--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I began by telling the president that…" description: "\"I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed the president himself would b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1b/john-dean-22943_cancer_i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-th_1037049.jpg" --- # I began by telling the president that there was a cancer… ![“I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed the president himself would be killed by it.” quote by John Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1b/john-dean-22943_cancer_i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-th_1037049.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1b/john-dean-22943_cancer_i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-th_1037049.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1b/john-dean-22943_cancer_i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-th_1037049.jpg) > “I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed the president himself would be killed by it.” [John Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The president's misdeeds are likened to a cancer that threatens the entire institution if not removed. **In simple terms:** President's corruption is a cancer that must be excised. Key Takeaway Address corruption early. Themes politics corruption leadership accountability Mood cautious serious Type political historical When to use this quote - government - corporate governance - non‑profits - public office Key Concepts ethics institutional health Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions detect early signs of corruption? - What safeguards protect against leadership toxicity? 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That's a fact that hopefully I'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/regardless-of-one-victory-two-victories-four-victories-there-s-never/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) ## More by John Dean > [History never exactly repeats itself, but it does some rather good impressions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dean/history-never-exactly-repeats-itself-but-it-does-some-rather-good/) [John Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dean/) > [Doing time is like climbing a mountain wearing roller skates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dean/doing-time-is-like-climbing-a-mountain-wearing-roller-skates/) [John Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dean/) > [We are all encouraged that Bush appears, really for the first time in his experience on the stage of presidential politics, relaxed. 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Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) [Browse all 3,177 Cancer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed the president himself would be killed by it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Dean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dean/i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-there-was-a-cancer-growing-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cancer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dean/i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-there-was-a-cancer-growing-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1b/john-dean-22943_cancer_i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-th_1037049.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1b/john-dean-22943_cancer_i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-th_1037049.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1b/john-dean-22943_cancer_i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-th_1037049.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer…” — John Dean", "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 Dean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I began by telling the president...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dean/i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-there-was-a-cancer-growing-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dean/i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-there-was-a-cancer-growing-on/#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 } } ] } ```