---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have got to know what you're doing on…"
description: "\"You have got to know what you're doing on your very first day there. So, look, this is not an attack or anything of that nature. It's just a very simpl..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/marco-rubio-355_attack_you-have-got-to-know-what-you-re-doing-o_1646553.jpg"
---

#  You have got to know what you're doing on your very first…

![“You have got to know what you're doing on your very first day there. So, look, this is not an attack or anything of that nature. It's just a very simple observation. If you want to be president, you have to start detailing some specific public policy. And I don't think from this point forward in…” quote by Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/marco-rubio-355_attack_you-have-got-to-know-what-you-re-doing-o_1646553.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/marco-rubio-355_attack_you-have-got-to-know-what-you-re-doing-o_1646553.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/marco-rubio-355_attack_you-have-got-to-know-what-you-re-doing-o_1646553.jpg)

> “You have got to know what you're doing on your very first day there. So, look, this is not an attack or anything of that nature. It's just a very simple observation. If you want to be president, you have to start detailing some specific public policy. And I don't think from this point forward in the campaign, voters are going to be as tolerant of the lack of that as they have been up to now.”

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

## About This Quote

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

A candidate must demonstrate policy knowledge early; voters increasingly demand concrete plans rather than vague promises.

**In simple terms:** Show detailed policies from day one.

Key Takeaway

Prepare specific policy proposals early.

Themes

politics accountability policy

Mood

strategic pragmatic

Type

political motivational

When to use this quote

- election campaigning
- public debates
- media interviews
- voter outreach

Key Concepts

campaign strategy public expectations

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance depth with speed?
- What policies matter most to voters?

A Different Perspective

Complex issues may require time to develop thoughtful solutions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Campaigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaigns/) [First Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-day/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observation/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Public policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-policy/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Voters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voters/)

## Related quotes

> [I believe in term limits for presidents because I think that there is no doubt I'm a better president now than I was when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-believe-in-term-limits-for-presidents-because-i-think-that-there-is-2/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [When it comes to the qualifications that we should demand of our president, to start with, we need someone who will take the job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/when-it-comes-to-the-qualifications-that-we-should-demand-of-our/)

[Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/)

> [“By the time Bill Clinton left office in 2001, an Operation Other Than War, as Pentagon forces called them, could go on indefinitely, sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/by-the-time-bill-clinton-left-office-in-2001-an-operation-other-than/)

[Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/)

> [I don't want us to have a president that we constantly have to be explaining to our kids, I know that's what the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-don-t-want-us-to-have-a-president-that-we-constantly-have-to-be/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [I mean, on virtually every major issue before this country that is the natural purview of the federal government, it's important to have some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-mean-on-virtually-every-major-issue-before-this-country-that-is-the/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [I'm not running for Vice President, I'm not looking to be anyone's vice president, I want to be the president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-m-not-running-for-vice-president-i-m-not-looking-to-be-anyone-s/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [I believe that if you want to be president of the United States, you run for president. You don't run for president with some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-believe-that-if-you-want-to-be-president-of-the-united-states-you/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [ This guy \[Donald Trump\] has not offered a single serious policy proposal, which is important if you want to be president of the United… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/this-guy-donald-trump-has-not-offered-a-single-serious-policy/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [I don't think that voters should be fixated on public policy. In a healthy republic, they wouldn't have to worry every waking hour about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/i-don-t-think-that-voters-should-be-fixated-on-public-policy-in-a/)

[David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/)

> [ We \[the USA\] have a $16 trillion debt which these tax increases will do nothing to solve and you will have at least 200,000… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/we-the-usa-have-a-16-trillion-debt-which-these-tax-increases-will-do/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [I asked the American people do not give in to the fear. Do not give into the frustration. We can disagree about public policy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-asked-the-american-people-do-not-give-in-to-the-fear-do-not-give/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [In a short campaign there's no way any of us can meet all the voters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-capuano/in-a-short-campaign-there-s-no-way-any-of-us-can-meet-all-the-voters/)

[Michael Capuano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-capuano/)

> [“Most politicians are corrupt as they do not represent the masses that voted for them, but rather they choose to return numerous favors to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/most-politicians-are-corrupt-as-they-do-not-represent-the-masses-that/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [Everywhere I go on the campaign trail, I meet voters with a real thirst for a healthy discussion of the issues. Ultimately, people don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/everywhere-i-go-on-the-campaign-trail-i-meet-voters-with-a-real/)

[Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/)

> [I injured myself politically when I took on Jesse Jackson' in the 1988 presidential campaign. I was too strident. I didn't recognize the emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/i-injured-myself-politically-when-i-took-on-jesse-jackson-in-the-1988/)

[Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/)

## More by Marco Rubio

> [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [However, however, if the goal is to abandon America's free enterprise economy, if the goal is to convert America into a submissive member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/however-however-if-the-goal-is-to-abandon-america-s-free-enterprise/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [The president we have today is a typical Washington politician that's prone to hyperbole and decisiveness and false outrage. And I think it's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-president-we-have-today-is-a-typical-washington-politician-that-s/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [Donald Trump is not going to be the nominee, because we are not going to allow - people will wake up and we're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/donald-trump-is-not-going-to-be-the-nominee-because-we-are-not-going/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [My first job paid well for a young attorney. I was making over $50,000, which was more than either of my parents had ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/my-first-job-paid-well-for-a-young-attorney-i-was-making-over-50-000/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [My dad was a bartender. My mom was a cashier, a maid and a stock clerk at K-Mart. They never made it big. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/my-dad-was-a-bartender-my-mom-was-a-cashier-a-maid-and-a-stock-clerk/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [Now, look, it's true, Americans do want leaders that will come to Washington, D.C. and work together to get things done, but that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/now-look-it-s-true-americans-do-want-leaders-that-will-come-to/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [I have been an underdog my whole life, both in life and in politics. We're going to do well. We're going to pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-have-been-an-underdog-my-whole-life-both-in-life-and-in-politics-we/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [Certainly being governor is an important job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/certainly-being-governor-is-an-important-job/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [The conservative movement is about government playing its important yet limited role, and about not falling into the trap of believing that every problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-conservative-movement-is-about-government-playing-its-important/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [The greatest thing that we can do for the world is be America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-greatest-thing-that-we-can-do-for-the-world-is-be-america/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [Our people want jobs. They don't want a safety net as a way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/our-people-want-jobs-they-don-t-want-a-safety-net-as-a-way-of-life/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [I believe that every single human being is entitled to the protection of our laws, whether they can vote or not. Whether they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-believe-that-every-single-human-being-is-entitled-to-the-protection/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [I don't measure success by how many buildings have my name on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-don-t-measure-success-by-how-many-buildings-have-my-name-on-it/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [Any time you can degrade or take away the top leadership of an organization, it's a positive step forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/any-time-you-can-degrade-or-take-away-the-top-leadership-of-an/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

[Explore all 649 Marco Rubio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

## More Attack quotes

> [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/)

[Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/)

> [“THE UNFORGIVEN Tell me if you've ever had to deal with these kinds of people: The kind who take and don't give. The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

> [When I hit bottom, I can attack the problem and get to where I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/when-i-hit-bottom-i-can-attack-the-problem-and-get-to-where-i-want-to/)

[Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/)

> [It was both necessary and desirable for us to be so strong at sea that no Sea Power could attack us without risk, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-von-bulow/it-was-both-necessary-and-desirable-for-us-to-be-so-strong-at-sea/)

[Bernhard von Bulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-von-bulow/)

> [The best way to counter-attack a hater is to make it blatantly obvious that their attack has had no impact on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/the-best-way-to-counter-attack-a-hater-is-to-make-it-blatantly/)

[Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/)

> [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/)

[Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/)

> [Everything has got a place in my house. If something is moved I get a panic attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rylan-clark-neal/everything-has-got-a-place-in-my-house-if-something-is-moved-i-get-a/)

[Rylan Clark-Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rylan-clark-neal/)

> [I mean, it's not just the rappers, you know what i'm saying? People want to attack anybody that's a large figure, you know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notorious-b-i-g/i-mean-it-s-not-just-the-rappers-you-know-what-i-m-saying-people-want/)

[The Notorious B.I.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notorious-b-i-g/)

> [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [“Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/hence-when-able-to-attack-we-must-seem-unable-when-using-our-forces/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [Free speech has a very small constituency on the modern campus, particularly if the speaker under attack is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leo/free-speech-has-a-very-small-constituency-on-the-modern-campus/)

[John Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leo/)

> [Daniil is a player who will not give you many chances to attack. If I have enough power and choose the right moment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/daniil-is-a-player-who-will-not-give-you-many-chances-to-attack-if-i/)

[Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/)

> [Distributed ledgers are inherently harder to attack because instead of a single database, there are multiple shared copies of the same database, so a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/distributed-ledgers-are-inherently-harder-to-attack-because-instead/)

[Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/)

> [Attack life. It's going to kill you anyways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/attack-life-it-s-going-to-kill-you-anyways/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For those of us in the political business, generally, it's been pretty much an unwritten but understood rule that family and children are out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/for-those-of-us-in-the-political-business-generally-it-s-been-pretty/)

[Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/)

Browse all 1,074 Attack quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You have got to know what you're doing on your very first day there. So, look, this is not an attack or anything of that nature. It's just a very simple observation. If you want to be president, you have to start detailing some specific public policy. And I don't think from this point forward in the campaign, voters are going to be as tolerant of the lack of that as they have been up to now.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marco Rubio"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/you-have-got-to-know-what-you-re-doing-on-your-very-first-day-there/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attack"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/you-have-got-to-know-what-you-re-doing-on-your-very-first-day-there/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/marco-rubio-355_attack_you-have-got-to-know-what-you-re-doing-o_1646553.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/marco-rubio-355_attack_you-have-got-to-know-what-you-re-doing-o_1646553.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b6/marco-rubio-355_attack_you-have-got-to-know-what-you-re-doing-o_1646553.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You have got to know what you're doing on your very first day there. So, look, this is not an attack or…” — Marco Rubio",
                "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": "Marco Rubio",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You have got to know what...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/you-have-got-to-know-what-you-re-doing-on-your-very-first-day-there/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/you-have-got-to-know-what-you-re-doing-on-your-very-first-day-there/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
