--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think politicians really go with the…" description: "\"I think politicians really go with the tide.\" — Jimmy Carter" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/jimmy-carter-479_go_i-think-politicians-really-go-with-the-t_6307.jpg" --- # I think politicians really go with the tide. ![“I think politicians really go with the tide.” quote by Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/jimmy-carter-479_go_i-think-politicians-really-go-with-the-t_6307.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/jimmy-carter-479_go_i-think-politicians-really-go-with-the-t_6307.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/jimmy-carter-479_go_i-think-politicians-really-go-with-the-t_6307.jpg) > “I think politicians really go with the tide.” [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Politicians tend to follow prevailing public opinion rather than leading it, prioritizing electability over principle. **In simple terms:** They ride the popular current. Key Takeaway Follow the crowd to stay in power. Themes conformity public opinion political strategy leadership electoral dynamics Mood cynical skeptical observational Type political commentary aphoristic critical When to use this quote - campaign strategy - policy formulation - media messaging - public debates - voter outreach Key Concepts political behavior mass sentiment decision making Practical Applications - predicting policy shifts - designing counter‑narratives Questions to Reflect On - What drives a leader to prioritize popularity over conviction? - How does this behavior affect democratic accountability? A Different Perspective Some leaders deliberately shape opinion instead of merely following it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politicians/) [Politicians Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politicians-really-313566/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Really Tide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-tide-313568/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-politicians-313567/) [Tide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tide/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [“There is no getting away from a wave that has got your name on it. The tide will come in whether you want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-manning/there-is-no-getting-away-from-a-wave-that-has-got-your-name-on-it-the/) [Martha Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-manning/) > [You never know with politicians what they are really saying. 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In all of his teachings about multiple things - he never said that gay people should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/jesus-never-said-a-word-about-homosexuality-in-all-of-his-teachings/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself, and where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/penalties-against-possession-of-a-drug-should-not-be-more-damaging-to/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [No poor, rural, weak, or black person should ever again have to bear the additional burden of being deprived of the opportunity for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/no-poor-rural-weak-or-black-person-should-ever-again-have-to-bear-the/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Our individual fates are linked our futures intertwined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/our-individual-fates-are-linked-our-futures-intertwined/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Southerners, whose ancestors a hundred years ago knew the horrors of a homeland devastated by war, are particularly determined that war shall never come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/southerners-whose-ancestors-a-hundred-years-ago-knew-the-horrors-of-a/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I think the most challenging thing for me in my life and in the Bible is that we worship Jesus as the Prince of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-think-the-most-challenging-thing-for-me-in-my-life-and-in-the-bible/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Faith implies a continuing search, not necessarily a final answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/faith-implies-a-continuing-search-not-necessarily-a-final-answer/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I don't want to tell President Obama how to make a speech. He's a much better speech maker than I am. But I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-don-t-want-to-tell-president-obama-how-to-make-a-speech-he-s-a-much/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [We must make it clear that a platform of 'I hate gay men and women' is not a way to become president of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/we-must-make-it-clear-that-a-platform-of-i-hate-gay-men-and-women-is/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I have a very real political awareness that at least on a transient basis the more drastic action taken by the president, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-have-a-very-real-political-awareness-that-at-least-on-a-transient/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Everyone has a right to peaceful coexistence, the basic personal freedoms, the alleviation of suffering, and the opportunity to lead a productive life...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/everyone-has-a-right-to-peaceful-coexistence-the-basic-personal/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Energy will be the immediate test of our ability to unite this Nation, and it can also be the standard around which we rally.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/energy-will-be-the-immediate-test-of-our-ability-to-unite-this-nation/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/war-may-sometimes-be-a-necessary-evil-but-no-matter-how-necessary-it/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) [Explore all 532 Jimmy Carter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) ## More Go quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. 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They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [Unfortunately, we all go through bad phases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/unfortunately-we-all-go-through-bad-phases/) [Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/) > [I go out there and I work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-chubb/i-go-out-there-and-i-work/) [Nick Chubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-chubb/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. 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If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [As much as you want to improve or help the team, as a centre-back your job is to go under the radar and keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrone-mings/as-much-as-you-want-to-improve-or-help-the-team-as-a-centre-back-your/) [Tyrone Mings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrone-mings/) > [I don't know what successful journaling really looks like... 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