything you could want from a city, and a couple of hours from beautiful vacation country.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linwood-barclay/we-re-half-an-hour-from-toronto-which-offers-everything-you-could/)

[Linwood Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linwood-barclay/)

> [On election night 2000, I had never met then-Governor Bush, though I'd supported him for years. I believed he would be a strong, optimistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-perino/on-election-night-2000-i-had-never-met-then-governor-bush-though-i-d/)

[Dana Perino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-perino/)

> [The president of the United States of North America, George W. Bush, the little gentleman of the North, the political cadaver that is visiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-chavez/the-president-of-the-united-states-of-north-america-george-w-bush-the/)

[Hugo Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-chavez/)

> [Obama and the Democrats were so critical of what Bush did, the interrogations, the secret prisons, Guantanamo and all of that, and even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/obama-and-the-democrats-were-so-critical-of-what-bush-did-the/)

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

> [I remember when President Bush, George W. Bush, came into office, he focused on No Child Left Behind, and with - and before very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-alexander/i-remember-when-president-bush-george-w-bush-came-into-office-he/)

[Lamar Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-alexander/)

> [ If George Bush \[Jr.\] decided he was going to turn the troops loose on Syria and Iran after that he would last in office… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/if-george-bush-jr-decided-he-was-going-to-turn-the-troops-loose-on/)

[Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/)

> [I mean, look, no matter how you feel about Bush, watching him speak is difficult. It's like- it's like watching a drunk man cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/i-mean-look-no-matter-how-you-feel-about-bush-watching-him-speak-is/)

[Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/)

> [I'm not tempted to write a song about George W. Bush. I couldn't figure out what sort of song I would write. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-m-not-tempted-to-write-a-song-about-george-w-bush-i-couldn-t-figure/)

[Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/)

> [It would be a tragic mistake for us out here to imagine that Bush represents the hearts and the minds of the majority of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breyten-breytenbach/it-would-be-a-tragic-mistake-for-us-out-here-to-imagine-that-bush/)

[Breyten Breytenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breyten-breytenbach/)

> [In the bush, trust no one you don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/in-the-bush-trust-no-one-you-don-t-know/)

[Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/)

> [Leadership is about making decisions with the information you have, not the information people will have 12 years later, i kind of feel sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/leadership-is-about-making-decisions-with-the-information-you-have/)

[Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/)

Browse all 764 Bush quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's amazing I won. I was running against peace, prosperity, and incumbency.\" —George W. Bush, June 14, 2001, speaking to Swedish Prime Minister Goran Perrson, unaware that a live television camera was still rolling.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George W. Bush"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/it-s-amazing-i-won-i-was-running-against-peace-prosperity-and-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bush"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/it-s-amazing-i-won-i-was-running-against-peace-prosperity-and-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/george-w-bush-64_cameras_it-s-amazing-i-won-i-was-running-against_2035189.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/george-w-bush-64_cameras_it-s-amazing-i-won-i-was-running-against_2035189.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/george-w-bush-64_cameras_it-s-amazing-i-won-i-was-running-against_2035189.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's amazing I won. I was running against peace, prosperity, and incumbency.\" —George W. Bush, June 14…” — 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": "It's amazing I won. I was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/it-s-amazing-i-won-i-was-running-against-peace-prosperity-and-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/it-s-amazing-i-won-i-was-running-against-peace-prosperity-and-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
