--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I went into politics thinking that, if I…" description: "\"I went into politics thinking that, if I made arguments in good faith, I'd get a hearing. It's a reasonable assumption, but it's wrong. In five and a h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/michael-ignatieff-3146_always_i-went-into-politics-thinking-that-if-i_2779580.jpg" --- # I went into politics thinking that, if I made arguments in… ![“I went into politics thinking that, if I made arguments in good faith, I'd get a hearing. It's a reasonable assumption, but it's wrong. In five and a half years in politics up north, no one really bothered to criticize my ideas, such as they were. It was never my message that was the issue. It was…” quote by Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/michael-ignatieff-3146_always_i-went-into-politics-thinking-that-if-i_2779580.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/michael-ignatieff-3146_always_i-went-into-politics-thinking-that-if-i_2779580.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/michael-ignatieff-3146_always_i-went-into-politics-thinking-that-if-i_2779580.jpg) > “I went into politics thinking that, if I made arguments in good faith, I'd get a hearing. It's a reasonable assumption, but it's wrong. In five and a half years in politics up north, no one really bothered to criticize my ideas, such as they were. It was never my message that was the issue. It was always the messenger.” [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. In politics, the messenger’s credibility often overshadows the message, leading to dismissal of ideas. **In simple terms:** People judge ideas by who delivers them. Key Takeaway Build trust to have ideas heard. Themes politics communication credibility Mood analytical thoughtful Type political reflective When to use this quote - public speaking - campaigns - policy proposals - leadership Key Concepts sociology media studies Questions to Reflect On - How can you improve your credibility? - What strategies separate message from messenger? A Different Perspective Changing perception of the messenger can be difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Good faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-faith/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/message/) [North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [When you get me a good man made out of arguments, I will get you a good dinner with reading you the cookery book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/when-you-get-me-a-good-man-made-out-of-arguments-i-will-get-you-a/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Public reason arguments can be good or bad just like other arguments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/public-reason-arguments-can-be-good-or-bad-just-like-other-arguments/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [I want my arguments to be good arguments on the basis of what I actually have to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/i-want-my-arguments-to-be-good-arguments-on-the-basis-of-what-i/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [Dalai Lama is taking a subtle and nuanced view of politics and he is thinking in terms of events well beyond our lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/dalai-lama-is-taking-a-subtle-and-nuanced-view-of-politics-and-he-is/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Frankly, if you do politics, you should not be thinking about your dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/frankly-if-you-do-politics-you-should-not-be-thinking-about-your/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [Look, I get it. Whether it's school, work, family, we've all got a lot on our minds. People say to me, "I'm just too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-washington/look-i-get-it-whether-it-s-school-work-family-we-ve-all-got-a-lot-on/) [Kerry Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-washington/) > [I think a way to behave is to think not in terms of representative government, not in terms of voting, not in terms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/i-think-a-way-to-behave-is-to-think-not-in-terms-of-representative/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [You may not be thinking about politics, but politics is thinking about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-washington/you-may-not-be-thinking-about-politics-but-politics-is-thinking-about/) [Kerry Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-washington/) > [Whether she planned it or not, the path that Pelosi took to the House is the one most women used to follow. Women raised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-bash/whether-she-planned-it-or-not-the-path-that-pelosi-took-to-the-house/) [Dana Bash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-bash/) > [I wanted to be a psychological engineer, but we lacked the facilities, so I did the next best thing - I went into politics.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-wanted-to-be-a-psychological-engineer-but-we-lacked-the-facilities/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I do remember when I first went into politics, one of my competitors asked me, 'Well, Jenny Shipley, who's looking after your children?' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-shipley/i-do-remember-when-i-first-went-into-politics-one-of-my-competitors/) [Jenny Shipley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-shipley/) > [I went into politics for the reasons most people do: ambition, self-righteousness, and a desire to help others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/i-went-into-politics-for-the-reasons-most-people-do-ambition-self/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [It's a good feeling to be able to help, when help is needed. That's one reason I also went into politics. But by politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-blake/it-s-a-good-feeling-to-be-able-to-help-when-help-is-needed-that-s-one/) [Amanda Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-blake/) > [I was quite young when my dad went into politics but, as it went on, I became self-conscious about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/i-was-quite-young-when-my-dad-went-into-politics-but-as-it-went-on-i/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [I went into politics on an emotional level and soon realised that emotion has nothing to do with politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitabh-bachchan/i-went-into-politics-on-an-emotional-level-and-soon-realised-that/) [Amitabh Bachchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitabh-bachchan/) ## 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 Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I went into politics thinking that, if I made arguments in good faith, I'd get a hearing. 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