---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hillary’s campaign was so spirit-crushing…"
description: "\"“Hillary’s campaign was so spirit-crushing that her aides eventually shorthanded the feeling of impending doom with a simple mantra: We’re not allowed ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/jonathan-allen-11731_nice-things_hillary-s-campaign-was-so-spirit-crushin_1169786.jpg"
---

#  Hillary’s campaign was so spirit-crushing that her aides…

![“Hillary’s campaign was so spirit-crushing that her aides eventually shorthanded the feeling of impending doom with a simple mantra: We’re not allowed to have nice things.” quote by Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/jonathan-allen-11731_nice-things_hillary-s-campaign-was-so-spirit-crushin_1169786.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/jonathan-allen-11731_nice-things_hillary-s-campaign-was-so-spirit-crushin_1169786.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/jonathan-allen-11731_nice-things_hillary-s-campaign-was-so-spirit-crushin_1169786.jpg)

> ““Hillary’s campaign was so spirit-crushing that her aides eventually shorthanded the feeling of impending doom with a simple mantra: We’re not allowed to have nice things.””

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The campaign’s crushing atmosphere was countered by a mantra denying the right to enjoy nice things.

**In simple terms:** A mantra denied the right to enjoy nice things.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge oppressive narratives.

Themes

politics campaign psychology morale mantra

Mood

critical insightful

Type

political psychological

When to use this quote

- political rallies
- team meetings
- stressful work environments
- public discourse

Key Concepts

media strategy group dynamics psychological resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- How does language shape team morale?
- What alternative narratives could empower?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex campaign dynamics.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Campaign Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaign-spirit-3386322/) [Crushing Aides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crushing-aides-3386323/) [Hillary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hillary/) [Hillary Campaign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hillary-campaign-2961784/) [Nice things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-things/) [Spirit Crushing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit-crushing-3386321/)

## Related quotes

> [“the party as fully under the control of Hillary’s campaign, which seemed to confirm the suspicions of the Bernie camp. The campaign had the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/the-party-as-fully-under-the-control-of-hillary-s-campaign-which/)

[Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/)

> [Millennials really don't turn out in numbers that people expect and hope for. Speaking of global warming and climate change, you know all these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/millennials-really-don-t-turn-out-in-numbers-that-people-expect-and/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [“Whatever strange brew led Parkhomenko to focus his entire life on Hillary’s ascent, it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/whatever-strange-brew-led-parkhomenko-to-focus-his-entire-life-on/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“the summer of 2008, years before her private e-mail server became a campaign issue, Hillary learned about the power of digital snooping. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/the-summer-of-2008-years-before-her-private-e-mail-server-became-a/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“Hillary didn’t have a vision to articulate. And no one else could give one to her. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/hillary-didn-t-have-a-vision-to-articulate-and-no-one-else-could-give/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“In the end, though, this was a winnable race for Hillary. Her own missteps—from setting up a controversial private e-mail server and giving speeches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/in-the-end-though-this-was-a-winnable-race-for-hillary-her-own/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“After years of watching adversaries comb through her public records for any hint of a scandal, and after accessing her own aides’ e-mails, Hillary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/after-years-of-watching-adversaries-comb-through-her-public-records/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“All of the jockeying might have been all right, but for a root problem that confounded everyone on the campaign and outside it. Hillary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/all-of-the-jockeying-might-have-been-all-right-but-for-a-root-problem/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [I think the thing about music is, it's about communication. If you communicate to anyone, whether someone unknown who's a fan or Lady Gaga,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ann-sulley/i-think-the-thing-about-music-is-it-s-about-communication-if-you/)

[Susan Ann Sulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ann-sulley/)

> [“The cliche about prison life is that I am actually integrated into it, ruined by it, when my accommodation to it is so overwhelming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/the-cliche-about-prison-life-is-that-i-am-actually-integrated-into-it/)

[Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/)

> [I don't know Putin. He said nice things about me. If we got along well, that would be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-don-t-know-putin-he-said-nice-things-about-me-if-we-got-along-well/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [One nice thing about being a woman in Hollywood is that the women tend to be very close-knit. All of us writers and directors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diablo-cody/one-nice-thing-about-being-a-woman-in-hollywood-is-that-the-women/)

[Diablo Cody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diablo-cody/)

> [The nice thing about age is worrying less and less about what people think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-folds/the-nice-thing-about-age-is-worrying-less-and-less-about-what-people/)

[Ben Folds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-folds/)

> [I want to concentrate on winning things with Barcelona and Argentina. Then if people want to say nice things about me when I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-messi/i-want-to-concentrate-on-winning-things-with-barcelona-and-argentina/)

[Lionel Messi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-messi/)

> [“Me and nice things didn't go well together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/me-and-nice-things-didn-t-go-well-together/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

## More by Jonathan Allen

> [“All of the jockeying might have been all right, but for a root problem that confounded everyone on the campaign and outside it. Hillary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/all-of-the-jockeying-might-have-been-all-right-but-for-a-root-problem/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“After years of watching adversaries comb through her public records for any hint of a scandal, and after accessing her own aides’ e-mails, Hillary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/after-years-of-watching-adversaries-comb-through-her-public-records/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“Mook was already operating inside a framework first developed for Hillary by David Plouffe, President Barack Obama’s longtime strategist, who had put together a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/mook-was-already-operating-inside-a-framework-first-developed-for/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“In the end, though, this was a winnable race for Hillary. Her own missteps—from setting up a controversial private e-mail server and giving speeches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/in-the-end-though-this-was-a-winnable-race-for-hillary-her-own/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“As she had at State, Abedin concerned herself with elements of the operation for which she had no credentials. But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/as-she-had-at-state-abedin-concerned-herself-with-elements-of-the/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“But more important, the scapegoating tone and tenor revealed that the Clintons were either living on another planet or at least having emotional and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/but-more-important-the-scapegoating-tone-and-tenor-revealed-that-the/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“Between the Benghazi Committee, which would take depositions from Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin, and Jake Sullivan among other Hillary aides, the drip-drip nature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/between-the-benghazi-committee-which-would-take-depositions-from/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“The group’s lists had value, and lawyers for Ready for Hillary and the Clinton campaign would spend weeks planning how they could legally transfer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/the-group-s-lists-had-value-and-lawyers-for-ready-for-hillary-and-the/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“The candidate would blame her staff for failing to contain the damage, and, privately, they would fault her for failing to take the steps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/the-candidate-would-blame-her-staff-for-failing-to-contain-the-damage/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“Ready for Hillary aides were ecstatic about the new jobs they were going to get on the Clinton campaign. Not only had Hillary declared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/ready-for-hillary-aides-were-ecstatic-about-the-new-jobs-they-were/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“After the 2008 campaign, two of her aides, Kris Balderston and Adrienne Elrod, had toiled to assign loyalty scores to members of Congress, ranging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/after-the-2008-campaign-two-of-her-aides-kris-balderston-and-adrienne/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“It clearly wasn’t the best choice. I should’ve used two emails—one personal, one for work,” she said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/it-clearly-wasn-t-the-best-choice-i-should-ve-used-two-emails-one/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“Hillary didn’t have a vision to articulate. And no one else could give one to her. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/hillary-didn-t-have-a-vision-to-articulate-and-no-one-else-could-give/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“Throughout the primary, he’d report back from the field on what he was hearing at campaign events and from friends across the country. Mook’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/throughout-the-primary-he-d-report-back-from-the-field-on-what-he-was/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [“the summer of 2008, years before her private e-mail server became a campaign issue, Hillary learned about the power of digital snooping. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/the-summer-of-2008-years-before-her-private-e-mail-server-became-a/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

[Explore all 51 Jonathan Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

## More Hillary quotes

> [There's more than 1700 emails out of the thirty three thousand Hillary Clinton emails that we've published, just about Libya. It's not that Libya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/there-s-more-than-1700-emails-out-of-the-thirty-three-thousand/)

[Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/)

> [ I guarantee you \[Hillary Clinton\] is smoking in humiliation over the idea that she needs to heal and that \[Donald\] Trump's the guy to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-guarantee-you-hillary-clinton-is-smoking-in-humiliation-over-the/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [I absolutely trust Hillary Clinton to stand strong on trade agreements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrod-brown/i-absolutely-trust-hillary-clinton-to-stand-strong-on-trade-agreements/)

[Sherrod Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrod-brown/)

> [I think that the terrible, disgraceful coverage actually got Donald Trump elected, along with Hillary Clinton's inability to connect with voters on any level.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/i-think-that-the-terrible-disgraceful-coverage-actually-got-donald/)

[Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/)

> [Hillary Clinton is the least popular candidate for president ever except for Donald Trump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-pickering/hillary-clinton-is-the-least-popular-candidate-for-president-ever/)

[Charlie Pickering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-pickering/)

> [Hillary Clinton truly is sincere, but she has to connect more with the American people in terms of what she believes in and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/hillary-clinton-truly-is-sincere-but-she-has-to-connect-more-with-the/)

[Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/)

> [Hillary Clinton's been around for 30 years. Why do these stories need to be told? It isn't all of this widely known?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/hillary-clinton-s-been-around-for-30-years-why-do-these-stories-need/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [I happen to think that Hillary Clinton is a beacon of hope for younger girls, as was Barack Obama in other inspirational areas. We've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-meneses/i-happen-to-think-that-hillary-clinton-is-a-beacon-of-hope-for/)

[Alex Meneses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-meneses/)

> [In 2016, Hillary Clinton had so much more money than the Trump campaign, yet, we see who won that election.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-trump/in-2016-hillary-clinton-had-so-much-more-money-than-the-trump/)

[Lara Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-trump/)

> [I'm going to be specific so you can render your verdict. Let's go to North Africa, she was the chief engineer of the disastrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-m-going-to-be-specific-so-you-can-render-your-verdict-let-s-go-to/)

[Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/)

> [I don't know why so many people in America hate Hillary Clinton; I found her to be one of the most gracious, intelligent, perceptive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-navarro/i-don-t-know-why-so-many-people-in-america-hate-hillary-clinton-i/)

[Peter Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-navarro/)

> [ If that's the kind of person you want, vote for Hillary \[Clinton\], vote for \[Donald\] Trump - and you go to hell with both… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/if-that-s-the-kind-of-person-you-want-vote-for-hillary-clinton-vote/)

[Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/)

> [There are a lot of things that people say about Hillary Clinton. But nobody says that she doesn't know how to throw a punch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/there-are-a-lot-of-things-that-people-say-about-hillary-clinton-but/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [The Hillary Clinton foreign policy has cost America thousands of lives and trillions and trillions of dollars, and unleashed ISIS across the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-hillary-clinton-foreign-policy-has-cost-america-thousands-of/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [Hillary Clinton is tough, clever, and formidably well briefed, and has been politically ambitious all her adult life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/hillary-clinton-is-tough-clever-and-formidably-well-briefed-and-has/)

[Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/)

[Browse all 1,171 Hillary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hillary/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Hillary’s campaign was so spirit-crushing that her aides eventually shorthanded the feeling of impending doom with a simple mantra: We’re not allowed to have nice things.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Allen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/hillary-s-campaign-was-so-spirit-crushing-that-her-aides-eventually/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hillary"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/hillary-s-campaign-was-so-spirit-crushing-that-her-aides-eventually/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/jonathan-allen-11731_nice-things_hillary-s-campaign-was-so-spirit-crushin_1169786.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/jonathan-allen-11731_nice-things_hillary-s-campaign-was-so-spirit-crushin_1169786.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/jonathan-allen-11731_nice-things_hillary-s-campaign-was-so-spirit-crushin_1169786.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Hillary’s campaign was so spirit-crushing that her aides eventually shorthanded the feeling of impending…” — Jonathan Allen",
                "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": "Jonathan Allen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Hillary’s campaign was so spirit-crushing that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/hillary-s-campaign-was-so-spirit-crushing-that-her-aides-eventually/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/hillary-s-campaign-was-so-spirit-crushing-that-her-aides-eventually/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
