---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The slow-rising central horror of…"
description: "\"The slow-rising central horror of \"Watergate\" is not that it might grind down to the reluctant impeachment of a vengeful thug of a president whose enti..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/hunter-s-thompson-278_careers_the-slow-rising-central-horror-of-waterg_2286768.jpg"
---

#  The slow-rising central horror of "Watergate" is not that…

![“The slow-rising central horror of &quot;Watergate&quot; is not that it might grind down to the reluctant impeachment of a vengeful thug of a president whose entire political career has been a monument to the same kind of cheap shots and treachery he finally got nailed for, but that we might somehow fail to…” quote by Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/hunter-s-thompson-278_careers_the-slow-rising-central-horror-of-waterg_2286768.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/hunter-s-thompson-278_careers_the-slow-rising-central-horror-of-waterg_2286768.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/hunter-s-thompson-278_careers_the-slow-rising-central-horror-of-waterg_2286768.jpg)

> “The slow-rising central horror of "Watergate" is not that it might grind down to the reluctant impeachment of a vengeful thug of a president whose entire political career has been a monument to the same kind of cheap shots and treachery he finally got nailed for, but that we might somehow fail to learn something from it.”

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The danger lies not in the scandal itself but in society's failure to extract lessons, allowing repetition of corruption.

**In simple terms:** We may miss learning from crises.

Key Takeaway

Ensure we learn from failures.

Themes

politics corruption learning history media

Mood

cautious critical reflective

Type

cautionary political

When to use this quote

- government oversight
- civic education
- journalistic inquiry
- policy reform

Key Concepts

accountability systemic failure public memory

Questions to Reflect On

- What lessons are we ignoring?
- How can we prevent repeat corruption?

A Different Perspective

Learning requires active reflection, not passive observation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cheap shots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheap-shots/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Impeachment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impeachment/) [Monument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monument/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Reluctant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reluctant/) [Treachery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treachery/) [Vengeful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vengeful/) [Watergate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watergate/)

## Related quotes

> [Is that why you travel 'round with a human at your side? It's not so you can show them the wonders of the universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-noble/is-that-why-you-travel-round-with-a-human-at-your-side-it-s-not-so/)

[Donna Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-noble/)

> [I'm sick of all these cheap shots being thrown around. take a look at yourself before you play the blame game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-sick-of-all-these-cheap-shots-being-thrown-around-take-a-look-at/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When I had been a film critic for ten minutes, I treated Doris Day as a target for cheap shots. I have learned enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/when-i-had-been-a-film-critic-for-ten-minutes-i-treated-doris-day-as/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [On the way up here to the podium, a gentleman came up to me and said, "Governor, you are as good a politician as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/on-the-way-up-here-to-the-podium-a-gentleman-came-up-to-me-and-said/)

[Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/)

> [There is only one way to fight, and that's dirty. Clean gentlemanly fighting will get you nowhere but dead, and fast. Take every cheap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/there-is-only-one-way-to-fight-and-that-s-dirty-clean-gentlemanly/)

[Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/)

> [Folks know that while I respect Barack Obama and do not cheap-shot the president, I am very skeptical of his big government, nanny-state philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/folks-know-that-while-i-respect-barack-obama-and-do-not-cheap-shot/)

[Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/)

> [Will I criticize Hillary Clinton on her position of TPP, or the lack of position? Will I criticize her on her views of Wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/will-i-criticize-hillary-clinton-on-her-position-of-tpp-or-the-lack/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [If you think there is freedom of the press in the United States, I tell you there is no freedom of the press... They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/if-you-think-there-is-freedom-of-the-press-in-the-united-states-i/)

[Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/)

> [When women turn on women, and take cheap shots at their decisions purely to score political points it serves as proof that feminism, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-women-turn-on-women-and-take-cheap-shots-at-their-decisions/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When I was on my way to the podium a gentleman stopped me and said I was as good a politician as I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/when-i-was-on-my-way-to-the-podium-a-gentleman-stopped-me-and-said-i/)

[Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/)

> [If someone takes a cheap shot at somebody, we don't take cheap shots, but you remember it. It's like someone trying to get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-chung/if-someone-takes-a-cheap-shot-at-somebody-we-don-t-take-cheap-shots/)

[Patrick Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-chung/)

> [When you get into this line of work, you're in public office, you expect you're gonna have cheap shots taken at you. That's part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-scalise/when-you-get-into-this-line-of-work-you-re-in-public-office-you/)

[Steve Scalise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-scalise/)

> [I don't like cheap shots, I really don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-estrich/i-don-t-like-cheap-shots-i-really-don-t/)

[Susan Estrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-estrich/)

> [I think the game has gotten better. (The two-ref system) keeps players from taking cheap shots behind the play. I never thought I'd like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skrudland/i-think-the-game-has-gotten-better-the-two-ref-system-keeps-players/)

Brian Skrudland

> [It was a cheap shot. They won the game, move on. My thing is, I don't ask for a lot, but I demand my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/it-was-a-cheap-shot-they-won-the-game-move-on-my-thing-is-i-don-t-ask/)

[Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/)

## More by Hunter S. Thompson

> [“There was also the fact that sending a penniless writer to get $135 worth of beer was — as Khrushchev said of Nixon —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-was-also-the-fact-that-sending-a-penniless-writer-to-get-135/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“Cases of champagne and scotch lay broken in the street, and everyone I saw had a bottle. They were screaming and dancing, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/cases-of-champagne-and-scotch-lay-broken-in-the-street-and-everyone-i/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [No music + Bad TV = Bad mood &amp; no pages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-music-bad-tv-bad-mood-no-pages/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [No one holds command over me. No man. No god. No Prince. What is a claim of age for ones who are immortal? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-one-holds-command-over-me-no-man-no-god-no-prince-what-is-a-claim/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“The person who doesn't scatter the morning dew will not comb grey hairs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-person-who-doesn-t-scatter-the-morning-dew-will-not-comb-grey/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [Hope rises and dreams flicker and die. Love plans for tomorrow and loneliness thinks of yesterday. Life is beautiful and living is pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/hope-rises-and-dreams-flicker-and-die-love-plans-for-tomorrow-and/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [If we get chased out of Iraq with our tail between our legs, that will be the fifth consecutive Third-world country with no hint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/if-we-get-chased-out-of-iraq-with-our-tail-between-our-legs-that-will/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [At age 22 I set what I insist is an all-time record for distance hitchhiking in Bermuda shorts: 3,700 miles in three weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/at-age-22-i-set-what-i-insist-is-an-all-time-record-for-distance/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [Paranoia is just another mask for ignorance. The truth, when you finally chase it down is almost always far worse than your darkest visions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/paranoia-is-just-another-mask-for-ignorance-the-truth-when-you/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“No doubt they all Got What Was Coming To Them. All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-doubt-they-all-got-what-was-coming-to-them-all-those-pathetically/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“For several months they'd been drifting toward political involvement, but the picture was hazy and one of the most confusing elements was their geographical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/for-several-months-they-d-been-drifting-toward-political-involvement/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [He wandered into the Newsroom and asked for a job the same way he’d walk into a barbershop and ask for a haircut, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/he-wandered-into-the-newsroom-and-asked-for-a-job-the-same-way-he-d/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [There's no point in getting into politics at all unless you plan to lash things around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-no-point-in-getting-into-politics-at-all-unless-you-plan-to/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [There’s a lot of things wrong with this country, but one of the few things still right with it is that a man can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-a-lot-of-things-wrong-with-this-country-but-one-of-the-few/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

[Explore all 765 Hunter S. Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

## More Careers quotes

> [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/)

> [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/)

[Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/)

> [The only thing I try to watch carefully is that I never lose the love for the instrument. That's also why I decided against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nils-frahm/the-only-thing-i-try-to-watch-carefully-is-that-i-never-lose-the-love/)

[Nils Frahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nils-frahm/)

> [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/)

[Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/)

[Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/)

> [The truth is I've just never had any kind of plan at all for my career, which is probably not a very flattering thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-burrell/the-truth-is-i-ve-just-never-had-any-kind-of-plan-at-all-for-my/)

[Ty Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-burrell/)

> [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/)

[Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/)

> [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/)

[Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/)

> [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/)

[Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/)

> [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/)

[Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/)

> [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/)

Robbin Crosby

> [There is so much temptation to hold on to my career even more now. To try to micromanage and dictate every little aspect. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/there-is-so-much-temptation-to-hold-on-to-my-career-even-more-now-to/)

[Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/)

> [Everything I've been through, everything I'm about to go through in my career and my life, if my family wasn't with me and didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-malone/everything-i-ve-been-through-everything-i-m-about-to-go-through-in-my/)

[Karl Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-malone/)

> [An image has stuck for most of my career and it isn't flattering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-fowler/an-image-has-stuck-for-most-of-my-career-and-it-isn-t-flattering/)

[Robbie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-fowler/)

Browse all 6,154 Careers quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The slow-rising central horror of \"Watergate\" is not that it might grind down to the reluctant impeachment of a vengeful thug of a president whose entire political career has been a monument to the same kind of cheap shots and treachery he finally got nailed for, but that we might somehow fail to learn something from it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hunter S. Thompson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-slow-rising-central-horror-of-watergate-is-not-that-it-might/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Careers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-slow-rising-central-horror-of-watergate-is-not-that-it-might/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/hunter-s-thompson-278_careers_the-slow-rising-central-horror-of-waterg_2286768.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/hunter-s-thompson-278_careers_the-slow-rising-central-horror-of-waterg_2286768.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/hunter-s-thompson-278_careers_the-slow-rising-central-horror-of-waterg_2286768.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The slow-rising central horror of \"Watergate\" is not that it might grind down to the reluctant impeachment…” — Hunter S. Thompson",
                "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": "Hunter S. Thompson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The slow-rising central horror of \"Watergate\"...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-slow-rising-central-horror-of-watergate-is-not-that-it-might/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-slow-rising-central-horror-of-watergate-is-not-that-it-might/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
