--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Presidents rise and fall according to how…" description: "\"“Presidents rise and fall according to how they handle a crisis - an invasion, a depression, a massive oil spill - but there's no glory in prevention, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d6/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy-3144_oil-spill_presidents-rise-and-fall-according-to-ho_1312284.jpg" --- # Presidents rise and fall according to how they handle a… ![“Presidents rise and fall according to how they handle a crisis - an invasion, a depression, a massive oil spill - but there's no glory in prevention, in foreseeing and forestalling and keeping the bad from getting worse. We know what happened when each president presided; they are often just as…” quote by Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d6/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy-3144_oil-spill_presidents-rise-and-fall-according-to-ho_1312284.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d6/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy-3144_oil-spill_presidents-rise-and-fall-according-to-ho_1312284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d6/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy-3144_oil-spill_presidents-rise-and-fall-according-to-ho_1312284.jpg) > ““Presidents rise and fall according to how they handle a crisis - an invasion, a depression, a massive oil spill - but there's no glory in prevention, in foreseeing and forestalling and keeping the bad from getting worse. We know what happened when each president presided; they are often just as proud of what didn't happen.”” [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaders are judged by crises they manage, not by crises they prevent, even though prevention is vital. **In simple terms:** Success is measured by visible crises, not by avoided ones. Key Takeaway Value preventive action as much as crisis response. Themes leadership crisis management prevention historical assessment Mood reflective critical Type analytical historical When to use this quote - government decisionmaking - policy planning - risk assessment - public communication Key Concepts political accountability risk mitigation public perception Questions to Reflect On - How can societies better recognize preventive leadership? - What incentives can encourage proactive crisis avoidance? A Different Perspective Prevention lacks visible glory, leading to underappreciation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Oil spill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oil-spill/) [Presidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidents/) [Rise and fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rise-and-fall/) ## Related quotes > [“Sometimes all we need to do to handle a crisis is to withdraw without engaging in it. To present an impervious shield that cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-mohan/sometimes-all-we-need-to-do-to-handle-a-crisis-is-to-withdraw-without/) Ruby Mohan > [Can a president who’s presided over, and possibly encouraged, Chinese-style surveillance of The Land of the Free honestly expect to serve out his full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-thompson/can-a-president-who-s-presided-over-and-possibly-encouraged-chinese/) [Damian Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-thompson/) > [I, myself, deeply regret what happened between me and President Clinton. Let me say it again: I. Myself. Deeply. Regret. What. Happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-lewinsky/i-myself-deeply-regret-what-happened-between-me-and-president-clinton/) [Monica Lewinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-lewinsky/) > [Immigration reform almost happened under President George W. Bush. Twice. And it was comprehensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/immigration-reform-almost-happened-under-president-george-w-bush/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to have been very, very modest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hayward/i-think-the-environmental-impact-of-this-disaster-is-likely-to-have/) [Tony Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hayward/) > [Arcitc Harp seal pup populations are declining as they are commercially hunted for oil and fur and global warming causes the ice where pups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-helene/arcitc-harp-seal-pup-populations-are-declining-as-they-are/) [Zoe Helene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-helene/) > [“Did You Know? The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska, the Challenger space shuttle disaster, and the Chernobyl nuclear accident have all been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-blumenthal/did-you-know-the-1989-exxon-valdez-oil-spill-off-alaska-the/) [Brett Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-blumenthal/) > [Alabama has made great progress in proving that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean are liable for the devastating effects of the oil spill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-strange/alabama-has-made-great-progress-in-proving-that-bp-halliburton-and/) [Luther Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-strange/) > [The Porter Ranch situation is the BP oil spill on land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-brockovich/the-porter-ranch-situation-is-the-bp-oil-spill-on-land/) [Erin Brockovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-brockovich/) > [All my journalism, all my books are first person, and it's all memoir. Even when I'm writing about the oil spill in the Gulf,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-heller/all-my-journalism-all-my-books-are-first-person-and-it-s-all-memoir/) [Peter Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-heller/) > [“I cooked with so many of the greats: Tom Colicchio, Eric Ripert, Wylie Dufresne, Grant Achatz. Rick Bayless taught me not one but two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-ballis/i-cooked-with-so-many-of-the-greats-tom-colicchio-eric-ripert-wylie/) [Stacey Ballis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-ballis/) > [After the oil spill, I had this strong feeling that if I ever were to be blessed in having children, I never wanted my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-milano/after-the-oil-spill-i-had-this-strong-feeling-that-if-i-ever-were-to/) [Alyssa Milano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-milano/) > [Disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, floods, oil spills and radioactive fallout cause massive death of people, pigs, bats and birds. These disasters also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-stamets/disasters-such-as-earthquakes-tsunamis-volcanoes-floods-oil-spills/) [Paul Stamets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-stamets/) > [Given Mr. Obama's lack of experience as an executive, and his past performance in crises such as the oil spill, it is reasonable for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-talent/given-mr-obama-s-lack-of-experience-as-an-executive-and-his-past/) [Jim Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-talent/) > [There could be oil coming up until August.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-browner/there-could-be-oil-coming-up-until-august/) [Carol Browner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-browner/) ## More by Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy > [“We want you to succeed," the younger Bush told Obama. "Whether we're Democrat or Republican, we all care deeply about this country...All of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/we-want-you-to-succeed-the-younger-bush-told-obama-whether-we-re/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“The phone would ring, and they would put their son on speakerphone. Ever sensitive to charges of puppeteering, Mrs. Bush let it known that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/the-phone-would-ring-and-they-would-put-their-son-on-speakerphone/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“The elder Bush explained later that "watching your son taking a pounding from his critics was much, much harder" than being president. "Barbara quit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/the-elder-bush-explained-later-that-watching-your-son-taking-a/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“Presidents, even when they get some things right, never cease to be punch lines, and it was telling that Nixon regarded his comic potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/presidents-even-when-they-get-some-things-right-never-cease-to-be/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“The club is bound together by an unspoken pledge to protect the presidency; but its members are often driven by an even more fierce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/the-club-is-bound-together-by-an-unspoken-pledge-to-protect-the/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“If the club creates a natural bond among its members, something of that sympathy extends to their families as well. The first ladies share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/if-the-club-creates-a-natural-bond-among-its-members-something-of/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“It was a classic Nixon move: goad an opponent into attacking, then ride a wave of sympathy s you defend your honour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/it-was-a-classic-nixon-move-goad-an-opponent-into-attacking-then-ride/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“But Eisenhower's advice was consistent, from his days as a general, to his years in the White House, to his role as veteran counselor:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/but-eisenhower-s-advice-was-consistent-from-his-days-as-a-general-to/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“By this time the Vietnam War was such a confusing issue to most Americans that Nixon could take as many positions as he liked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/by-this-time-the-vietnam-war-was-such-a-confusing-issue-to-most/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“Talbott understood that Nixon's private hospitality and his public obsession with U.S.-Russian relations were part of an elaborate rehabilitation scheme, designed to blur lingering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/talbott-understood-that-nixon-s-private-hospitality-and-his-public/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“..., but he gave Clinton a tip: when seeking advice from people who are more experienced than you, Nixon urged, tell them what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/but-he-gave-clinton-a-tip-when-seeking-advice-from-people-who-are/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“It was a stirring piece of bravado but Powell deftly set it aside. "My wife would understand perfectly your loyalty as a general's wife,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/it-was-a-stirring-piece-of-bravado-but-powell-deftly-set-it-aside-my/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“Eisenhower's military life taught him that talent was a necessary but not sufficient condition for success. The only way to guarantee smart decisions, Ike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/eisenhower-s-military-life-taught-him-that-talent-was-a-necessary-but/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“Eisenhower was the living symbol of what felt in 1969 like an easier age, when greatness was an American birthright, when the torrents of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/eisenhower-was-the-living-symbol-of-what-felt-in-1969-like-an-easier/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) > [“(Billy) Graham went through passages of hypochondria and his closest friends had to assure him that he was not about to die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/billy-graham-went-through-passages-of-hypochondria-and-his-closest/) [Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) [Explore all 16 Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/) ## More Oil spill quotes > [There could be oil coming up until August.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-browner/there-could-be-oil-coming-up-until-august/) [Carol Browner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-browner/) > [Given Mr. Obama's lack of experience as an executive, and his past performance in crises such as the oil spill, it is reasonable for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-talent/given-mr-obama-s-lack-of-experience-as-an-executive-and-his-past/) [Jim Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-talent/) > [Disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, floods, oil spills and radioactive fallout cause massive death of people, pigs, bats and birds. These disasters also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-stamets/disasters-such-as-earthquakes-tsunamis-volcanoes-floods-oil-spills/) [Paul Stamets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-stamets/) > [After the oil spill, I had this strong feeling that if I ever were to be blessed in having children, I never wanted my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-milano/after-the-oil-spill-i-had-this-strong-feeling-that-if-i-ever-were-to/) [Alyssa Milano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-milano/) > [“I cooked with so many of the greats: Tom Colicchio, Eric Ripert, Wylie Dufresne, Grant Achatz. Rick Bayless taught me not one but two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-ballis/i-cooked-with-so-many-of-the-greats-tom-colicchio-eric-ripert-wylie/) [Stacey Ballis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-ballis/) > [All my journalism, all my books are first person, and it's all memoir. Even when I'm writing about the oil spill in the Gulf,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-heller/all-my-journalism-all-my-books-are-first-person-and-it-s-all-memoir/) [Peter Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-heller/) > [The Porter Ranch situation is the BP oil spill on land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-brockovich/the-porter-ranch-situation-is-the-bp-oil-spill-on-land/) [Erin Brockovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-brockovich/) > [Alabama has made great progress in proving that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean are liable for the devastating effects of the oil spill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-strange/alabama-has-made-great-progress-in-proving-that-bp-halliburton-and/) [Luther Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-strange/) > [“Did You Know? The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska, the Challenger space shuttle disaster, and the Chernobyl nuclear accident have all been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-blumenthal/did-you-know-the-1989-exxon-valdez-oil-spill-off-alaska-the/) [Brett Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-blumenthal/) > [Arcitc Harp seal pup populations are declining as they are commercially hunted for oil and fur and global warming causes the ice where pups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-helene/arcitc-harp-seal-pup-populations-are-declining-as-they-are/) [Zoe Helene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-helene/) > [I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to have been very, very modest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hayward/i-think-the-environmental-impact-of-this-disaster-is-likely-to-have/) [Tony Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hayward/) > [“Everybody is comparing the oil spill to Hurricane Katrina, but the real parallel could be the Iranian hostage crisis. In the late 1970s, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/everybody-is-comparing-the-oil-spill-to-hurricane-katrina-but-the/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [They said the black oil wouldn't come ashore. Well, it is ashore. It's here to stay and it's going to keep coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-nungesser/they-said-the-black-oil-wouldn-t-come-ashore-well-it-is-ashore-it-s/) Billy Nungesser > [If you ask the fish whether they'd rather have an oil spill or a season of fishing, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd vote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/if-you-ask-the-fish-whether-they-d-rather-have-an-oil-spill-or-a/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [Have you been following the big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Or as we call it now, the Dead Sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/have-you-been-following-the-big-oil-spill-in-the-gulf-of-mexico-or-as/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) [Browse all 76 Oil spill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oil-spill/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Presidents rise and fall according to how they handle a crisis - an invasion, a depression, a massive oil spill - but there's no glory in prevention, in foreseeing and forestalling and keeping the bad from getting worse. We know what happened when each president presided; they are often just as proud of what didn't happen.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/presidents-rise-and-fall-according-to-how-they-handle-a-crisis-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Oil spill" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/presidents-rise-and-fall-according-to-how-they-handle-a-crisis-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d6/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy-3144_oil-spill_presidents-rise-and-fall-according-to-ho_1312284.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d6/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy-3144_oil-spill_presidents-rise-and-fall-according-to-ho_1312284.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d6/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy-3144_oil-spill_presidents-rise-and-fall-according-to-ho_1312284.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Presidents rise and fall according to how they handle a crisis - an invasion, a depression, a massive oil…” — Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy", "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": "Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Presidents rise and fall according to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/presidents-rise-and-fall-according-to-how-they-handle-a-crisis-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs-michael-duffy/presidents-rise-and-fall-according-to-how-they-handle-a-crisis-an/#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 } } ] } ```