--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As long as I was in Washington I never…" description: "\"As long as I was in Washington I never met anybody that I thought was good enough, who knew enough, or who loved enough to make sexual decisions for an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/joycelyn-elders-12167_decision_as-long-as-i-was-in-washington-i-never-m_695413.png" --- # As long as I was in Washington I never met anybody that I… ![“As long as I was in Washington I never met anybody that I thought was good enough, who knew enough, or who loved enough to make sexual decisions for anybody else.” quote by Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/joycelyn-elders-12167_decision_as-long-as-i-was-in-washington-i-never-m_695413.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/joycelyn-elders-12167_decision_as-long-as-i-was-in-washington-i-never-m_695413.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/joycelyn-elders-12167_decision_as-long-as-i-was-in-washington-i-never-m_695413.png) > “As long as I was in Washington I never met anybody that I thought was good enough, who knew enough, or who loved enough to make sexual decisions for anybody else.” [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She doubts that anyone in Washington possessed the expertise, moral authority, or compassion to dictate others' sexual choices. **In simple terms:** No one in power should decide others' sexual lives. Key Takeaway Respect personal autonomy in sexual decisions. Themes ethics authority sexual health Mood critical reflective Type ethical political When to use this quote - health policy debates - sexual education curricula - legislative hearings Key Concepts autonomy moral responsibility policy making Questions to Reflect On - How should societies balance public health guidance with individual freedom? - What safeguards ensure decisions are informed, not imposed? A Different Perspective Power structures may lack nuanced understanding of personal autonomy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elders/) [Good enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-enough/) [Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington/) ## Related quotes > [Today Prince William went to Washington, D.C., and he met with President Obama. He said, 'It feels weird being in the White House because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/today-prince-william-went-to-washington-d-c-and-he-met-with-president/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [Dreams should make you think, ‘If I had the guts to do it and I didn’t care what anybody thought, this I what I’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/dreams-should-make-you-think-if-i-had-the-guts-to-do-it-and-i-didn-t/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [I've never wanted to be anybody else, and I never thought anybody else could be me more than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beasley/i-ve-never-wanted-to-be-anybody-else-and-i-never-thought-anybody-else/) [Michael Beasley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beasley/) > [“Everything is true," he said. "Everything anybody has ever thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-k-dick/everything-is-true-he-said-everything-anybody-has-ever-thought/) Phillip K. Dick > [Everything is true Everything anybody has ever thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/everything-is-true-everything-anybody-has-ever-thought/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [You can't educate people that are not healthy. But you certainly can't keep them healthy if they're not educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/you-can-t-educate-people-that-are-not-healthy-but-you-certainly-can-t/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [“the New Testament offers more instruction regarding elders than on other important church subjects such as the Lord’s Supper, the Lord’s Day, baptism, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-strauch/the-new-testament-offers-more-instruction-regarding-elders-than-on/) [Alexander Strauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-strauch/) > [I was brought up to respect my elders, so now I don't have to respect anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/i-was-brought-up-to-respect-my-elders-so-now-i-don-t-have-to-respect/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [Remember that the progress of the world depends on your knowing better than your elders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/remember-that-the-progress-of-the-world-depends-on-your-knowing/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In Afghanistan, I was talking to Afghan elders who were world-weary of a lack of sustained attention from their own government and from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/in-afghanistan-i-was-talking-to-afghan-elders-who-were-world-weary-of/) [Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/) > [Most people think that aging is irreversible and we know that there are mechanisms even in the human machinery that allow for the reversal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/most-people-think-that-aging-is-irreversible-and-we-know-that-there/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I see film as a real opportunity to examine the human condition. No matter where the technology goes in the future, the basics don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schultz/i-see-film-as-a-real-opportunity-to-examine-the-human-condition-no/) [Michael Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schultz/) > [Despite my mentors advice that I would never go to heaven fishing with a weighted nymph and a float, I took it up. (As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bishop/despite-my-mentors-advice-that-i-would-never-go-to-heaven-fishing/) [Tony Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bishop/) > [The playthings of our elders are called business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-playthings-of-our-elders-are-called-business/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [The millennials were raised in a cocoon, their anxious parents afraid to let them go out in the park to play. So should we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/the-millennials-were-raised-in-a-cocoon-their-anxious-parents-afraid/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) ## More by Joycelyn Elders > [The best contraceptive in the world is a good education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/the-best-contraceptive-in-the-world-is-a-good-education/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [Once I had a professor say to me, "You know you have as much education as a lot of white people." I answered, "Doctor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/once-i-had-a-professor-say-to-me-you-know-you-have-as-much-education/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [Handguns are a public health issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/handguns-are-a-public-health-issue/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [ \[On masturbation:\] I think that it is part of human sexuality, and perhaps it should be taught. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/on-masturbation-i-think-that-it-is-part-of-human-sexuality-and/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [I think we should have a very, very heavy tax on handguns and on bullets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/i-think-we-should-have-a-very-very-heavy-tax-on-handguns-and-on/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [“We have a multiheaded dragon in our midst that for too long has been waging a domestic war on our young, our poor, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/we-have-a-multiheaded-dragon-in-our-midst-that-for-too-long-has-been/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [... black women have always found that in the social order of things we're the least likely to be believed--by anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/black-women-have-always-found-that-in-the-social-order-of-things-we/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [You can't keep an ignorant population healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/you-can-t-keep-an-ignorant-population-healthy/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [Everybody's got to die from somethin'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/everybody-s-got-to-die-from-somethin/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [ \[We must\] deal with all of the contributing factors to gun violence as a whole, because it's like a leaky bucket - if you've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/we-must-deal-with-all-of-the-contributing-factors-to-gun-violence-as/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [You can't educate people that are not healthy. But you certainly can't keep them healthy if they're not educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/you-can-t-educate-people-that-are-not-healthy-but-you-certainly-can-t/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [I came there as prime steak and now I feel like low-grade hamburger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/i-came-there-as-prime-steak-and-now-i-feel-like-low-grade-hamburger/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [Health is more than the absence of disease. Health is about jobs and employment, education, the environment, and all of those things that go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/health-is-more-than-the-absence-of-disease-health-is-about-jobs-and/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [Health is more than absence of disease; it is about economics, education, environment, empowerment, and community. The health and well being of the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/health-is-more-than-absence-of-disease-it-is-about-economics/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [You can't educate a child who isn't healthy, and you can't keep a child healthy who isn't educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/you-can-t-educate-a-child-who-isn-t-healthy-and-you-can-t-keep-a/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) [Explore all 56 Joycelyn Elders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) ## More Decision quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [Love is the foundation from which your decisions about your life should be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-the-foundation-from-which-your-decisions-about-your-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [It was a conscious decision on my part to take up fewer films. And if you're not seen that often on screen, nobody calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-lever/it-was-a-conscious-decision-on-my-part-to-take-up-fewer-films-and-if/) [Johnny Lever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-lever/) > [Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/decision-is-a-risk-rooted-in-the-courage-of-being-free/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [“it is either you happen to life or life happens to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sesan-kareem/it-is-either-you-happen-to-life-or-life-happens-to-you/) [Sesan Kareem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sesan-kareem/) > [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I am encouraged President Obama now says he will fulfill his constitutional obligation to seek authorization for any potential military action in Syria. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-am-encouraged-president-obama-now-says-he-will-fulfill-his/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [In New York, you are constantly faced with this very urgent decision that you have to make, about every twenty minutes...you have to decide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/in-new-york-you-are-constantly-faced-with-this-very-urgent-decision/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) [Browse all 9,145 Decision quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As long as I was in Washington I never met anybody that I thought was good enough, who knew enough, or who loved enough to make sexual decisions for anybody else.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joycelyn Elders" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/as-long-as-i-was-in-washington-i-never-met-anybody-that-i-thought-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Decision" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/as-long-as-i-was-in-washington-i-never-met-anybody-that-i-thought-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/joycelyn-elders-12167_decision_as-long-as-i-was-in-washington-i-never-m_695413.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/joycelyn-elders-12167_decision_as-long-as-i-was-in-washington-i-never-m_695413.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/joycelyn-elders-12167_decision_as-long-as-i-was-in-washington-i-never-m_695413.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As long as I was in Washington I never met anybody that I thought was good enough, who knew enough, or who…” — Joycelyn Elders", "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": "Joycelyn Elders", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As long as I was in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/as-long-as-i-was-in-washington-i-never-met-anybody-that-i-thought-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/as-long-as-i-was-in-washington-i-never-met-anybody-that-i-thought-was/#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 } } ] } ```