--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I spent three years working at the White…" description: "\"I spent three years working at the White House and wanted to do something that wasn't about passing bills and resolutions.\" — Jon Lovett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/jon-lovett-8245_house_i-spent-three-years-working-at-the-white_1539142.jpg" --- # I spent three years working at the White House and wanted… ![“I spent three years working at the White House and wanted to do something that wasn't about passing bills and resolutions.” quote by Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/jon-lovett-8245_house_i-spent-three-years-working-at-the-white_1539142.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/jon-lovett-8245_house_i-spent-three-years-working-at-the-white_1539142.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/jon-lovett-8245_house_i-spent-three-years-working-at-the-white_1539142.jpg) > “I spent three years working at the White House and wanted to do something that wasn't about passing bills and resolutions.” [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He left political work seeking purpose beyond legislation, craving broader impact. **In simple terms:** Wanted work beyond lawmaking. Key Takeaway Seek meaning beyond routine tasks. Themes career change purpose politics public service Mood reflective determined Type inspirational career When to use this quote - political staffer - nonprofit work - creative projects - public speaking Key Concepts civic engagement personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What drives you beyond your current role? - How can you measure impact outside legislation? A Different Perspective May lack clear path to influence without policy tools. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [White house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/) ## Related quotes > [Wanda Sykes and I have had similar career trajectories. We're both from the D.C. area. She spent five years working as a contracting specialist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-orji/wanda-sykes-and-i-have-had-similar-career-trajectories-we-re-both/) [Yvonne Orji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-orji/) > [My wife and I, unlike many intellectuals, spent five years working on assembly lines. We came to fully understand the criticisms of the industrial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/my-wife-and-i-unlike-many-intellectuals-spent-five-years-working-on/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [You don't create jobs by passing bills, you create jobs by cutting taxes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/you-don-t-create-jobs-by-passing-bills-you-create-jobs-by-cutting/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [I will never forget working in the White House for the first Black president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karine-jean-pierre/i-will-never-forget-working-in-the-white-house-for-the-first-black/) [Karine Jean-Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karine-jean-pierre/) > [The Honorable Elijah Muhammad says that the way to solve this problem is for the white man to give us some territory of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-honorable-elijah-muhammad-says-that-the-way-to-solve-this-problem/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [The Senate is extremely slow: They have enormous difficulty passing the bills that even get through the House. That's the reality that I've recognized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gillibrand/the-senate-is-extremely-slow-they-have-enormous-difficulty-passing/) [Kirsten Gillibrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gillibrand/) > [These feet have walked ten thousand miles working for white folks and another ten thousand keeping up with colored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langston-hughes/these-feet-have-walked-ten-thousand-miles-working-for-white-folks-and/) [Langston Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langston-hughes/) > [If one man in the country could take all the money, what was the use of passing any bills about it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-crockett/if-one-man-in-the-country-could-take-all-the-money-what-was-the-use/) [Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/) > [Rule Number One for working for a white lady, Minny: it is nobody’s business. You keep your nose out of your White Lady’s problems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/rule-number-one-for-working-for-a-white-lady-minny-it-is-nobody-s/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [The American people are sick and tired of Washington and the people who have been in charge have been passing all these bills and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-american-people-are-sick-and-tired-of-washington-and-the-people/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Most of my time at the White House, I wrote very unfunny speeches, but every year, I would work on the correspondents' dinner, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/most-of-my-time-at-the-white-house-i-wrote-very-unfunny-speeches-but/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [There are actors who spend 20 years working and still don't achieve what I've achieved so quickly. So I think my only course of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-ziyi/there-are-actors-who-spend-20-years-working-and-still-don-t-achieve/) [Zhang Ziyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-ziyi/) > [I had spent the prior eight years working at my firm primarily representing big chemical companies, helping them comply with all the different state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bilott/i-had-spent-the-prior-eight-years-working-at-my-firm-primarily/) [Robert Bilott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bilott/) > [I don't know where I will be in 5 weeks let alone five years. But if I am still working in politics, I hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-huckabee-sanders/i-don-t-know-where-i-will-be-in-5-weeks-let-alone-five-years-but-if-i/) [Sarah Huckabee Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-huckabee-sanders/) > [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## More by Jon Lovett > [Most of my time at the White House, I wrote very unfunny speeches, but every year, I would work on the correspondents' dinner, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/most-of-my-time-at-the-white-house-i-wrote-very-unfunny-speeches-but/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [When in doubt, mock the powerful, not the powerless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/when-in-doubt-mock-the-powerful-not-the-powerless/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [I worked on one speech about the financial system that caused the Dow to drop, like, 200 points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/i-worked-on-one-speech-about-the-financial-system-that-caused-the-dow/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [There is that definition of leadership that says, 'Leadership is convincing people to do things that they otherwise wouldn't have done because you've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/there-is-that-definition-of-leadership-that-says-leadership-is/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > ['Veep' is a great satire of democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/veep-is-a-great-satire-of-democracy/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [Part of my job as a presidential speechwriter (along with great writers like Jon Favreau and David Axelrod) was finding that sliver where 'presidential'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/part-of-my-job-as-a-presidential-speechwriter-along-with-great/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [If there is one way that I would sum up what the 2016 election was on cable news, it was world-class journalists interviewing morons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/if-there-is-one-way-that-i-would-sum-up-what-the-2016-election-was-on/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [There are a lot of heartbroken, anxious people that thought better of their country. We're heartbroken by how far Trump has gotten to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/there-are-a-lot-of-heartbroken-anxious-people-that-thought-better-of/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > ['1600 Penn' was a hit. It's 2018. Anything you want can be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/1600-penn-was-a-hit-it-s-2018-anything-you-want-can-be-true/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [More and more people support equality for their gay friends and neighbors, and that is not because the 'Duck Dynasty' guy almost lost his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/more-and-more-people-support-equality-for-their-gay-friends-and/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [We need people to point out groupthink - We need people to point out stale, old, dumb thinking - and we sometimes need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/we-need-people-to-point-out-groupthink-we-need-people-to-point-out/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [There's only so much mistrust we can take before things get much worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/there-s-only-so-much-mistrust-we-can-take-before-things-get-much-worse/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [When I was a kid, all I knew about Michael Jackson was that he was crazy. He had a monkey named Bubbles and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/when-i-was-a-kid-all-i-knew-about-michael-jackson-was-that-he-was/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [The First Amendment's protections have always put a great deal of responsibility in our hands: not only to respect the power of our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/the-first-amendment-s-protections-have-always-put-a-great-deal-of/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [Trump is a raptor testing the fences, and he found weaknesses to escape and try things that would work, every single day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/trump-is-a-raptor-testing-the-fences-and-he-found-weaknesses-to/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) [Explore all 82 Jon Lovett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) ## More House quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [Houses are like the human beings that inhabit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/houses-are-like-the-human-beings-that-inhabit-them/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [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/) > [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/) [Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/) > [Then all this earth shines like one house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/then-all-this-earth-shines-like-one-house/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [I grew up in Synagogue in the boys' choir. We didn't listen to music in the house; only at temple. Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/) [Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/) > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [I didn't expect to be so comfortable handing my child off to a nanny without getting any of her information. As soon as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/i-didn-t-expect-to-be-so-comfortable-handing-my-child-off-to-a-nanny/) [Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/) > [I think of novels as houses. You live in them over the course of a long period, both as a reader and as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-think-of-novels-as-houses-you-live-in-them-over-the-course-of-a/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [Well this is aptly called a junket, for both of us. I have never been to a house of prostitution, but I understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/well-this-is-aptly-called-a-junket-for-both-of-us-i-have-never-been/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) Browse all 14,318 House quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I spent three years working at the White House and wanted to do something that wasn't about passing bills and resolutions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Lovett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/i-spent-three-years-working-at-the-white-house-and-wanted-to-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "House" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/i-spent-three-years-working-at-the-white-house-and-wanted-to-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/jon-lovett-8245_house_i-spent-three-years-working-at-the-white_1539142.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/jon-lovett-8245_house_i-spent-three-years-working-at-the-white_1539142.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/jon-lovett-8245_house_i-spent-three-years-working-at-the-white_1539142.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I spent three years working at the White House and wanted to do something that wasn't about passing bills…” — Jon Lovett", "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": "Jon Lovett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I spent three years working at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/i-spent-three-years-working-at-the-white-house-and-wanted-to-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/i-spent-three-years-working-at-the-white-house-and-wanted-to-do/#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 } } ] } ```