--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Presidents make their hard decisions and…" description: "\"Presidents make their hard decisions and then abide forever with their mistakes and regrets.\" — Nancy Gibbs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/nancy-gibbs-2206_abide_presidents-make-their-hard-decisions-and_2812269.png" --- # Presidents make their hard decisions and then abide… ![“Presidents make their hard decisions and then abide forever with their mistakes and regrets.” quote by Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/nancy-gibbs-2206_abide_presidents-make-their-hard-decisions-and_2812269.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/nancy-gibbs-2206_abide_presidents-make-their-hard-decisions-and_2812269.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/nancy-gibbs-2206_abide_presidents-make-their-hard-decisions-and_2812269.png) > “Presidents make their hard decisions and then abide forever with their mistakes and regrets.” [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaders must accept the lasting impact of their tough choices, even when they cause regret. **In simple terms:** Leaders live with the consequences of hard decisions. Key Takeaway Own and learn from mistakes. Themes leadership responsibility regret Mood reflective somber Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - political office - corporate leadership - personal life decisions Key Concepts ethical decision‑making long‑term impact Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile past decisions with current values? - Can regret be transformed into growth? A Different Perspective Mistakes can be irreversible, causing ongoing distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisions/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Hard decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-decisions/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Mistakes And Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes-and-regret/) [Mistakes And Regrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes-and-regrets/) [Presidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidents/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Regrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regrets/) ## Related quotes > [My life is just a series of mistakes and regrets of varying degrees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-weeks/my-life-is-just-a-series-of-mistakes-and-regrets-of-varying-degrees/) [Ed Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-weeks/) > [A sense of acquiring more mistakes and regrets the older you get, but also deeper growth in learning from these things. The value of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-waggoner/a-sense-of-acquiring-more-mistakes-and-regrets-the-older-you-get-but/) Brooke Waggoner > [To avoid mistakes and regrets, always consult your wife before engaging in a flirtation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-avoid-mistakes-and-regrets-always-consult-your-wife-before/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Our mistakes and regrets are not barriers to becoming who we can be; they are a necessary ingredient.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-schnarch/our-mistakes-and-regrets-are-not-barriers-to-becoming-who-we-can-be/) [David Schnarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-schnarch/) > [Sometimes even if you know its a mistake, you just gotta make the mistake to make sure it wasn't a mistake The greatest thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/sometimes-even-if-you-know-its-a-mistake-you-just-gotta-make-the/) She's\_gone > [To live a life without mistakes and regrets is to never have lived at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/to-live-a-life-without-mistakes-and-regrets-is-to-never-have-lived-at/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [This is for the girls who have the tendency to stay up at night listening to music that reminds them of their currents situation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-for-the-girls-who-have-the-tendency-to-stay-up-at-night/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To all the girls who have the tenedency to stay up at night listening to music that reminds them of their current situation. Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriella/to-all-the-girls-who-have-the-tenedency-to-stay-up-at-night-listening/) [Gabriella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriella/) > [Hope!! I still have hope. After all those struggles I made in my life, I still have hope.without hope I would have lost myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sweeney/hope-i-still-have-hope-after-all-those-struggles-i-made-in-my-life-i/) [Ash Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sweeney/) > [“Everyone has a secret. The depth and darkness of that inner truth can be the precursor that determines ones lifeline or, perhaps, eventually, personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-hudson/everyone-has-a-secret-the-depth-and-darkness-of-that-inner-truth-can/) [A.M. Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-hudson/) > [This is for girls who have the tendency to stay up at night listening to music that reminds them of their current situation. Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zayn-malik/this-is-for-girls-who-have-the-tendency-to-stay-up-at-night-listening/) [Zayn Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zayn-malik/) > [Just because we fall doesnt make us failures. It makes us stronger and better because we learn to pick ourselves up and move on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narcissus-dhungana/just-because-we-fall-doesnt-make-us-failures-it-makes-us-stronger-and/) [Narcissus Dhungana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narcissus-dhungana/) > [Everywhere in life people are in authority to make decisions and you have to abide by them, whether right or wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nasser-hussain/everywhere-in-life-people-are-in-authority-to-make-decisions-and-you/) [Nasser Hussain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nasser-hussain/) > [American presidents get to make lots of choices, with one critical exception: what awaits them in the in-box on top of the desk in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/american-presidents-get-to-make-lots-of-choices-with-one-critical/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [Nobody suffers the pain of birth or the anguish of loving a child in order for presidents to make wars, for governments to feed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/nobody-suffers-the-pain-of-birth-or-the-anguish-of-loving-a-child-in/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) ## More by Nancy Gibbs > [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [The millennials were raised in a cocoon, their anxious parents afraid to let them go out in the park to play. So should we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/the-millennials-were-raised-in-a-cocoon-their-anxious-parents-afraid/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [Be bored and see where it takes you, because the imagination's dusty wilderness is worth crossing if you want to sculpt your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/be-bored-and-see-where-it-takes-you-because-the-imagination-s-dusty/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [As you probably know, I've written a lot about the presidency, so it's obviously exciting when you get to interview a president and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/as-you-probably-know-i-ve-written-a-lot-about-the-presidency-so-it-s/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [ \[Former chief executives\] come away thinking that America needs a strong, functioning presidency to succeed, and they become very protective of that office. Democrats… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/former-chief-executives-come-away-thinking-that-america-needs-a/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [It's hard to think of any tool, any instrument, any object in history with which so many developed so close a relationship so quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/it-s-hard-to-think-of-any-tool-any-instrument-any-object-in-history/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [“Lydon Johnson realized he really was President, that his identity had changed by President Kennedy's shocking death, when aides who had been like family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/lydon-johnson-realized-he-really-was-president-that-his-identity-had/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [A typical smart phone has more computing power than Apollo 11 when it landed a man on the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/a-typical-smart-phone-has-more-computing-power-than-apollo-11-when-it/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [George W. Bush, though a president's son, is cast as Reagan's heir even more than his father's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/george-w-bush-though-a-president-s-son-is-cast-as-reagan-s-heir-even/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [For God to be kept out of the classroom or out of America's public debate by nervous school administrators or overcautious politicians serves no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/for-god-to-be-kept-out-of-the-classroom-or-out-of-america-s-public/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [Pain is the most private experience, but its causes, whether natural or man-made, demand public accounting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/pain-is-the-most-private-experience-but-its-causes-whether-natural-or/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [On the court, Jason Collins is not a huge basketball star, but he has already claimed his place in civil rights history as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/on-the-court-jason-collins-is-not-a-huge-basketball-star-but-he-has/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [When you are a media celebrity, every word you speak is dissected, as are those you choose not to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/when-you-are-a-media-celebrity-every-word-you-speak-is-dissected-as/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [If you want to humble an empire it makes sense to maim its cathedrals. They are symbols of its faith, and when they crumple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/if-you-want-to-humble-an-empire-it-makes-sense-to-maim-its-cathedrals/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [“The wand is mighter then the sword.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/the-wand-is-mighter-then-the-sword/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) [Explore all 179 Nancy Gibbs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) ## More Abide quotes > [If there is an abiding theme in 'The Pursuit of Happiness,' it is the idea that you come into the world already shaped by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kennedy/if-there-is-an-abiding-theme-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness-it-is-the/) [Douglas Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kennedy/) > [All that is beautiful shall abide, All that is base shall die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-williams-buchanan/all-that-is-beautiful-shall-abide-all-that-is-base-shall-die/) [Robert Williams Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-williams-buchanan/) > [I cannot abide being bored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-cannot-abide-being-bored/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [You're president, if you conclude my judgment is not the right judgment, I abide by that, but I want an opportunity to have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/you-re-president-if-you-conclude-my-judgment-is-not-the-right/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [Abide in peace, banish cares, take no account of all that happens, and you will serve God according to his good pleasure and rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/abide-in-peace-banish-cares-take-no-account-of-all-that-happens-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hope abides; therefore I abide. Countless frustrations have not cowed me. I am still alive, vibrant with life. The black cloud will disappear, The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/hope-abides-therefore-i-abide-countless-frustrations-have-not-cowed/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [“The simple rule to abide by and become excellent is that “Don’t see what you have achieved yesterday with the same pleasure eyes you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-simple-rule-to-abide-by-and-become-excellent-is-that-don-t-see/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Making improvements to our background check system and cracking down on illegal gun trafficking are common-sense ways to prevent violence without punishing law abiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heinrich/making-improvements-to-our-background-check-system-and-cracking-down/) [Martin Heinrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heinrich/) > [Things well fitted abide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/things-well-fitted-abide/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [The owners said that they wanted the salary cap and refused to promise that they would abide by the rules of the just-expired contract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cone/the-owners-said-that-they-wanted-the-salary-cap-and-refused-to/) [David Cone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cone/) > [It matters not to me what I do, or what I suffer, so long as I abide loveingly united to God's will - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brother-lawrence/it-matters-not-to-me-what-i-do-or-what-i-suffer-so-long-as-i-abide/) [Brother Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brother-lawrence/) > [At 86, I can easily look back to the last eight decades. Though memory often fails me now, so many images of the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/at-86-i-can-easily-look-back-to-the-last-eight-decades-though-memory/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [If we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/if-we-do-not-abide-in-prayer-we-will-abide-in-temptation/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [My abiding theme is separations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-rossner/my-abiding-theme-is-separations/) [Judith Rossner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-rossner/) > [Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide; When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, Help of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-francis-lyte/abide-with-me-fast-falls-the-eventide-the-darkness-deepens-lord-with/) [Henry Francis Lyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-francis-lyte/) Browse all 104 Abide quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Presidents make their hard decisions and then abide forever with their mistakes and regrets.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nancy Gibbs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/presidents-make-their-hard-decisions-and-then-abide-forever-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abide" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/presidents-make-their-hard-decisions-and-then-abide-forever-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/nancy-gibbs-2206_abide_presidents-make-their-hard-decisions-and_2812269.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/nancy-gibbs-2206_abide_presidents-make-their-hard-decisions-and_2812269.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/nancy-gibbs-2206_abide_presidents-make-their-hard-decisions-and_2812269.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Presidents make their hard decisions and then abide forever with their mistakes and regrets.” — Nancy Gibbs", "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", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Presidents make their hard decisions and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/presidents-make-their-hard-decisions-and-then-abide-forever-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/presidents-make-their-hard-decisions-and-then-abide-forever-with/#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 } } ] } ```