--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm sure that President Johnson would…" description: "\"I'm sure that President Johnson would never have pursued the war in Vietnam if he'd ever had a Fulbright to Japan, or say Bangkok, or had any feeling f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/j-william-fulbright-7682_bangkok_i-m-sure-that-president-johnson-would-ne_1747593.png" --- # I'm sure that President Johnson would never have pursued… ![“I'm sure that President Johnson would never have pursued the war in Vietnam if he'd ever had a Fulbright to Japan, or say Bangkok, or had any feeling for what these people are like and why they acted the way they did. He was completely ignorant.” quote by J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/j-william-fulbright-7682_bangkok_i-m-sure-that-president-johnson-would-ne_1747593.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/j-william-fulbright-7682_bangkok_i-m-sure-that-president-johnson-would-ne_1747593.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/j-william-fulbright-7682_bangkok_i-m-sure-that-president-johnson-would-ne_1747593.png) > “I'm sure that President Johnson would never have pursued the war in Vietnam if he'd ever had a Fulbright to Japan, or say Bangkok, or had any feeling for what these people are like and why they acted the way they did. He was completely ignorant.” [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues that personal exposure to other cultures could have prevented misguided foreign policy decisions. **In simple terms:** Cultural understanding might have changed war decisions. Key Takeaway Seek broader perspectives before acting. Themes politics war culture ignorance policy education Mood reflective critical serious Type political historical analytical When to use this quote - government decision‑making - military strategy - public diplomacy - education programs Key Concepts cultural empathy foreign policy historical hindsight Questions to Reflect On - How might leaders gain deeper cultural insight? - What structures can ensure diverse viewpoints in policy? A Different Perspective Personal experience alone may not outweigh political pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bangkok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bangkok/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Japan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/japan/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-johnson/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“You can know a thing to death and be for all purposes completely ignorant of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/you-can-know-a-thing-to-death-and-be-for-all-purposes-completely-2/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Until I became a published writer, I remained completely ignorant of books on how to write and courses on the subject ... they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/until-i-became-a-published-writer-i-remained-completely-ignorant-of/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Fortunately, perhaps, I was completely ignorant of the orthodox theory of the disease polio-myelitis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kenny/fortunately-perhaps-i-was-completely-ignorant-of-the-orthodox-theory/) [Elizabeth Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kenny/) > [It is better to be completely ignorant than to be ill taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/it-is-better-to-be-completely-ignorant-than-to-be-ill-taught/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [The only thing that you can do is do jobs and see if people respond to that. 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Supplemental funds were sent to school districts serving poor… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-noguera/the-origins-of-these-schooling-federal-policies-were-tied-to/) [Pedro Noguera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-noguera/) > [President Johnson offered the middle of the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wasserman/president-johnson-offered-the-middle-of-the-road/) [Lew Wasserman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wasserman/) > [ \[President Johnson\] had the political will to say that having one in five Americans living in the kind of abject conditions their fellow citizens… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/president-johnson-had-the-political-will-to-say-that-having-one-in/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [President Johnson did not want the Vietnam War to broaden. He wanted the North Vietnamese to leave their brothers in the South alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-westmoreland/president-johnson-did-not-want-the-vietnam-war-to-broaden-he-wanted/) [William Westmoreland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-westmoreland/) ## More by J. William Fulbright > [There has been a tendency through the years for reason and moderation to prevail as long as things are going tolerably well or as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/there-has-been-a-tendency-through-the-years-for-reason-and-moderation/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [One simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/one-simply-cannot-engage-in-barbarous-action-without-becoming-a/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [It is amazing how soon one becomes accustomed to the sound of ones voice, when forced to repeat a speech five or six times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/it-is-amazing-how-soon-one-becomes-accustomed-to-the-sound-of-ones/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [What a curious picture it is to find man, homo sapiens, of divine origin, we are told, seriously considering going underground to escape the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/what-a-curious-picture-it-is-to-find-man-homo-sapiens-of-divine/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [Educational exchange can turn nations into people, contributing as no other form of communication can to the humanizing of international relations. 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William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [Insofar as international law is observed, it provides us with stability and order and with a means of predicting the behavior of those with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/insofar-as-international-law-is-observed-it-provides-us-with/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [The age of warrior kings and of warrior presidents has passed. The nuclear age calls for a different kind of leadership… a leadership of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/the-age-of-warrior-kings-and-of-warrior-presidents-has-passed-the/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [We must dare to think 'unthinkable' thoughts. We must learn to explore all the options and possibilities that confront us in a complex and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/we-must-dare-to-think-unthinkable-thoughts-we-must-learn-to-explore/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [International educational exchange is the most significant current project designed to continue the process of humanizing mankind to the point, we would hope, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/international-educational-exchange-is-the-most-significant-current/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [ To give \[the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba\] even covert support is on a par with the hypocrisy and cynicism for which the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/to-give-the-bay-of-pigs-invasion-of-cuba-even-covert-support-is-on-a/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > […Man's struggle to be rational about himself, about his relationship to his own society and to other peoples and nations involves a constant search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/man-s-struggle-to-be-rational-about-himself-about-his-relationship-to/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [I do not question the power of our weapons and the efficiency of our logistics; I cannot say these things delight me as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/i-do-not-question-the-power-of-our-weapons-and-the-efficiency-of-our/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [The Soviet Union has indeed been our greatest menace - not so much because of what it has done, but because of the excuses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/the-soviet-union-has-indeed-been-our-greatest-menace-not-so-much/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) [Explore all 88 J. William Fulbright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) ## More Bangkok quotes > [“He reasoned, even as a young man, that traditions may linger as he walked though the oracles of time. 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Like the whole point of my life from the alleys in Bangkok to the yachts and private island to coming here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-grant/yeah-a-feeling-like-the-whole-point-of-my-life-from-the-alleys-in/) [Michael Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-grant/) > [Eating street food in Bangkok is an experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aishwarya-rajesh/eating-street-food-in-bangkok-is-an-experience/) [Aishwarya Rajesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aishwarya-rajesh/) > [Bangkok 8 is one of the most startling and provocative mysteries that I've read in years. The characters are marvelously unique, the setting is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hiaasen/bangkok-8-is-one-of-the-most-startling-and-provocative-mysteries-that/) [Carl Hiaasen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hiaasen/) > [Even if I turned myself in, it wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't make me one of them. 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