--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have been asked whether I wish to…" description: "\"I have been asked whether I wish to nominate a successor, an inheritor, a dauphin or delfino. I have decided to name Christopher Hitchens.\" — Gore Vidal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/gore-vidal-466_decided_i-have-been-asked-whether-i-wish-to-nomi_2183083.jpg" --- # I have been asked whether I wish to nominate a successor… ![“I have been asked whether I wish to nominate a successor, an inheritor, a dauphin or delfino. I have decided to name Christopher Hitchens.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/gore-vidal-466_decided_i-have-been-asked-whether-i-wish-to-nomi_2183083.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/gore-vidal-466_decided_i-have-been-asked-whether-i-wish-to-nomi_2183083.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/gore-vidal-466_decided_i-have-been-asked-whether-i-wish-to-nomi_2183083.jpg) > “I have been asked whether I wish to nominate a successor, an inheritor, a dauphin or delfino. I have decided to name Christopher Hitchens.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Vidal humorously suggests naming the successor after the outspoken writer Christopher Hitchens, implying a desire for a candid, provocative heir. **In simple terms:** He wants a successor as outspoken as Hitchens. Key Takeaway Choose a successor who speaks truth boldly. Themes succession literary humor political commentary Mood witty critical Type satirical commentary When to use this quote - political appointments - media interviews - public debates Key Concepts satire legacy public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How does humor affect serious decisions? - What qualities truly matter in a successor? A Different Perspective The comparison may be seen as flippant or disrespectful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christopher-hitchens/) [Decided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decided/) [Decided Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decided-christopher-4724152/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Inheritor Dauphin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inheritor-dauphin-4724150/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Nominate Successor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nominate-successor-4724149/) [Successor Inheritor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successor-inheritor-4724151/) [Successors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successors/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [“Christopher Hitchens once said that he drinks “because it makes other people less boring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-maarten-troost/christopher-hitchens-once-said-that-he-drinks-because-it-makes-other/) [J. Maarten Troost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-maarten-troost/) > [“I’ve often wondered how the term “'New Atheism”' gained such currency. It is a misnomer. There is nothing new about nonbelief. All of us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tayler/i-ve-often-wondered-how-the-term-new-atheism-gained-such-currency-it/) [Jeffrey Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tayler/) > [ It was a very funny conference. I knew \[Christopher Hitchens\] before that. He had always been a good angel to me. He once stole… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/it-was-a-very-funny-conference-i-knew-christopher-hitchens-before/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“If you want to know why the “new atheists” like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Atkins sell so many books, the answer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/if-you-want-to-know-why-the-new-atheists-like-richard-dawkins/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [I like whimsy and satire, and that's what Americans like so much about Brits. We bring subtlety and sense of humor that you sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/i-like-whimsy-and-satire-and-that-s-what-americans-like-so-much-about/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [“It is quite clear, whether you read Christopher Hitchens or Friedrich Nietzsche, that the image of God running the world to which they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/it-is-quite-clear-whether-you-read-christopher-hitchens-or-friedrich/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [Christopher Hitchens and I were not friends or even acquaintances. We never met or spoke on the phone, just exchanged occasional brief letters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/christopher-hitchens-and-i-were-not-friends-or-even-acquaintances-we/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [Christopher Hitchens is perhaps the greatest orator ever. He's such a famous atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buble/christopher-hitchens-is-perhaps-the-greatest-orator-ever-he-s-such-a/) [Michael Buble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buble/) > [“For Dawkins, atheism is a necessary consequence of evolution. He has argued that the religious impulse is simply an evolutionary mistake, a ‘misfiring of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/for-dawkins-atheism-is-a-necessary-consequence-of-evolution-he-has/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Christopher Hitchens was a writer and an orator with a matchless style, commanding a vocabulary and a range of literary and historical allusion far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/christopher-hitchens-was-a-writer-and-an-orator-with-a-matchless/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“Literary censorship should not be necessary within the parameters of the law because it's simply a reflection of prevailing social prejudices! Writing should challenge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-tar/literary-censorship-should-not-be-necessary-within-the-parameters-of/) [Jack Tar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-tar/) > [ “One evening, at the time of the Six-Day War, I \[Christopher Hitchens\] had my wicked way with a lovely lady, who had earlier intimated… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-brown/one-evening-at-the-time-of-the-six-day-war-i-christopher-hitchens-had/) [Craig Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-brown/) > [“Incidentally, I have also learned a bit about the importance of avoiding feminine embarrassment ('Daddy,' wrote Sophia when she enrolled at the New School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/incidentally-i-have-also-learned-a-bit-about-the-importance-of/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Atheism is a moral position - a rather rigid one, if you've ever read the opinions of its highest-profile espousers, Christopher Hitchens and Richard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/atheism-is-a-moral-position-a-rather-rigid-one-if-you-ve-ever-read/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [I do look for openings where I can overturn popular misconceptions, but unlike Christopher Hitchens, I am neither a contrarian nor a lone heretic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-do-look-for-openings-where-i-can-overturn-popular-misconceptions/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. 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