--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...the very notion that a candidate…" description: "\"...the very notion that a candidate should openly solicit votes violated the principled presumption that such behavior itself represented a confession ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/472/joseph-j-ellis-13690_behavior_the-very-notion-that-a-candidate-should_2633781.jpg" --- # ...the very notion that a candidate should openly solicit… ![“...the very notion that a candidate should openly solicit votes violated the principled presumption that such behavior itself represented a confession of unworthiness for national office.” quote by Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/472/joseph-j-ellis-13690_behavior_the-very-notion-that-a-candidate-should_2633781.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/472/joseph-j-ellis-13690_behavior_the-very-notion-that-a-candidate-should_2633781.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/472/joseph-j-ellis-13690_behavior_the-very-notion-that-a-candidate-should_2633781.jpg) > “...the very notion that a candidate should openly solicit votes violated the principled presumption that such behavior itself represented a confession of unworthiness for national office.” [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that openly seeking votes undermines the dignity and perceived merit of a candidate, implying they are unfit for high office. **In simple terms:** Seeking votes openly suggests unworthiness. Key Takeaway Avoid overt self‑promotion in politics. Themes politics ethics leadership Mood reflective critical Type political ethical When to use this quote - campaign speeches - candidate announcements - media interviews - public debates Key Concepts republican virtue public perception electoral norms Questions to Reflect On - Is humility always advantageous in elections? - How does this view affect voter trust? A Different Perspective May conflict with modern democratic transparency expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Candidate Openly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candidate-openly-2212319/) [Candidates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candidates/) [Confession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/) [Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Presumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presumption/) [Principled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principled/) [Principled Presumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principled-presumption-2212316/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Solicit Votes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solicit-votes-2212318/) [Violated Principled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violated-principled-2212315/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) [Votes Violated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/votes-violated-2212317/) ## Related quotes > [It's very nice to be a rebel saying, 'I stand on my principles,' but if in fact that's not going to have any impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/it-s-very-nice-to-be-a-rebel-saying-i-stand-on-my-principles-but-if/) [Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/) > [“A principled life begins by accepting the evident truth that we must die. 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It's fine to be principled and oppose views that you don't agree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/being-against-other-people-s-policies-eventually-puts-you-in-a/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [As the leader of the nation, I say in behalf of the Filipino people to the world: we are strong and principled believers in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-leader-of-the-nation-i-say-in-behalf-of-the-filipino-people-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Leaders are not dogmatic. They are principled and know that change is never easy, but when it's necessary, they must lead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/leaders-are-not-dogmatic-they-are-principled-and-know-that-change-is/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [I wanted to understand. I'm not here to support one, but I am here to criticize all, on a principled position. I very much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/i-wanted-to-understand-i-m-not-here-to-support-one-but-i-am-here-to/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [In Holland I have seen well-meaning, principled people blinded by multiculturalism, overwhelmed by the imperative to be sensitive and respectful of immigrant culture, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/in-holland-i-have-seen-well-meaning-principled-people-blinded-by/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [As long as I sit at Henry Clay's desk, I will remember his lifelong desire to forge agreement, but I will also keep close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/as-long-as-i-sit-at-henry-clay-s-desk-i-will-remember-his-lifelong/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [So every time the Democratic Party appears to be lifting up a principled, people-powered agenda, it slaps it down and it keeps becoming more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/so-every-time-the-democratic-party-appears-to-be-lifting-up-a/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) ## More by Joseph J. Ellis > [“Perhaps, in that eerily instinctive way in which he always grasped the difference between the essential and the peripheral, he literally felt in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/perhaps-in-that-eerily-instinctive-way-in-which-he-always-grasped-the/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“Upon learning that Washington intended to reject the mantle of emperor, no less an authority than George III allegedly observed, “If he does that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/upon-learning-that-washington-intended-to-reject-the-mantle-of/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“The Adams presidency, in fact, might be the classic example of the historical truism that inherited circumstances define the parameters within which presidential leadership…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/the-adams-presidency-in-fact-might-be-the-classic-example-of-the/) [Joseph J. 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Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“They recognized from the beginning that they were a rare match. There were so many topics they could talk about easily and just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/they-recognized-from-the-beginning-that-they-were-a-rare-match-there/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [ \[quoting someone else\] the American constitution is a document designed by geniuses to be eventually interpreted by idiots ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/quoting-someone-else-the-american-constitution-is-a-document-designed/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [I believe I am an honorable man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/i-believe-i-am-an-honorable-man/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“The first symptom of the trouble appeared when Madison studied Hamilton’s proposal for the funding of the domestic debt. On the one hand, Hamilton’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/the-first-symptom-of-the-trouble-appeared-when-madison-studied/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“But if insecurity was the primal source of Hamilton's incredibly energy, one would have to conclude that providence had conspired to produce at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/but-if-insecurity-was-the-primal-source-of-hamilton-s-incredibly/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“One of the petitioners, an infamous do-gooder of uncertain sanity named Warner Mifflin, had actually acknowledged that his antislavery vision came to him after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/one-of-the-petitioners-an-infamous-do-gooder-of-uncertain-sanity/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [I would say readers can trust my work more than anyone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/i-would-say-readers-can-trust-my-work-more-than-anyone-else-s/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [And the only thing to do with a sin is to confess, do penance and then, after some kind of decent interval, ask for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/and-the-only-thing-to-do-with-a-sin-is-to-confess-do-penance-and-then/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“Burr had the dark and severe coloring of his Edwards ancestry, with black hair receding from the forehead and dark brown, almost black, eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/burr-had-the-dark-and-severe-coloring-of-his-edwards-ancestry-with/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) [Explore all 49 Joseph J. Ellis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) ## More Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. 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