---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've worked on enough campaigns to know…"
description: "\"I've worked on enough campaigns to know that the most aggrieved candidate rarely emerges victorious.\" — James Carville"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/james-carville-2521_candidate_i-ve-worked-on-enough-campaigns-to-know_1726103.png"
---

#  I've worked on enough campaigns to know that the most…

![“I've worked on enough campaigns to know that the most aggrieved candidate rarely emerges victorious.” quote by James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/james-carville-2521_candidate_i-ve-worked-on-enough-campaigns-to-know_1726103.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/james-carville-2521_candidate_i-ve-worked-on-enough-campaigns-to-know_1726103.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/james-carville-2521_candidate_i-ve-worked-on-enough-campaigns-to-know_1726103.png)

> “I've worked on enough campaigns to know that the most aggrieved candidate rarely emerges victorious.”

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

## About This Quote

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

The most angry or dissatisfied political candidate rarely wins elections.

**In simple terms:** Angry candidates rarely win.

Key Takeaway

Seek broad appeal, not just grievance.

Themes

politics election campaign strategy

Mood

critical pragmatic

Type

strategic observational

When to use this quote

- primary races
- general elections
- grassroots mobilization

Key Concepts

voter sentiment candidate image

Questions to Reflect On

- When does voter frustration become a winning strategy?
- How to balance anger with hope?

A Different Perspective

Extreme anger can mobilize a base but alienate moderates.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Aggrieved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggrieved-1138720/) [Aggrieved Candidate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggrieved-candidate-1384874/) [Campaigns Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaigns-know-1384877/) [Candidate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candidate/) [Candidate Rarely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candidate-rarely-1384875/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Rarely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rarely/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Worked Campaigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worked-campaigns-1384876/)

## Related quotes

> [We say there are people who have worked in campaigns who say that they have lost some - and we call those folks operatives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/we-say-there-are-people-who-have-worked-in-campaigns-who-say-that/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [As a veteran of many campaigns, I know how important it is not let up in the last few days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/as-a-veteran-of-many-campaigns-i-know-how-important-it-is-not-let-up/)

[Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/)

> [I definitely learned about the inner workings of campaigns enough to know that I'm glad that I'm not in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-zimmer/i-definitely-learned-about-the-inner-workings-of-campaigns-enough-to/)

[Constance Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-zimmer/)

> [I did some internships, worked on some campaigns, and then moved to D.C.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-spicer/i-did-some-internships-worked-on-some-campaigns-and-then-moved-to-d-c/)

[Sean Spicer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-spicer/)

> [It's hard not to take it personally when being wait-listed, passed over for a promotion, or losing a client to a competitor. But while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adena-friedman/it-s-hard-not-to-take-it-personally-when-being-wait-listed-passed/)

[Adena Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adena-friedman/)

> [ “\[W\]hat possible purpose does this lashing-out serve? Will activists be shamed into recovering their previous enthusiasm? Will Republicans stop their vicious attacks because Obama… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/w-hat-possible-purpose-does-this-lashing-out-serve-will-activists-be/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [“Jacob wore a tetchy air of mild resentment that Paul couldn't begin to understand. He was forty and his father was bankrolling him; what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/jacob-wore-a-tetchy-air-of-mild-resentment-that-paul-couldn-t-begin/)

[Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/)

> [“Are you flirting with another of my sisters?” Rolf sounded aggrieved. “Is no woman safe from you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-day-george/are-you-flirting-with-another-of-my-sisters-rolf-sounded-aggrieved-is/)

[Jessica Day George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-day-george/)

> [“What's not right about her, Farley?" she asked curiously. An annoyed humph. A few ahems, then a thoroughly miffed, "She's a fine enough lass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/what-s-not-right-about-her-farley-she-asked-curiously-an-annoyed/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“oh, don't look so aggrieved. I have never met a man I didn't provoke" ~ Asha Greyjoy (from a Feast For Crows)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/oh-don-t-look-so-aggrieved-i-have-never-met-a-man-i-didn-t-provoke/)

[George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/)

> [So many see themselves as aggrieved; so few see themselves as aggrievers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-allen-paulos/so-many-see-themselves-as-aggrieved-so-few-see-themselves-as/)

[John Allen Paulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-allen-paulos/)

> [I know very well that I have no reason to feel aggrieved - I am fully aware of how lucky I am, but knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-richardson/i-know-very-well-that-i-have-no-reason-to-feel-aggrieved-i-am-fully/)

[Jon Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-richardson/)

> [When you have done your best for a flower, and it fails, you have some reason to be aggrieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-arthur-swinnerton/when-you-have-done-your-best-for-a-flower-and-it-fails-you-have-some/)

[Frank Arthur Swinnerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-arthur-swinnerton/)

> [When you are aggrieved you learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/when-you-are-aggrieved-you-learn/)

[James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/)

> [ “HIGGINS \[aggrieved\] Do you mean that my language is improper? MRS HIGGINS. No, dearest: it would be quite proper - say on a canal… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/higgins-aggrieved-do-you-mean-that-my-language-is-improper-mrs/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

## More by James Carville

> [“Victoria Westover and Shari Monetta are true patriots”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/victoria-westover-and-shari-monetta-are-true-patriots/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [I was a little-known political consultant until Bill Clinton made me. When he came upon hard times, I felt it my duty - whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/i-was-a-little-known-political-consultant-until-bill-clinton-made-me/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [As a result of that forgiveness, I will never criticize or attack any of your past actions or remarks concerning matters of race relations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/as-a-result-of-that-forgiveness-i-will-never-criticize-or-attack-any/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [“This site sucks garbage bags full of dicks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/this-site-sucks-garbage-bags-full-of-dicks/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [Every day Catholics prove that you can be a good Catholic and a good Democrat and have a different position from the Church on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/every-day-catholics-prove-that-you-can-be-a-good-catholic-and-a-good/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [My blood's not red or blue - it's brown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/my-blood-s-not-red-or-blue-it-s-brown/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [“The James Carville "herd of cows" quote is a fabrication, posted on the website thinkexist.com by someone going by thisoneworks. It has no attribution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/the-james-carville-herd-of-cows-quote-is-a-fabrication-posted-on-the/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [We don't know each other. Democrats don't know Republicans, Republicans don't know Democrats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/we-don-t-know-each-other-democrats-don-t-know-republicans-republicans/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [When you become famous, being famous becomes your profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/when-you-become-famous-being-famous-becomes-your-profession/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [When the facts change, you change your mind. I know that is a hard concept for people to get sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/when-the-facts-change-you-change-your-mind-i-know-that-is-a-hard/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [I have always loved the college atmosphere - sometimes too much, which is why I spent so long at LSU.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/i-have-always-loved-the-college-atmosphere-sometimes-too-much-which/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [Democratic strategists and operatives should not design a strategy based off today's conditions. They should be setting a strategy for where the trajectory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/democratic-strategists-and-operatives-should-not-design-a-strategy/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [If you say three things, you don't say anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/if-you-say-three-things-you-don-t-say-anything/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [“I eat babies, shit them out and use the feces that contains their mangled remains for bullet casings. Which I use to kill Republicans.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/i-eat-babies-shit-them-out-and-use-the-feces-that-contains-their/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [The only politician in America I know with a man-date is Jim McGreevey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/the-only-politician-in-america-i-know-with-a-man-date-is-jim-mcgreevey/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

[Explore all 163 James Carville quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

## More Candidate quotes

> [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/)

[Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/)

> [As a registered Democrat, I am praying for a credible presidential candidate to emerge from the younger tier of politicians in their late 40s.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/as-a-registered-democrat-i-am-praying-for-a-credible-presidential/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [Obama did organize a great large number of people and many enthusiastic people, what's called in the press 'Obama's Army.' But the army is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/obama-did-organize-a-great-large-number-of-people-and-many/)

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

> [Candidate Trump held out his hand to Vladimir Putin. He rejected further U.S. intervention in Syria other than to smash ISIS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/candidate-trump-held-out-his-hand-to-vladimir-putin-he-rejected/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [You should not be misled about the so-called single opposition candidate. There are so many of them now that you will lack the fingers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lukashenko/you-should-not-be-misled-about-the-so-called-single-opposition/)

[Alexander Lukashenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lukashenko/)

> [I want to say that I cannot be intimidated or stopped. In order to put an end to various attempts to get rid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitali-klitschko/i-want-to-say-that-i-cannot-be-intimidated-or-stopped-in-order-to-put/)

[Vitali Klitschko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitali-klitschko/)

> [Today, I'm a candidate for the office of president of the United States of America. My kids can't believe I just said that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-huntsman-jr/today-i-m-a-candidate-for-the-office-of-president-of-the-united/)

[Jon Huntsman, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-huntsman-jr/)

> [I think Trump is a very interesting candidate in this sense: I think he has cross-party appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/i-think-trump-is-a-very-interesting-candidate-in-this-sense-i-think/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [I do think that sometimes, especially coming into this going straight from activism to being a candidate or to being a person who potentially,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandria-ocasio-cortez/i-do-think-that-sometimes-especially-coming-into-this-going-straight/)

[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandria-ocasio-cortez/)

> [Even though I don't agree with Donald Trump on everything, and I think there may be certain things or statements of his that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-zeldin/even-though-i-don-t-agree-with-donald-trump-on-everything-and-i-think/)

[Lee Zeldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-zeldin/)

> [I'm not quite certain how you can force a candidate to stick by the rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/i-m-not-quite-certain-how-you-can-force-a-candidate-to-stick-by-the/)

[Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/)

> [I am not a fan of Mitt Romney, but I admit that he is, politically speaking, a good candidate for president. He has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/i-am-not-a-fan-of-mitt-romney-but-i-admit-that-he-is-politically/)

[Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/)

> [I am aware of the responsibility I am taking on as the chancellor. Things have developed very quickly for me in recent years, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-kurz/i-am-aware-of-the-responsibility-i-am-taking-on-as-the-chancellor/)

[Sebastian Kurz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-kurz/)

> [For people to even think that I'd be considered or a good candidate for a supporting actress nomination is mind blowing to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naya-rivera/for-people-to-even-think-that-i-d-be-considered-or-a-good-candidate/)

[Naya Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naya-rivera/)

> [A candidate's faith is not the only consideration, but should be a major consideration in electing the president of the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/a-candidate-s-faith-is-not-the-only-consideration-but-should-be-a/)

[Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/)

[Browse all 529 Candidate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candidate/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I've worked on enough campaigns to know that the most aggrieved candidate rarely emerges victorious.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Carville"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/i-ve-worked-on-enough-campaigns-to-know-that-the-most-aggrieved/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Candidate"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/i-ve-worked-on-enough-campaigns-to-know-that-the-most-aggrieved/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/james-carville-2521_candidate_i-ve-worked-on-enough-campaigns-to-know_1726103.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/james-carville-2521_candidate_i-ve-worked-on-enough-campaigns-to-know_1726103.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/james-carville-2521_candidate_i-ve-worked-on-enough-campaigns-to-know_1726103.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've worked on enough campaigns to know that the most aggrieved candidate rarely emerges victorious.” — James Carville",
                "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": "James Carville",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I've worked on enough campaigns to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/i-ve-worked-on-enough-campaigns-to-know-that-the-most-aggrieved/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/i-ve-worked-on-enough-campaigns-to-know-that-the-most-aggrieved/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
