Barack Quote by Neera Tanden
“I think a lot of people - to be candid about it - are like, if Donald Trump can be president, so can I. And I think there's a whole crop, a new generation of people who aren't on the tip of anyone's tongue, just like Bill Clinton wasn't on anyone's tongue; just like a lot of people didn't expect Barack Obama to take off like he did. I think we will have a lot of new people running, and there are obviously a lot of fantastic people who have run before, or standard-bearers, right. All right. So, I think there's just going to be a ton of those people.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public remarks, date unknown
The quote suggests that seeing unconventional leaders succeed inspires ordinary people to believe they too can achieve high office, leading to a surge of new candidates.
In simple terms: Seeing unlikely leaders succeed encourages others to run for office.
Key Takeaway
Believe you can succeed and run.
Themes
politics
inspiration
leadership
democracy
social change
Mood
hopeful
optimistic
critical
Type
motivational
observational
When to use this quote
- elections
- campaigns
- community organizing
- political activism
Key Concepts
role models
political ambition
grassroots movements
Questions to Reflect On
- What barriers might new candidates still face?
- How can we support diverse candidates?
A Different Perspective
Success stories may overlook systemic barriers that still limit many.
![“We're actually saying, here's a principle that I'd like to arc toward. That's a very different role in life. I didn't expect [Barack] Obama to go to the root of things. I didn't expect him to have a principled position on anything. I mean, just pay some moderate attention to the guy.” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4af/bill-ayers-1848_arcs_we-re-actually-saying-here-s-a-principle_1087486.jpg)
![“If we want to expect something from this [Barack Obama] administration, it is not to be weak, to be strong to say that "we don't have evidence," that "we have to obey the international law", that "we have to go back to the Security Council and the United Nations".” quote by Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e8b/bashar-al-assad-1027_administration_if-we-want-to-expect-something-from-this_1171386.jpg)
![“I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect [Donald Trump], or then-president [Barack Obama]. But it's - I'm very clear. I voted for the change that put the Army Field Manual in place as a member of Congress. I understand that law very, very quickly and am also deeply aware…” quote by James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/761/james-mattis-9515_army_i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-th_3990.jpg)
![“The president [Barack Obama] asked for a commitment of, I think, 100,000 jobs for veterans and military spouses over the next couple of years. And we announced during the tour last week that we have gotten more than 60,000 jobs, and we're well on our way to just crashing that goal out of the…” quote by Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/83d/michelle-obama-518_barack_the-president-barack-obama-asked-for-a-c_15651.jpg)
![“I think the president's [Barack Obama] position has been very clear on Syria. He wants more aggressive, he's put the Special Ops on the ground, in fact one of the Republican criticisms is he's got thousands of Americans there. We just don't call them troops on the ground, we don't admit to it. But…” quote by Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f9c/juan-williams-7909_aggressive_i-think-the-president-s-barack-obama-pos_17086.jpg)
![“It cannot be an American fight. And I think what the president [Barack Obama] has consistently said - which I agree with - is that we will support those who take the fight to ISIS. That is why we have troops in Iraq that are helping to train and build back up the Iraqi military, why we have…” quote by Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f1e/hillary-clinton-51_agree_it-cannot-be-an-american-fight-and-i-thi_19737.jpg)
![“It wasn't [Barack] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being wheeled by her son waving a big American flag, and then seeing a guy with his baby in his arms saying, "I didn't want her to miss tonight! I wanted to be able to tell her!" And…” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/806/bill-ayers-1848_able_it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the_20409.jpg)
