--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I first started out in politics I…" description: "\"When I first started out in politics I was, what you might describe as, a hard right Conservative.\" — John Bercow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/john-bercow-19579_conservative_when-i-first-started-out-in-politics-i-w_2600061.png" --- # When I first started out in politics I was, what you might… ![“When I first started out in politics I was, what you might describe as, a hard right Conservative.” quote by John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/john-bercow-19579_conservative_when-i-first-started-out-in-politics-i-w_2600061.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/john-bercow-19579_conservative_when-i-first-started-out-in-politics-i-w_2600061.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/john-bercow-19579_conservative_when-i-first-started-out-in-politics-i-w_2600061.png) > “When I first started out in politics I was, what you might describe as, a hard right Conservative.” [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early political identity was rigidly right‑leaning, reflecting strong conservative beliefs. **In simple terms:** Started as a strong conservative. Key Takeaway Recognize and reflect on your early political views. Themes politics identity ideology Mood reflective introspective Type political personal When to use this quote - campaign strategy - policy debate - party affiliation - public speaking - voter outreach Key Concepts conservatism personal evolution self‑assessment Questions to Reflect On - How have your political views shifted? - What influences cause ideological change? A Different Perspective People may change beliefs over time, making early labels outdated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [There is no denying or hiding the fact that over the years I moved from well on the right of the Conservative Party, much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/there-is-no-denying-or-hiding-the-fact-that-over-the-years-i-moved/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [I started in politics as a fresh graduate wanting to make a difference, by bringing more political awareness and interest to young people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-seah/i-started-in-politics-as-a-fresh-graduate-wanting-to-make-a/) [Nicole Seah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-seah/) > [A lot of people don't know this about me but actually I started in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-wu/a-lot-of-people-don-t-know-this-about-me-but-actually-i-started-in/) [Brianna Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-wu/) > [Everything is so weird in politics that it's very hard to be funny about it, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/everything-is-so-weird-in-politics-that-it-s-very-hard-to-be-funny/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I've never met anyone who has said, "My goal is to make America mediocre." That's a kind of hard-right conservative fallacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/i-ve-never-met-anyone-who-has-said-my-goal-is-to-make-america/) [Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/) > [Health care got done because there were a lot of people out there who aren't professional politicians, but are citizens, who pushed for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/health-care-got-done-because-there-were-a-lot-of-people-out-there-who/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [If a woman or a gay person has a right, by conservative logic, then the right is not actually a right but instead an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-marcotte/if-a-woman-or-a-gay-person-has-a-right-by-conservative-logic-then-the/) [Amanda Marcotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-marcotte/) > [Politics is very hard work. You have to really commit to things. Some people get into it for the wrong reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-campbell/politics-is-very-hard-work-you-have-to-really-commit-to-things-some/) [Sol Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-campbell/) > [I'm a total Republican, but I've never claimed to be a Christian-right conservative. 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But I have to get through it some how, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lifes-hard-but-i-have-to-get-through-it-some-how-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Discipline is a choice. It's simply consistently choosing the hard right over the easy wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-vaden/discipline-is-a-choice-it-s-simply-consistently-choosing-the-hard/) [Rory Vaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-vaden/) > [As long as I work hard and do the right things on and off the field, I think we'll be in good shape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-herbert/as-long-as-i-work-hard-and-do-the-right-things-on-and-off-the-field-i/) [Justin Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-herbert/) ## More by John Bercow > [I'm not in the business of warning people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/i-m-not-in-the-business-of-warning-people/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [I'm supremely uninterested as to what is written in many of the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/i-m-supremely-uninterested-as-to-what-is-written-in-many-of-the/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [I never aspired to be Speaker simply so I could say, 'I am the Speaker of the House of Commons,' and tell my children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/i-never-aspired-to-be-speaker-simply-so-i-could-say-i-am-the-speaker/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [I said that if I hadn't been a politician, I'd have liked to be a barrister, or an academic. My beloved wife said: 'You'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/i-said-that-if-i-hadn-t-been-a-politician-i-d-have-liked-to-be-a/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [Sally is my wife, but not my chattel or my property.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/sally-is-my-wife-but-not-my-chattel-or-my-property/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [I'm not psychic. I cannot know what is in the mind of particular public figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/i-m-not-psychic-i-cannot-know-what-is-in-the-mind-of-particular/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [For far too long the House of Commons has been run as little more than a private club by and for gentleman amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/for-far-too-long-the-house-of-commons-has-been-run-as-little-more/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [I am seeking every day to restore faith in Parliament - to ensure we have a House of Commons which is representative, effective and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/i-am-seeking-every-day-to-restore-faith-in-parliament-to-ensure-we/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [I don't think that people are disinterested or uninterested in politics. I think very often they are disengaged from the formal political process. 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Conferences could be held at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/it-is-quite-wrong-for-party-conferences-to-be-used-as-an-excuse-for/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [Lying to a committee is a very grave abuse, and there ought to be a clear punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/lying-to-a-committee-is-a-very-grave-abuse-and-there-ought-to-be-a/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [I think the record shows that as Speaker, I have taken the lead in cleaning up politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/i-think-the-record-shows-that-as-speaker-i-have-taken-the-lead-in/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [I don't want to crawl over the entrails of past disputes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/i-don-t-want-to-crawl-over-the-entrails-of-past-disputes/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [I was proud to be a Tory Member of Parliament for twelve years, proud to represent Buckingham as a Tory, proud to have voted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/i-was-proud-to-be-a-tory-member-of-parliament-for-twelve-years-proud/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) [Explore all 32 John Bercow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) ## More Conservative quotes > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [Progressive Conservative candidates from Quebec want to exert real power in Ottawa, not simply be content with playing a secondary role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-campbell/progressive-conservative-candidates-from-quebec-want-to-exert-real/) [Kim Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-campbell/) > [Play small ball. Get back to basics. I would say that you need to be a conservative, but you need to maintain your independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-tantaros/play-small-ball-get-back-to-basics-i-would-say-that-you-need-to-be-a/) [Andrea Tantaros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-tantaros/) > [I am a conservative type of person, so sometimes when I'm chilling with myself, people always come ask me, 'What's wrong with you? 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He looked down on pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-and-the-diamonds/my-dad-s-quite-a-conservative-person-and-he-brought-me-up-to-be-very/) [Marina and the Diamonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-and-the-diamonds/) > [To all conservative women out there: If you are so sure the embryo needed for stem cell research are precious human life that can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/to-all-conservative-women-out-there-if-you-are-so-sure-the-embryo/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [There are a lot of conservative people, a lot of moderate people, Republicans, Democrats, in Hollywood. It is just that the conservative people by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/there-are-a-lot-of-conservative-people-a-lot-of-moderate-people/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [“Those who consider themselves ‘Conservative’ frequently identify with family values, so they should consider carefully the fact that in 1960, only 18% of women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-befumo/those-who-consider-themselves-conservative-frequently-identify-with/) [Joseph Befumo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-befumo/) > [A faithfully kept program of savings and conservative investments can give you more money and a better life than that of your neighbors who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-bryant-quinn/a-faithfully-kept-program-of-savings-and-conservative-investments-can/) [Jane Bryant Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-bryant-quinn/) > [Conservative political opinion in America cleaves to the tradition of the judge as passive interpreter, believing that his absolute loyalty to authoritative law is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/conservative-political-opinion-in-america-cleaves-to-the-tradition-of/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [Conservative feminism is such an artificial term that doesn't mean much to me. For me conservatism means accepting reality. I acknowledge that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-schroder/conservative-feminism-is-such-an-artificial-term-that-doesn-t-mean/) [Kristina Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-schroder/) [Browse all 2,995 Conservative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I first started out in politics I was, what you might describe as, a hard right Conservative.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Bercow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/when-i-first-started-out-in-politics-i-was-what-you-might-describe-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conservative" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/when-i-first-started-out-in-politics-i-was-what-you-might-describe-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/john-bercow-19579_conservative_when-i-first-started-out-in-politics-i-w_2600061.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/john-bercow-19579_conservative_when-i-first-started-out-in-politics-i-w_2600061.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/john-bercow-19579_conservative_when-i-first-started-out-in-politics-i-w_2600061.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I first started out in politics I was, what you might describe as, a hard right Conservative.” — John Bercow", "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": "John Bercow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I first started out in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/when-i-first-started-out-in-politics-i-was-what-you-might-describe-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/when-i-first-started-out-in-politics-i-was-what-you-might-describe-as/#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 } } ] } ```