---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All the best reasons for going into…"
description: "\"All the best reasons for going into politics never really change: the desire for glory and fame and the chance to do something that really matters, tha..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/michael-ignatieff-3146_best_all-the-best-reasons-for-going-into-poli_3161480.jpg"
---

#  All the best reasons for going into politics never really…

![“All the best reasons for going into politics never really change: the desire for glory and fame and the chance to do something that really matters, that will make life better for a lot of people.” quote by Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/michael-ignatieff-3146_best_all-the-best-reasons-for-going-into-poli_3161480.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/michael-ignatieff-3146_best_all-the-best-reasons-for-going-into-poli_3161480.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/michael-ignatieff-3146_best_all-the-best-reasons-for-going-into-poli_3161480.jpg)

> “All the best reasons for going into politics never really change: the desire for glory and fame and the chance to do something that really matters, that will make life better for a lot of people.”

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

## About This Quote

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

Political ambition is often driven by personal glory and the desire to make a meaningful impact.

**In simple terms:** Politics attracts fame and a wish to help.

Key Takeaway

Recognize motives, aim for genuine service.

Themes

politics ambition idealism

Mood

analytical hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- campaigning
- policy making
- community leadership

Key Concepts

power public service human nature

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives your political involvement?
- How can you balance ambition with public good?

A Different Perspective

Idealism can be eclipsed by personal ego.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best/) [Best Reasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-reasons-2154030/) [Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory/) [Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) [Going Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-politics-289744/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lot/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Matters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matters/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-really-460026/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Really Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-change/) [Reasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/)

## Related quotes

> [“People do terrible things, sometimes, for the best reasons. “What’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/people-do-terrible-things-sometimes-for-the-best-reasons-what-s/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [I had a lot of hubris going into politics, but I didn't think I was Pierre Trudeau.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-had-a-lot-of-hubris-going-into-politics-but-i-didn-t-think-i-was/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [people do terrible things, sometimes, for the best reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/people-do-terrible-things-sometimes-for-the-best-reasons/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [These are the best reasons to do anything in life. People who say things like this are the kind of people who change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-leavitt/these-are-the-best-reasons-to-do-anything-in-life-people-who-say/)

[Martine Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-leavitt/)

> [I have found some of the best reasons I ever had for remaining at the bottom simply by looking at the men at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-colby/i-have-found-some-of-the-best-reasons-i-ever-had-for-remaining-at-the/)

[Frank Moore Colby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-colby/)

> [“No one should be deprived of love without the very best of reasons. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-capellanus/no-one-should-be-deprived-of-love-without-the-very-best-of-reasons/)

[Andreas Capellanus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-capellanus/)

> [I don't want anyone being put off going into politics because they fear their personal life, family and relatives will be spread all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-kendall/i-don-t-want-anyone-being-put-off-going-into-politics-because-they/)

[Liz Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-kendall/)

> [Going into politics is something people have asked me about forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-kennedy/going-into-politics-is-something-people-have-asked-me-about-forever/)

[Caroline Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-kennedy/)

> [I don't want anyone to be put off going into politics - particularly women - if they feel that they're going to get personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-kendall/i-don-t-want-anyone-to-be-put-off-going-into-politics-particularly/)

[Liz Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-kendall/)

> [I just keep trying to explain what's going on with our planet - and now, to explain what's going on with our politics, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-just-keep-trying-to-explain-what-s-going-on-with-our-planet-and-now/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [Over the years, many people on a spiritual journey have asked me why I keep going on about politics, and many people involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/over-the-years-many-people-on-a-spiritual-journey-have-asked-me-why-i/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [My family has always said... if you're going to get into politics, do it for the right reasons, not because you've got to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-bush/my-family-has-always-said-if-you-re-going-to-get-into-politics-do-it/)

[George P. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-bush/)

> [I'm going into politics because I think that the kind of discourse taking place in Israel is leading this country to oblivion, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-lapid/i-m-going-into-politics-because-i-think-that-the-kind-of-discourse/)

[Yair Lapid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-lapid/)

> [Instead of going into politics, I decided to go into comedy, which is the second most daunting career path for a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/instead-of-going-into-politics-i-decided-to-go-into-comedy-which-is/)

[Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/)

> [I have no regrets in going into politics or leaving the Tollywood for a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiranjeevi/i-have-no-regrets-in-going-into-politics-or-leaving-the-tollywood-for/)

[Chiranjeevi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiranjeevi/)

## More by Michael Ignatieff

> [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [What really matters is getting new people in. The constitutional changes matter, but the thing that the party mustn't do is turn in on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/what-really-matters-is-getting-new-people-in-the-constitutional/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [The medium's gaze is brief, intense, and promiscuous. The shelf life of the moral causes it makes its own is brutally short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-medium-s-gaze-is-brief-intense-and-promiscuous-the-shelf-life-of/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Those with a gift for action, for their part, often express contempt for those whose gifts are more reflective. Men of action like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/those-with-a-gift-for-action-for-their-part-often-express-contempt/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [There are lots of nations in the world or national peoples who don't yet have states. They're inside someone else's state and they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/there-are-lots-of-nations-in-the-world-or-national-peoples-who-don-t/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [There's a civic nationalism in Britain and dozens of other countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/there-s-a-civic-nationalism-in-britain-and-dozens-of-other-countries/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Affirming belief that America is an exceptional nation has become a test of patriotism in American politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/affirming-belief-that-america-is-an-exceptional-nation-has-become-a/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Both Iraq and Syria are a fissile mixture of ethnicities and religions thrown together after Versailles by departing French and British imperialists and only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/both-iraq-and-syria-are-a-fissile-mixture-of-ethnicities-and/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [The legitimacy of coercive acts in a democracy arises from the process by which they are justified and by the degree to which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-legitimacy-of-coercive-acts-in-a-democracy-arises-from-the/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Some of our finest leaders were not intellectuals at all, and I admire them enormously because they weren't. Harry Truman wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/some-of-our-finest-leaders-were-not-intellectuals-at-all-and-i-admire/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [If you get the access to see history happen, do you understand the history when it does happen? And the answer to that question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/if-you-get-the-access-to-see-history-happen-do-you-understand-the/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [I have been a journalist, off and on, since I was 17. I was a copy boy for the 'New York Times,' when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-have-been-a-journalist-off-and-on-since-i-was-17-i-was-a-copy-boy/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [In academic life, false ideas are merely false, and useless ones can be fun to play with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/in-academic-life-false-ideas-are-merely-false-and-useless-ones-can-be/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Liberal democracy has endured because its institutions are designed for handling morally hazardous forms of coercive power. It puts the question of how far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/liberal-democracy-has-endured-because-its-institutions-are-designed/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [An intellectual may be interested in ideas and policies for their own sake, but a politician's interest is exclusively in the question of whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/an-intellectual-may-be-interested-in-ideas-and-policies-for-their-own/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

[Explore all 138 Michael Ignatieff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

## More Best quotes

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/)

[Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [It's no wonder Pep is one of the best coaches in the world. When I knew I could work with him I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ederson/it-s-no-wonder-pep-is-one-of-the-best-coaches-in-the-world-when-i/)

[Ederson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ederson/)

> [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/)

[Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/)

> [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/)

[Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/)

> [I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-but-you-re-not-going-to-get-me-to-say-that/)

[Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/)

> [Life is where you love people and use things not use people and love things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/life-is-where-you-love-people-and-use-things-not-use-people-and-love/)

[Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/)

> [With every product, the delta between the brand and the reality determines its power over the minds of consumers, and with Trump, that delta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/with-every-product-the-delta-between-the-brand-and-the-reality/)

[Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/)

> [The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. The best officials are the ones you never notice. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-scott/the-human-element-should-be-the-two-players-on-the-court-not-the/)

[Gene Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-scott/)

> [I'm looking to fight the best guys in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-rodriguez/i-m-looking-to-fight-the-best-guys-in-the-world/)

[Yair Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-rodriguez/)

> [Batley and Spen has a high proportion of people working in manufacturing, and we can boast the full range of industries, including high-skilled, precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/batley-and-spen-has-a-high-proportion-of-people-working-in/)

[Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/)

> [It is no secret that I have read 'The Da Vinci Code' several times. I genuinely believe that 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-is-no-secret-that-i-have-read-the-da-vinci-code-several-times-i/)

[Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/)

> [Any position I was going to be in, I was going to make the best of it. I always do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bledsoe/any-position-i-was-going-to-be-in-i-was-going-to-make-the-best-of-it/)

[Eric Bledsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bledsoe/)

[Browse all 21,674 Best quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "All the best reasons for going into politics never really change: the desire for glory and fame and the chance to do something that really matters, that will make life better for a lot of people.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Ignatieff"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/all-the-best-reasons-for-going-into-politics-never-really-change-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Best"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/all-the-best-reasons-for-going-into-politics-never-really-change-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/michael-ignatieff-3146_best_all-the-best-reasons-for-going-into-poli_3161480.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/michael-ignatieff-3146_best_all-the-best-reasons-for-going-into-poli_3161480.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/michael-ignatieff-3146_best_all-the-best-reasons-for-going-into-poli_3161480.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“All the best reasons for going into politics never really change: the desire for glory and fame and the…” — Michael Ignatieff",
                "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": "Michael Ignatieff",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "All the best reasons for going...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/all-the-best-reasons-for-going-into-politics-never-really-change-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/all-the-best-reasons-for-going-into-politics-never-really-change-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
