--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps the right to authenticity and the…" description: "\"Perhaps the right to authenticity and the reverence of authenticity should be reserved for people like John McCain. John McCain who at his most authent..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/krystal-ball-11862_authenticity_perhaps-the-right-to-authenticity-and-th_2143136.jpg" --- # Perhaps the right to authenticity and the reverence of… ![“Perhaps the right to authenticity and the reverence of authenticity should be reserved for people like John McCain. John McCain who at his most authentic chose to stay and face years of torture rather than leave before his brothers.” quote by Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/krystal-ball-11862_authenticity_perhaps-the-right-to-authenticity-and-th_2143136.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/krystal-ball-11862_authenticity_perhaps-the-right-to-authenticity-and-th_2143136.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/krystal-ball-11862_authenticity_perhaps-the-right-to-authenticity-and-th_2143136.jpg) > “Perhaps the right to authenticity and the reverence of authenticity should be reserved for people like John McCain. John McCain who at his most authentic chose to stay and face years of torture rather than leave before his brothers.” [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) ## 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 argues that authenticity should be reserved for those who endure hardship, using John McCain as an example. **In simple terms:** Authenticity belongs to those who face hardship bravely. Key Takeaway Respect authenticity earned through sacrifice. Themes politics authenticity morality Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - political discourse - public debates - historical examples - personal values Key Concepts ethical integrity personal sacrifice Questions to Reflect On - What defines true authenticity? - Can authenticity exist without hardship? A Different Perspective Authenticity can be claimed by anyone, not only the suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authenticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) [Authenticity Reserved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity-reserved-4471161/) [Authenticity Reverence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity-reverence-4471160/) [Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face/) [John mccain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-mccain/) [Mccain Authentic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mccain-authentic-4471158/) [Mccain John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mccain-john-4471159/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Stay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay/) [Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torture/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [“Why would anyone with half a brain pledge undying loyalty to the party of John McCain or John Kerry, to name the two most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-gillespie-matt-welch/why-would-anyone-with-half-a-brain-pledge-undying-loyalty-to-the/) [Nick Gillespie Matt Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-gillespie-matt-welch/) > [Senator McCain is all for John Kerry. Do you know they're buddies? McCain is in favor of Kerry being secretary of state. Somebody the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/senator-mccain-is-all-for-john-kerry-do-you-know-they-re-buddies/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [For a while under Donald Trump, it was possible to believe that we could go back to a more functional, less rancorous time. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/for-a-while-under-donald-trump-it-was-possible-to-believe-that-we/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [John McCain has become the de facto running mate of George W. Bush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/john-mccain-has-become-the-de-facto-running-mate-of-george-w-bush/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [I think the problem with John Bolton is he disagrees with President Trump's foreign policy. He would be closer to John McCain's foreign policy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-think-the-problem-with-john-bolton-is-he-disagrees-with-president/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [I honor, we honor the service of John McCain, and I respect his many accomplishments, even if he chooses to deny mine. My differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-honor-we-honor-the-service-of-john-mccain-and-i-respect-his-many/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [John McCain is falling down on the job. He has gotten weak. He has gotten old. I do want to wish him a happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-ward/john-mccain-is-falling-down-on-the-job-he-has-gotten-weak-he-has/) [Kelli Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-ward/) > [I feel like John McCain is a really cool guy who is surrounded by idiotic friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-feel-like-john-mccain-is-a-really-cool-guy-who-is-surrounded-by/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Senator John McCain, who spent over five years in a Vietnamese POW camp, publicly releases 1,000 pages of medical records. Now people are left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/senator-john-mccain-who-spent-over-five-years-in-a-vietnamese-pow/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [John McCain has refused to ever criticize Sarah Palin, to ever admit there was anything wrong about her choice. He has been capital "L"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/john-mccain-has-refused-to-ever-criticize-sarah-palin-to-ever-admit/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [If John McCain were really a war hero he would've won Vietnam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/if-john-mccain-were-really-a-war-hero-he-would-ve-won-vietnam/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dobson/i-would-not-vote-for-john-mccain-under-any-circumstances/) [James Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dobson/) > [John McCain is a liar and flip-flopper and panderer and bully and whiner. And it seems to be working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tomasky/john-mccain-is-a-liar-and-flip-flopper-and-panderer-and-bully-and/) [Michael Tomasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tomasky/) > [When the 2008 victory of Barack Obama and the defeat of grumpy old John McCain began looking, um, inevitable, I started fielding inquiries about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/when-the-2008-victory-of-barack-obama-and-the-defeat-of-grumpy-old/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [I really like John McCain. He's an awesome dude and was a lot of fun when he hosted "SNL." I'd love to see a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-really-like-john-mccain-he-s-an-awesome-dude-and-was-a-lot-of-fun/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) ## More by Krystal Ball > [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [While President Obama assumes that at their core the Republican leadership team is just trying to do what's best for America, Mitch McConnell and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/while-president-obama-assumes-that-at-their-core-the-republican/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [The Trump administration has been quietly moving to systematically undermine health care putting lives at risk and offering no alternative solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-trump-administration-has-been-quietly-moving-to-systematically/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [Voters do not choose candidates because of their ideological fit. They choose them because of their cultural fit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/voters-do-not-choose-candidates-because-of-their-ideological-fit-they/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [For a long time, Americans have bought into the meritocracy, the American dream ideal. But when we watched banksters completely destroy our economy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/for-a-long-time-americans-have-bought-into-the-meritocracy-the/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [I've lived in the state almost my entire life, so I think if I ever wanted to come back and serve in Virginia, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/i-ve-lived-in-the-state-almost-my-entire-life-so-i-think-if-i-ever/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [As soon as you know that someone is running for office, it puts a distance between you and that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/as-soon-as-you-know-that-someone-is-running-for-office-it-puts-a/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [I have a message for any young woman who is thinking about running for office and has ever attended a costume party... or done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/i-have-a-message-for-any-young-woman-who-is-thinking-about-running/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [You cannot win the democratic nomination if you are not trusted on the most important issue to democratic voters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/you-cannot-win-the-democratic-nomination-if-you-are-not-trusted-on/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [To my friends on the right, Katie Hill's national shaming is as much an example of an out of control cancel culture as anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/to-my-friends-on-the-right-katie-hill-s-national-shaming-is-as-much/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [If you want to understand why something is happening in America just follow the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/if-you-want-to-understand-why-something-is-happening-in-america-just/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [We can all mouth the words that every human is fundamentally worthy, but we don't act like it. We don't even believe it about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/we-can-all-mouth-the-words-that-every-human-is-fundamentally-worthy/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [It can be really lonely running for office, especially if you've never done it before and especially when all the normal channels of power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/it-can-be-really-lonely-running-for-office-especially-if-you-ve-never/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [But the truth is the meritocracy is a lie. Those born into wealth and privilege will always be able to game the system for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/but-the-truth-is-the-meritocracy-is-a-lie-those-born-into-wealth-and/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [Most of you probably already know this but for those who don't, I was a bit of a trailblazer in the field of salacious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/most-of-you-probably-already-know-this-but-for-those-who-don-t-i-was/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) [Explore all 57 Krystal Ball quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) ## More Authenticity quotes > [“the property that grounded the self in Romanticism was sincerity, and in modernism was authenticity, then in postmod ernism it is visibility.10”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-property-that-grounded-the-self-in-romanticism-was-sincerity-and/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Real artists offer authenticity, not just money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhymefest/real-artists-offer-authenticity-not-just-money/) [Rhymefest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhymefest/) > [“I figure the more people think I'm just mildly weird, the less likely they are to know how weird I really am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-hooyenga/i-figure-the-more-people-think-i-m-just-mildly-weird-the-less-likely/) [Melanie Hooyenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-hooyenga/) > [I think people can read authenticity and they know when you're involved and when you're just slapping your name on something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-la-anthony/i-think-people-can-read-authenticity-and-they-know-when-you-re/) [La La Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-la-anthony/) > [“I strive for authenticity even though it brings with it vulnerability and the inevitable judgment of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-r-w-lee/i-strive-for-authenticity-even-though-it-brings-with-it-vulnerability/) [L.R.W. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-r-w-lee/) > [Children go where they find sincerity and authenticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/children-go-where-they-find-sincerity-and-authenticity/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Anything that I ever do is from the heart and authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-carlisle/anything-that-i-ever-do-is-from-the-heart-and-authentic/) [Belinda Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-carlisle/) > [What I love about Nivea is they're all about authenticity. The brand isn't pretending to be anything it isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/what-i-love-about-nivea-is-they-re-all-about-authenticity-the-brand/) [Tessa Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-virtue/) > [There is nothing which so certifies the genuineness of a man's faith as his patience and his patient endurance, his keeping on steadily in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-which-so-certifies-the-genuineness-of-a-man-s-faith/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're really famous, there's very little authenticity in people, so you prefer the company of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/when-you-re-really-famous-there-s-very-little-authenticity-in-people/) [Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/) > [“We could not be fulfilled if we weren't inauthentic some of the time—inauthentic, that is, in relation to such things as our passing desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-could-not-be-fulfilled-if-we-weren-t-inauthentic-some-of-the-time/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [No man knows the genuineness of his convictions until he has sacrificed something for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/no-man-knows-the-genuineness-of-his-convictions-until-he-has/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) [Browse all 1,437 Authenticity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Perhaps the right to authenticity and the reverence of authenticity should be reserved for people like John McCain. 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