---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Putin wants to stay in power, but not so…"
description: "\"Putin wants to stay in power, but not so that he can finally solve our most pressing problems: education, health care, poverty.\" — Mikhail Gorbachev"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/mikhail-gorbachev-2500_care_putin-wants-to-stay-in-power-but-not-so_2660280.jpg"
---

#  Putin wants to stay in power, but not so that he can…

![“Putin wants to stay in power, but not so that he can finally solve our most pressing problems: education, health care, poverty.” quote by Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/mikhail-gorbachev-2500_care_putin-wants-to-stay-in-power-but-not-so_2660280.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/mikhail-gorbachev-2500_care_putin-wants-to-stay-in-power-but-not-so_2660280.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/mikhail-gorbachev-2500_care_putin-wants-to-stay-in-power-but-not-so_2660280.jpg)

> “Putin wants to stay in power, but not so that he can finally solve our most pressing problems: education, health care, poverty.”

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

## About This Quote

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

Power retention is often used to avoid addressing deep societal issues like education and health.

**In simple terms:** Staying in power can block solving real problems.

Key Takeaway

Avoid using authority to sidestep reforms.

Themes

politics leadership social responsibility

Mood

critical reflective

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- government reform
- public health initiatives
- education funding
- poverty alleviation

Key Concepts

authoritarianism policy inertia

Questions to Reflect On

- What incentives keep leaders from reforming?
- How can citizens demand accountability?

A Different Perspective

Power can become a shield against accountability.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Health care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-care/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/)

## Related quotes

> [Putin wants to reestablish Russian greatness, not as the Cold War, but in 19th century empire terms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/putin-wants-to-reestablish-russian-greatness-not-as-the-cold-war-but/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Putin wants to restore the Russian empire. That's his ambition; he's stated it many times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/putin-wants-to-restore-the-russian-empire-that-s-his-ambition-he-s/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [Vladimir Putin wants to become the de facto head of an illiberal, xenophobic, hypernationalist trend in world politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/vladimir-putin-wants-to-become-the-de-facto-head-of-an-illiberal/)

[David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/)

> [Putin wants nothing less than to return Russia to the center of global politics by challenging the primacy that the United States has enjoyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivo-daalder/putin-wants-nothing-less-than-to-return-russia-to-the-center-of/)

[Ivo Daalder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivo-daalder/)

> [The Japanese people, though largely united in recognizing the threat of global warming and rising sea levels, are likely to face hurdles in reforming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/the-japanese-people-though-largely-united-in-recognizing-the-threat/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

> [During the Depression, or back when we were fighting Hitler, people didn't have time to sue a company if the coffee was too hot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/during-the-depression-or-back-when-we-were-fighting-hitler-people/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [If you're overbooked, you can't manage pressing problems or even recognize they're pressing until too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-kotter/if-you-re-overbooked-you-can-t-manage-pressing-problems-or-even/)

[John P. Kotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-p-kotter/)

> [From climate change to the gun violence epidemic, our nation faces many pressing problems. We - the President and Congress - were elected to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-phillips/from-climate-change-to-the-gun-violence-epidemic-our-nation-faces/)

[Dean Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-phillips/)

> [Look at your heart-flower and smile. You will be able to solve your most pressing problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/look-at-your-heart-flower-and-smile-you-will-be-able-to-solve-your/)

[Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/)

> [I support such a review, ... But the reality is that we don't need the results of a strategic study to know that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lieberman/i-support-such-a-review-but-the-reality-is-that-we-don-t-need-the/)

[Joe Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lieberman/)

> [All too often, technology is treated as a silver bullet for perceived problems in education. This sometimes leads to knee-jerk investments, using scarce resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/all-too-often-technology-is-treated-as-a-silver-bullet-for-perceived/)

[Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/)

> [There are terrific models for success with reluctant readers, but many school systems and state governments need to set aside their 'not invented here'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/there-are-terrific-models-for-success-with-reluctant-readers-but-many/)

[James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/)

> [While the Tan Yan Kee foundation believes that it is merely scratching the surface relative to the gargantuan problems in the education sector, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucio-tan/while-the-tan-yan-kee-foundation-believes-that-it-is-merely/)

[Lucio Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucio-tan/)

> [Plasticene and self-expression will not solve the problems of education. Nor will technology and vocational guidance; nor the classics and the Hundred Best Books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/plasticene-and-self-expression-will-not-solve-the-problems-of/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [We should recognize that schools will never solve the bedrock problems of education because the problems are problems of families, of cultural pressures that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/we-should-recognize-that-schools-will-never-solve-the-bedrock/)

[David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/)

## More by Mikhail Gorbachev

> [Gentlemen, comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about Glasnost and Perestroika and democracy in the coming years. They are primarily for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/gentlemen-comrades-do-not-be-concerned-about-all-you-hear-about/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [We have no right ever to forget that psychological warfare is a struggle for winning people's minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/we-have-no-right-ever-to-forget-that-psychological-warfare-is-a/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [The most puzzling development in politics during the last decade is the apparent determination of Western European leaders to re-create the Soviet Union in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/the-most-puzzling-development-in-politics-during-the-last-decade-is/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [In effect, according to Lenin, socialism and democracy are indivisible. By gaining democratic freedoms the working masses come to power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/in-effect-according-to-lenin-socialism-and-democracy-are-indivisible/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [The shortage of fresh water is the major ecological problem of this moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/the-shortage-of-fresh-water-is-the-major-ecological-problem-of-this/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [If people don't like Marxism, they should blame the British Museum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/if-people-don-t-like-marxism-they-should-blame-the-british-museum/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [The time has come to choose a new direction of global development, to opt for a new civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/the-time-has-come-to-choose-a-new-direction-of-global-development-to/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [In Russia, there are those who make their money in criminal ways, but I earn everything myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/in-russia-there-are-those-who-make-their-money-in-criminal-ways-but-i/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [Without perestroika, the cold war simply would not have ended. But the world could not continue developing as it had, with the stark menace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/without-perestroika-the-cold-war-simply-would-not-have-ended-but-the/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [What happened to the Soviet Union happened mainly for domestic reasons. It was a failure of the model based on a command economy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/what-happened-to-the-soviet-union-happened-mainly-for-domestic/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [Women prevent the threads of life from being broken. The finest minds have always understood the peacemaking role of women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/women-prevent-the-threads-of-life-from-being-broken-the-finest-minds/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [For the first time ever, we have confronted in reality the sinister power of uncontrolled nuclear energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/for-the-first-time-ever-we-have-confronted-in-reality-the-sinister/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [A new world order is taking shape so fast that governments as well as private citizens find it difficult just to absorb the gallop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/a-new-world-order-is-taking-shape-so-fast-that-governments-as-well-as/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [It seems that the most important thing about Reagan was his anti-Communism and his reputation as a hawk who saw the Soviet Union as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/it-seems-that-the-most-important-thing-about-reagan-was-his-anti/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [The threat of environmental crisis is the 'international disaster key' to unlock the New World Order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/the-threat-of-environmental-crisis-is-the-international-disaster-key/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

[Explore all 163 Mikhail Gorbachev quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

## More Care quotes

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/)

[Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/)

[Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/)

[James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/)

[Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

[Browse all 19,019 Care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Putin wants to stay in power, but not so that he can finally solve our most pressing problems: education, health care, poverty.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mikhail Gorbachev"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/putin-wants-to-stay-in-power-but-not-so-that-he-can-finally-solve-our/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Care"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/putin-wants-to-stay-in-power-but-not-so-that-he-can-finally-solve-our/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/mikhail-gorbachev-2500_care_putin-wants-to-stay-in-power-but-not-so_2660280.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/mikhail-gorbachev-2500_care_putin-wants-to-stay-in-power-but-not-so_2660280.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/mikhail-gorbachev-2500_care_putin-wants-to-stay-in-power-but-not-so_2660280.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Putin wants to stay in power, but not so that he can finally solve our most pressing problems: education…” — Mikhail Gorbachev",
                "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": "Mikhail Gorbachev",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Putin wants to stay in power,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/putin-wants-to-stay-in-power-but-not-so-that-he-can-finally-solve-our/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/putin-wants-to-stay-in-power-but-not-so-that-he-can-finally-solve-our/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
