--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think that we really know a whole…" description: "\"I don't think that we really know a whole lot about Barack Obama at all that you would really call distinctive.\" — John H. McWhorter" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d5/john-h-mcwhorter-34279_barack_i-don-t-think-that-we-really-know-a-whol_21148.png" --- # I don't think that we really know a whole lot about Barack… ![“I don't think that we really know a whole lot about Barack Obama at all that you would really call distinctive.” quote by John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d5/john-h-mcwhorter-34279_barack_i-don-t-think-that-we-really-know-a-whol_21148.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d5/john-h-mcwhorter-34279_barack_i-don-t-think-that-we-really-know-a-whol_21148.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d5/john-h-mcwhorter-34279_barack_i-don-t-think-that-we-really-know-a-whol_21148.png) > “I don't think that we really know a whole lot about Barack Obama at all that you would really call distinctive.” [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) ## 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 doubts that public knowledge about Barack Obama reveals any uniquely defining traits. **In simple terms:** Questioning the depth of public perception of Obama. Key Takeaway Public figures may be superficially understood. Themes Perception Public Figures Media Identity Knowledge Skepticism Mood Skeptical Analytical Type Observation Critique When to use this quote - Political analysis - Media critique - Biographical study Key Concepts Media Narrative Political Persona Public Knowledge Practical Applications - Journalistic research - Public education Questions to Reflect On - What evidence would change this view? - How does media shape our sense of distinctiveness? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [ Margot \[Hentoff\] used to write regularly for The Voice, for The New York Review of Books, for Harper's Bazaar, and she really had the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/margot-hentoff-used-to-write-regularly-for-the-voice-for-the-new-york/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [Those self-evident principles of life and liberty, pursuit of happiness, they're not self-executing. They require each of us to get engaged. And what Barack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-jarrett/those-self-evident-principles-of-life-and-liberty-pursuit-of/) [Valerie Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-jarrett/) > [You think you really know someone ,But you don't-\_-](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine/you-think-you-really-know-someone-but-you-don-t/) [Jasmine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine/) > [Its funny how you think you really know yourself, until you lose yourself to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-funny-how-you-think-you-really-know-yourself-until-you-lose/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That distinctive presidential conduct is now gone forever, banished to the snows of yesteryear by Barack Obama. From the beginning of his presidency to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/that-distinctive-presidential-conduct-is-now-gone-forever-banished-to/) [John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/) > [Does Obama really want his legacy to be, ‘The president who was an even bigger fool than Neville Chamberlain’?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-gross/does-obama-really-want-his-legacy-to-be-the-president-who-was-an-even/) Tom Gross > [I've said it before: Barack Obama is really the president Richard Nixon always wanted to be. You know, he's been allowed to act unilaterally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-turley/i-ve-said-it-before-barack-obama-is-really-the-president-richard/) [Jonathan Turley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-turley/) > [The greatest thing to me about Obama is not the individual, it does not have to do with Obama himself - it's really about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-marley/the-greatest-thing-to-me-about-obama-is-not-the-individual-it-does/) [Damian Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-marley/) > [The most surreal moment might have been meeting President Obama. It was really cool, actually; they, like, announced us into the room. There was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaten-matarazzo/the-most-surreal-moment-might-have-been-meeting-president-obama-it/) [Gaten Matarazzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaten-matarazzo/) > [“JOHN FEFFER: Is Obama Really Adrift in the World?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/john-feffer-is-obama-really-adrift-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The substantive difference between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is not really that great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-nairn/the-substantive-difference-between-hillary-clinton-and-barack-obama/) [Allan Nairn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-nairn/) > [If President Obama really wants to hurt the Syrian government, don't send cruise missiles. He should send over some of his economic advisers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-president-obama-really-wants-to-hurt-the-syrian-government-don-t/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I have tried to emphasize to people that, hey, just like President Obama was a really good president, and the fact that he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-tried-to-emphasize-to-people-that-hey-just-like-president/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The prime minister in Belgium gave our album to Barack Obama. I was really surprised that he decided to give a CD of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/the-prime-minister-in-belgium-gave-our-album-to-barack-obama-i-was/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [Obama has had a really tough time, but there have been a lot of things that he's compromised on that I never would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shepard-fairey/obama-has-had-a-really-tough-time-but-there-have-been-a-lot-of-things/) [Shepard Fairey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shepard-fairey/) ## More by John H. McWhorter > [No longer can we measure compassion by how much we spend on poverty but how many people we help to lift out of poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/no-longer-can-we-measure-compassion-by-how-much-we-spend-on-poverty/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [Politics is work. Hiphop is music. The idea that hiphop, because it makes the body feel good to move to it and it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/politics-is-work-hiphop-is-music-the-idea-that-hiphop-because-it/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [I think what Obama does more than his amazing speaking ability is he's able to connect with voters. And it's that hope that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/i-think-what-obama-does-more-than-his-amazing-speaking-ability-is-he/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [“Oh, those lapses, darling. So many of us walk around letting fly with “errors.” We could do better, but we’re so slovenly, so rushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/oh-those-lapses-darling-so-many-of-us-walk-around-letting-fly-with/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [Frankly, Barack Obama is a standard issue leftist that you would expect of somebody with his particular experience, and he doesn't exactly hide it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/frankly-barack-obama-is-a-standard-issue-leftist-that-you-would/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [We must neither behave as children by resisting honesty, nor allow ourselves to be treated as children by having honesty withheld.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/we-must-neither-behave-as-children-by-resisting-honesty-nor-allow/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [The black conservative is responsible for making people question an idea that racism must be extinct before black people can overcome. Understanding that our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/the-black-conservative-is-responsible-for-making-people-question-an/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [Barack Obama's said some very nice things and he says them well. But if you ask me, the reason that we're looking at somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/barack-obama-s-said-some-very-nice-things-and-he-says-them-well-but/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [Prescriptive grammar has spread linguistic insecurity like a plague among English speakers for centuries, numbs us to the aesthetic richness of non-standard speech, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/prescriptive-grammar-has-spread-linguistic-insecurity-like-a-plague/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [Obama is seen as very, very cool. I think a lot of people find him sexy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/obama-is-seen-as-very-very-cool-i-think-a-lot-of-people-find-him-sexy/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [“The war on drugs is what makes thugs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/the-war-on-drugs-is-what-makes-thugs/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [I think even in today's America, there's a sense that there's something vaguely sexy about cigarettes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/i-think-even-in-today-s-america-there-s-a-sense-that-there-s/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) > [If you took away the color of Barack Obama's skin, nobody right now would be paying him any attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/if-you-took-away-the-color-of-barack-obama-s-skin-nobody-right-now/) [John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) [Explore all 14 John H. McWhorter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/) ## More Barack quotes > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like - the anti-war government nig... America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [We're in more wars today under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton than under George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan. Yet they tell you that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-re-in-more-wars-today-under-barack-obama-and-hillary-clinton-than/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I can tell you who's planning terroris attacks. The leaders of ISIL. And I can tell you where they're at. They're in Raqqa, Syria.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-can-tell-you-who-s-planning-terroris-attacks-the-leaders-of-isil/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [ The president \[Barack Obama\] asked for a commitment of, I think, 100,000 jobs for veterans and military spouses over the next couple of years.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/the-president-barack-obama-asked-for-a-commitment-of-i-think-100-000/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [The big story today, Barack Obama was accused of insulting Sarah Palin when he criticized Republican policies by saying, you can put lipstick on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-big-story-today-barack-obama-was-accused-of-insulting-sarah-palin/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [ I think the president's \[Barack Obama\] position has been very clear on Syria. He wants more aggressive, he's put the Special Ops on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/i-think-the-president-s-barack-obama-position-has-been-very-clear-on/) [Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/) > [ It cannot be an American fight. And I think what the president \[Barack Obama\] has consistently said - which I agree with - is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-cannot-be-an-american-fight-and-i-think-what-the-president-barack/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [It doesn't matter to me where Barack Obama goes. If he wants to go to Hawaii because it's his home state, fine! Hunky-dory. Plastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-where-barack-obama-goes-if-he-wants-to-go-to/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [ It wasn't \[Barack\] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the-feeling-on-the-ground-it-was/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [Just like Barack Obama, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and now I am a reluctant groom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/just-like-barack-obama-my-views-on-gay-marriage-have-evolved-and-now/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I think President Barack Obama has been an extraordinarily successful president, and that this period will record that with a bunch of exclamation points.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/i-think-president-barack-obama-has-been-an-extraordinarily-successful/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/) Michael Atherton > [In public, Barack Obama's giving the simple version of his beliefs for the mass public. In private, he can discuss it at a really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-chait/in-public-barack-obama-s-giving-the-simple-version-of-his-beliefs-for/) [Jonathan Chait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-chait/) > [It has been my honor to support and work with President Barack Obama, a man who has brought courage and character to the presidency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reid/it-has-been-my-honor-to-support-and-work-with-president-barack-obama/) [Harry Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reid/) Browse all 1,672 Barack quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think that we really know a whole lot about Barack Obama at all that you would really call distinctive.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John H. 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