--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The president couldn’t stop talking. He…" description: "\"“The president couldn’t stop talking. He was plaintive and self-pitying, and it was obvious to everyone that if he had a north star, it was just to be ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/michael-wolff-423_north-star_the-president-couldn-t-stop-talking-he-w_2801877.jpg" --- # The president couldn’t stop talking. He was plaintive and… ![“The president couldn’t stop talking. He was plaintive and self-pitying, and it was obvious to everyone that if he had a north star, it was just to be liked. He was ever uncomprehending about why everyone did not like him, or why it should be so difficult to get everyone to like him. He might be…” quote by Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/michael-wolff-423_north-star_the-president-couldn-t-stop-talking-he-w_2801877.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/michael-wolff-423_north-star_the-president-couldn-t-stop-talking-he-w_2801877.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/michael-wolff-423_north-star_the-president-couldn-t-stop-talking-he-w_2801877.jpg) > ““The president couldn’t stop talking. He was plaintive and self-pitying, and it was obvious to everyone that if he had a north star, it was just to be liked. He was ever uncomprehending about why everyone did not like him, or why it should be so difficult to get everyone to like him. He might be happy throughout the day as a parade of union steel workers or CEOs trooped into the White House, with the president praising his visitors and them praising him, but that good cheer would sour in the evening after several hours of cable television. Then he would get on the phone, and in unguarded ramblings to friends and others, conversations that would routinely last for thirty or forty minutes, and could go much longer, he would vent, largely at the media and his staff. In what was termed by some of the self-appointed Trump experts around him—and everyone was a Trump expert—he seemed intent on “poisoning the well,” in which he created a loop of suspicion, disgruntlement, and blame heaped on others. When the president got on the phone after dinner, it was often a rambling affair. In paranoid or sadistic fashion, he’d speculate on the flaws and weaknesses of each member of his staff. Bannon was disloyal (not to mention he always looks like shit). Priebus was weak (not to mention he was short—a midget). Kushner was a suck-up. Spicer was stupid (and looks terrible too). Conway was a crybaby. Jared and Ivanka should never have come to Washington. His callers, largely because they found his conversation”” [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The president’s compulsive need for approval drives endless, self‑defeating communication, creating a toxic cycle of blame and paranoia. **In simple terms:** He seeks approval, causing chaotic, self‑defeating talk. Key Takeaway Recognize the cost of approval‑seeking. Themes leadership communication ego Mood critical analytical Type political psychological When to use this quote - executive decision‑making - public speaking - team dynamics Key Concepts psychology politics media self‑image Questions to Reflect On - How does seeking approval affect your decisions? - What strategies counteract self‑defeating communication? A Different Perspective Approval seeking can erode effective leadership. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bannon Disloyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bannon-disloyal-3455248/) [Experts Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts-trump-3455251/) [Heaped President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaped-president-3455249/) [Kushner Suck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kushner-suck-3455252/) [North star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-star/) [Staff Bannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staff-bannon-3455250/) [Stop talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop-talking/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [White house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/) ## Related quotes > [“When the president got on the phone after dinner, it was often a rambling affair. In paranoid or sadistic fashion, he’d speculate on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/when-the-president-got-on-the-phone-after-dinner-it-was-often-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“But most of the leaks, certainly the juiciest ones, were coming from the higher-ups—not to mention from the person occupying the topmost echelon. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/but-most-of-the-leaks-certainly-the-juiciest-ones-were-coming-from/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Bannon veered from “Mad Dog” Mattis—the retired four-star general whom Trump had nominated as secretary of defense—to a long riff on torture, the surprising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/bannon-veered-from-mad-dog-mattis-the-retired-four-star-general-whom/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [Graduates, your values matter. They are your north star. And work takes on new meaning when you feel you're pointed in the right direction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/graduates-your-values-matter-they-are-your-north-star-and-work-takes/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [“I can see the stars in your eyes from a mile away. They guide me to you just like the North Star.” Then he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-curry/i-can-see-the-stars-in-your-eyes-from-a-mile-away-they-guide-me-to/) [Kelly Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-curry/) > [If I could put my hand on the north star, would it be as beautiful? The sea is lovely, but when we bathe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-i-could-put-my-hand-on-the-north-star-would-it-be-as-beautiful-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [What can I do to make sure that middle-class families are feeling more secure, that more young people are able to access opportunity, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-can-i-do-to-make-sure-that-middle-class-families-are-feeling/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“Romano Guardini, surveying the moral and intellectual ruin that was Europe after the Second World War, wrote that we had entered the era of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-m-esolen/romano-guardini-surveying-the-moral-and-intellectual-ruin-that-was/) [Anthony M. Esolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-m-esolen/) > [“Deep in our history of struggle for freedom, Canada was the North star”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/deep-in-our-history-of-struggle-for-freedom-canada-was-the-north-star/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“I don’t believe you,’ he says. He takes a step towards me, fluster-ing me with his nearness, with his smell, which shouldn’t be so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/i-don-t-believe-you-he-says-he-takes-a-step-towards-me-fluster-ing-me/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [“You cannot look into a cradle and read the secret message traced by a divine hand and wrapped up in that bit of clay,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/you-cannot-look-into-a-cradle-and-read-the-secret-message-traced-by-a/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [Justice requires lawyers who are prepared, witnesses who tell the truth, judges who know the law, and jurors who stay awake. Justice is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-levine/justice-requires-lawyers-who-are-prepared-witnesses-who-tell-the/) [Paul Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-levine/) > [“If you are lost in a forest at night, you can follow the North Star to find your way out. You follow the North…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/if-you-are-lost-in-a-forest-at-night-you-can-follow-the-north-star-to/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [Economic growth is our North Star. Anyone who suggests we can just cut our way to prosperity isn't being honest. Anyone who suggests we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-moore/economic-growth-is-our-north-star-anyone-who-suggests-we-can-just-cut/) [Wes Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-moore/) > [There are many great outlets that we love and respect, but 'The North Star' really is going to be a hard news outlet with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/there-are-many-great-outlets-that-we-love-and-respect-but-the-north/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) ## More by Michael Wolff > [Donald Trump doesn't necessarily stay mad for very long. He's a transactional guy. If you can offer him something, he will take it. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-doesn-t-necessarily-stay-mad-for-very-long-he-s-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“he could yet make a case for a straight line from Nixon to Trump.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/he-could-yet-make-a-case-for-a-straight-line-from-nixon-to-trump/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“it confirmed Bannon’s worst fear: Trump, in his true heart, was a marshmallow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/it-confirmed-bannon-s-worst-fear-trump-in-his-true-heart-was-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“An important aspect of Kaplan’s New York Observer and its self-conscious inside media baseball was that the paper became the prime school for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/an-important-aspect-of-kaplan-s-new-york-observer-and-its-self/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The candidate who billed himself as a billionaire—ten times over—refused even to invest his own money in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-candidate-who-billed-himself-as-a-billionaire-ten-times-over/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [If institutions don't grow, they... well, I don't know what happens to them, because they always grow. I suppose the point is that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/if-institutions-don-t-grow-they-well-i-don-t-know-what-happens-to/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Even though Trump liked to portray his business as an empire, it was actually a discrete holding company and boutique enterprise,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/even-though-trump-liked-to-portray-his-business-as-an-empire-it-was/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“the organizational premise of the Trump White House: the family would always prevail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-organizational-premise-of-the-trump-white-house-the-family-would/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Trump, who referred to the Chinese leader as “Mr. X-i”; the president was told to think of him as a woman and call him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-who-referred-to-the-chinese-leader-as-mr-x-i-the-president-was/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Donald Trump, even more than his father, was perceived as a vulgarian—after all, he put his name on his buildings, quite a déclassé thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-even-more-than-his-father-was-perceived-as-a-vulgarian/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your e-book. Please use the search function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-index-that-appeared-in-the-print-version-of-this-title-does-not/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Trump liked to say that one of the things that made life worth living was getting your friends’ wives into bed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-liked-to-say-that-one-of-the-things-that-made-life-worth-living/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The kids”—Jared and Ivanka—exhibited an increasingly panicked sense that the FBI and DOJ were moving beyond Russian election interference and into family finances. “Ivanka…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-kids-jared-and-ivanka-exhibited-an-increasingly-panicked-sense/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [I am old enough to think the word 'journalist' is not all that noble a designation. Journalist - that record keeper, quote taker and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/i-am-old-enough-to-think-the-word-journalist-is-not-all-that-noble-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Politics had seemed to become, even well before the age of Trump, a mortal affair. It was now zero-sum: When one side profited, another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/politics-had-seemed-to-become-even-well-before-the-age-of-trump-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) [Explore all 570 Michael Wolff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) ## More North star quotes > [There are many great outlets that we love and respect, but 'The North Star' really is going to be a hard news outlet with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/there-are-many-great-outlets-that-we-love-and-respect-but-the-north/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) > [Economic growth is our North Star. Anyone who suggests we can just cut our way to prosperity isn't being honest. Anyone who suggests we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-moore/economic-growth-is-our-north-star-anyone-who-suggests-we-can-just-cut/) [Wes Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-moore/) > [“If you are lost in a forest at night, you can follow the North Star to find your way out. You follow the North…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/if-you-are-lost-in-a-forest-at-night-you-can-follow-the-north-star-to/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [Justice requires lawyers who are prepared, witnesses who tell the truth, judges who know the law, and jurors who stay awake. Justice is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-levine/justice-requires-lawyers-who-are-prepared-witnesses-who-tell-the/) [Paul Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-levine/) > [“You cannot look into a cradle and read the secret message traced by a divine hand and wrapped up in that bit of clay,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/you-cannot-look-into-a-cradle-and-read-the-secret-message-traced-by-a/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“I don’t believe you,’ he says. He takes a step towards me, fluster-ing me with his nearness, with his smell, which shouldn’t be so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/i-don-t-believe-you-he-says-he-takes-a-step-towards-me-fluster-ing-me/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [“Deep in our history of struggle for freedom, Canada was the North star”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/deep-in-our-history-of-struggle-for-freedom-canada-was-the-north-star/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“Romano Guardini, surveying the moral and intellectual ruin that was Europe after the Second World War, wrote that we had entered the era of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-m-esolen/romano-guardini-surveying-the-moral-and-intellectual-ruin-that-was/) [Anthony M. Esolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-m-esolen/) > [What can I do to make sure that middle-class families are feeling more secure, that more young people are able to access opportunity, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-can-i-do-to-make-sure-that-middle-class-families-are-feeling/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [If I could put my hand on the north star, would it be as beautiful? The sea is lovely, but when we bathe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-i-could-put-my-hand-on-the-north-star-would-it-be-as-beautiful-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“I can see the stars in your eyes from a mile away. They guide me to you just like the North Star.” Then he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-curry/i-can-see-the-stars-in-your-eyes-from-a-mile-away-they-guide-me-to/) [Kelly Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-curry/) > [Graduates, your values matter. They are your north star. And work takes on new meaning when you feel you're pointed in the right direction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/graduates-your-values-matter-they-are-your-north-star-and-work-takes/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [Once, I got lost in the middle of the desert and had to follow the North Star to find the dirt road where my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/once-i-got-lost-in-the-middle-of-the-desert-and-had-to-follow-the/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [“North Star: If you give these fragmented parts enough light and air, amazing things happen. You learn that everyone can be on deck and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-s-rosenau/north-star-if-you-give-these-fragmented-parts-enough-light-and-air/) [Helen S. Rosenau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-s-rosenau/) > [There is a universal truth we all have to face, whether we want to or not: everything eventually ends. As much as Ive looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-castle/there-is-a-universal-truth-we-all-have-to-face-whether-we-want-to-or/) [Alexis Castle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-castle/) [Browse all 114 North star quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-star/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The president couldn’t stop talking. He was plaintive and self-pitying, and it was obvious to everyone that if he had a north star, it was just to be liked. He was ever uncomprehending about why everyone did not like him, or why it should be so difficult to get everyone to like him. He might be happy throughout the day as a parade of union steel workers or CEOs trooped into the White House, with the president praising his visitors and them praising him, but that good cheer would sour in the evening after several hours of cable television. Then he would get on the phone, and in unguarded ramblings to friends and others, conversations that would routinely last for thirty or forty minutes, and could go much longer, he would vent, largely at the media and his staff. In what was termed by some of the self-appointed Trump experts around him—and everyone was a Trump expert—he seemed intent on “poisoning the well,” in which he created a loop of suspicion, disgruntlement, and blame heaped on others. When the president got on the phone after dinner, it was often a rambling affair. In paranoid or sadistic fashion, he’d speculate on the flaws and weaknesses of each member of his staff. Bannon was disloyal (not to mention he always looks like shit). Priebus was weak (not to mention he was short—a midget). Kushner was a suck-up. Spicer was stupid (and looks terrible too). Conway was a crybaby. Jared and Ivanka should never have come to Washington. His callers, largely because they found his conversation”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Wolff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-president-couldn-t-stop-talking-he-was-plaintive-and-self-pitying/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "North star" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-president-couldn-t-stop-talking-he-was-plaintive-and-self-pitying/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/michael-wolff-423_north-star_the-president-couldn-t-stop-talking-he-w_2801877.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/michael-wolff-423_north-star_the-president-couldn-t-stop-talking-he-w_2801877.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/michael-wolff-423_north-star_the-president-couldn-t-stop-talking-he-w_2801877.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The president couldn’t stop talking. He was plaintive and self-pitying, and it was obvious to everyone that…” — Michael Wolff", "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 Wolff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The president couldn’t stop talking. He...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-president-couldn-t-stop-talking-he-was-plaintive-and-self-pitying/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-president-couldn-t-stop-talking-he-was-plaintive-and-self-pitying/#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 } } ] } ```