--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being president is like being a jackass…" description: "\"Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There's nothing to do but to stand there and take it.\" — Lyndon B. Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_president_being-president-is-like-being-a-jackass_244795.png" --- # Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm… ![“Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There's nothing to do but to stand there and take it.” quote by Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_president_being-president-is-like-being-a-jackass_244795.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_president_being-president-is-like-being-a-jackass_244795.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_president_being-president-is-like-being-a-jackass_244795.png) > “Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There's nothing to do but to stand there and take it.” [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leadership can feel chaotic and powerless, yet requires endurance. **In simple terms:** Being a leader can be overwhelming and passive. Key Takeaway Endure and act despite chaos. Themes leadership resilience powerlessness Mood cautionary realistic Type political humorous When to use this quote - crisis management - political office - organizational leadership - military command Key Concepts politics stress adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain agency in chaotic roles? - What actions can you take when feeling powerless? A Different Perspective It may glorify suffering over proactive solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) ## Related quotes > [I once told Nixon that the Presidency is like being a jackass caught in a hail storm. You've got to just stand there and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-once-told-nixon-that-the-presidency-is-like-being-a-jackass-caught/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [“Into each life a little rain must fall, but in my case, does it always have to be a hailstorm?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loreen-finn/into-each-life-a-little-rain-must-fall-but-in-my-case-does-it-always/) Loreen Finn > [“A leprechaun did not just kill off my car in a hailstorm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bryson/a-leprechaun-did-not-just-kill-off-my-car-in-a-hailstorm/) [Kathy Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bryson/) > [I am the hailstorm that shall break the heads of those who do not take shelter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girolamo-savonarola/i-am-the-hailstorm-that-shall-break-the-heads-of-those-who-do-not/) [Girolamo Savonarola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girolamo-savonarola/) > [How to Comfort Yourself When You Have Acted Like a Jackass Everyone does this occasionally, and you shouldn't feel too upset about it unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/how-to-comfort-yourself-when-you-have-acted-like-a-jackass-everyone/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [“You look more of less the same." She strode right past him. "And you still look like a jackass," she said sweetly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/you-look-more-of-less-the-same-she-strode-right-past-him-and-you/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“- He's arrogant, and he sleeps with everything he can get his filthy hands on. Most of time, I just want to claw his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kody-keplinger/he-s-arrogant-and-he-sleeps-with-everything-he-can-get-his-filthy/) [Kody Keplinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kody-keplinger/) > [I don't want to be THE president, but I would like to have A president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-don-t-want-to-be-the-president-but-i-would-like-to-have-a-president/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [We haven't had a president like Trump in my lifetime as far as I'm concerned. He does what he says he's going to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jones/we-haven-t-had-a-president-like-trump-in-my-lifetime-as-far-as-i-m/) [Vernon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jones/) > [I remember growing up, people would say, 'You could be president!' Well, for a black kid looking at that, it wasn't until Obama became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/i-remember-growing-up-people-would-say-you-could-be-president-well/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [Jimmy Carter as President is like Truman Capote marrying Dolly Parton. The job is just too big for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-little/jimmy-carter-as-president-is-like-truman-capote-marrying-dolly-parton/) [Rich Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-little/) > [This country could use a president like Benjamin Franklin again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-bachmann/this-country-could-use-a-president-like-benjamin-franklin-again/) [Michele Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-bachmann/) > [I'm going to be a vice president very much like George Bush was. He proved to be a very effective vice president, perhaps the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/i-m-going-to-be-a-vice-president-very-much-like-george-bush-was-he/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [This meeting was like many of the meetings that I would go to over the course of two years. The only way I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-o-neill/this-meeting-was-like-many-of-the-meetings-that-i-would-go-to-over/) [Paul O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-o-neill/) > [“I pocketed two boxes of M&M’s with the presidential seal. You open it up and you really are expecting the best M&M’s you’ve ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-smith/i-pocketed-two-boxes-of-m-m-s-with-the-presidential-seal-you-open-it/) [Chris Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-smith/) ## More by Lyndon B. Johnson > [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Each year more than 100,000 high school graduates, with proved ability, do not enter college because they cannot afford it. And if we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/each-year-more-than-100-000-high-school-graduates-with-proved-ability/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Knowledge is of two kinds: we know a subject itself, or know where to find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/knowledge-is-of-two-kinds-we-know-a-subject-itself-or-know-where-to/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [We come to reason, not to dominate. We do not seek to have our way, but to find a common way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/we-come-to-reason-not-to-dominate-we-do-not-seek-to-have-our-way-but/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [I have learned that only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. First, let her think she's having her own way. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-have-learned-that-only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-one-s-wife/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [For me, it is a deep personal tragedy. I know that the world shares the sorrow that Mrs. Kennedy and her family bear. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/for-me-it-is-a-deep-personal-tragedy-i-know-that-the-world-shares-the/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Today, 8 million adult Americans, more than the entire population of Michigan, have not finished 5 years of school. Nearly 20 million have not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/today-8-million-adult-americans-more-than-the-entire-population-of/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Republicans simply don't know how to manage the economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/republicans-simply-don-t-know-how-to-manage-the-economy/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [I don't believe I'll ever get credit for anything I do in foreign affairs, no matter how successful it is, because I didn't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-don-t-believe-i-ll-ever-get-credit-for-anything-i-do-in-foreign/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [There are no favorites in my office. I treat them all with the same general inconsideration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-are-no-favorites-in-my-office-i-treat-them-all-with-the-same/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [I'm the only president you've got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-m-the-only-president-you-ve-got/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [I am afraid, ... that health begins, after seventy, and often long before, to have a meaning different from that which it had at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-am-afraid-that-health-begins-after-seventy-and-often-long-before-to/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [The family is the corner stone of our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/the-family-is-the-corner-stone-of-our-society/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Never make a speech at a country dance or a football game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/never-make-a-speech-at-a-country-dance-or-a-football-game/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Our society is illuminated by the spiritual insights of the Hebrew prophets. America and Israel have a common love of human freedom and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/our-society-is-illuminated-by-the-spiritual-insights-of-the-hebrew/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) [Explore all 411 Lyndon B. Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) ## More President quotes > [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [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 had to perform at the White House for the president, That's always kind of a weird set to try to put together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/i-had-to-perform-at-the-white-house-for-the-president-that-s-always/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [I have a question, a question for the president: Do you hate all rich people, or just rich people who don't contribute to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-have-a-question-a-question-for-the-president-do-you-hate-all-rich/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [When the President starts talking about something, it makes a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-schumer/when-the-president-starts-talking-about-something-it-makes-a/) [Charles Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-schumer/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [I admire President Obama's ability to trust strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-admire-president-obama-s-ability-to-trust-strangers/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [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/) > [We can't afford any president to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/we-can-t-afford-any-president-to-fail/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/) [Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/) > [A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/a-wholesome-regard-for-the-memory-of-the-great-men-of-long-ago-is-the/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. Rhodes [Browse all 9,921 President quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There's nothing to do but to stand there and take it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lyndon B. Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/being-president-is-like-being-a-jackass-in-a-hailstorm-there-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "President" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/being-president-is-like-being-a-jackass-in-a-hailstorm-there-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_president_being-president-is-like-being-a-jackass_244795.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_president_being-president-is-like-being-a-jackass_244795.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_president_being-president-is-like-being-a-jackass_244795.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There's nothing to do but to stand there and take it.” — Lyndon B. Johnson", "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": "Lyndon B. Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being president is like being a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/being-president-is-like-being-a-jackass-in-a-hailstorm-there-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/being-president-is-like-being-a-jackass-in-a-hailstorm-there-s/#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 } } ] } ```