--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even if I disagree with Obama on many…" description: "\"Even if I disagree with Obama on many, many things, he is certainly qualified to be president. He is certainly competent to be president.\" — Penn Jillette" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88f/penn-jillette-1046_competent_even-if-i-disagree-with-obama-on-many-ma_293634.png" --- # Even if I disagree with Obama on many, many things, he is… ![“Even if I disagree with Obama on many, many things, he is certainly qualified to be president. He is certainly competent to be president.” quote by Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88f/penn-jillette-1046_competent_even-if-i-disagree-with-obama-on-many-ma_293634.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88f/penn-jillette-1046_competent_even-if-i-disagree-with-obama-on-many-ma_293634.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88f/penn-jillette-1046_competent_even-if-i-disagree-with-obama-on-many-ma_293634.png) > “Even if I disagree with Obama on many, many things, he is certainly qualified to be president. He is certainly competent to be president.” [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker acknowledges disagreement but affirms the subject’s competence for a leadership role. **In simple terms:** Disagree yet recognize competence. Key Takeaway Respect competence despite differences. Themes politics leadership respect Mood thoughtful analytical Type statement opinion When to use this quote - election debates - team hiring - policy discussions Key Concepts competence evaluation political discourse Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance disagreement with respect? - When is competence insufficient? A Different Perspective Competence alone may not address all concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) ## Related quotes > [I think it's about having a competent president, and I don't really think gender has to do with how Hillary Clinton will lead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-portman/i-think-it-s-about-having-a-competent-president-and-i-don-t-really/) [Natalie Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-portman/) > [“Certainly I’m qualified to crash a dirigible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/certainly-i-m-qualified-to-crash-a-dirigible/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [The symbolic value of having an African-American president has certainly eased some racial tensions in America, but they're not gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-symbolic-value-of-having-an-african-american-president-has/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [But for all those who don't want the Queen there are easily as many who don't want a President and even more who certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-camp/but-for-all-those-who-don-t-want-the-queen-there-are-easily-as-many/) [Dalton Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-camp/) > [“Yet there was no doubt that Theodore Roosevelt was peculiarly qualified to be President of all the people. Few, if any Americans could match…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-morris/yet-there-was-no-doubt-that-theodore-roosevelt-was-peculiarly/) [Edmund Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-morris/) > [In her new book, Sarah Palin says she once gave up chocolate for an entire year just to prove she could do it. Still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/in-her-new-book-sarah-palin-says-she-once-gave-up-chocolate-for-an/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [I don't feel qualified to be president either, but I've got the job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/i-don-t-feel-qualified-to-be-president-either-but-i-ve-got-the-job/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Nobody is really qualified to be the president. Basically it's an acting job. You have to act like you're the president. And every four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-jeni/nobody-is-really-qualified-to-be-the-president-basically-it-s-an/) [Richard Jeni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-jeni/) > [Donald Trump must give the American public his tax returns to show that he's qualified to be president and he's breaking his promise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/donald-trump-must-give-the-american-public-his-tax-returns-to-show/) [Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/) > [I don't think the Donald Trump's qualified to be president of the United States, and every time he speaks, that opinion is confirmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-don-t-think-the-donald-trump-s-qualified-to-be-president-of-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Frankly, if I had paid more than are legally due I don't think I'd be qualified to become president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/frankly-if-i-had-paid-more-than-are-legally-due-i-don-t-think-i-d-be/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [ Senator \[Ted\] Cruz is not qualified to be president because he doesn't have the right temperament and acted like a maniac when he arrived… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/senator-ted-cruz-is-not-qualified-to-be-president-because-he-doesn-t/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Donald Trump is not qualified to be president because he's not qualified to deal with Vladimir Putin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/donald-trump-is-not-qualified-to-be-president-because-he-s-not/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [I think what more and more Americans are concluding is that Donald Trump is not a man who is qualified to be president, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-think-what-more-and-more-americans-are-concluding-is-that-donald/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be Vice President of the United States of America. Let's get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/hillary-clinton-is-as-qualified-or-more-qualified-than-i-am-to-be-2/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) ## More by Penn Jillette > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [I intend to do the Penn & Teller show until they pry my cheesy magic wand from my cold dead fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-intend-to-do-the-penn-teller-show-until-they-pry-my-cheesy-magic/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Part of the experience of being entertained is sitting back and plugging into someone else's vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/part-of-the-experience-of-being-entertained-is-sitting-back-and/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [That whole 99% thing, they are all in the 1% of the world. Every one of them pays a cellphone bill that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/that-whole-99-thing-they-are-all-in-the-1-of-the-world-every-one-of/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [I will forever stick up for Catholics and Christians in general. With a small number of very horrible exceptions, they do play by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-will-forever-stick-up-for-catholics-and-christians-in-general-with/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [I believe very much that the most damning thing you can say about Muslims is that you're afraid to say anything because they'll hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-believe-very-much-that-the-most-damning-thing-you-can-say-about/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [I'm not bothered by the idea of getting old, or I guess you could say by having arrived at old. I was 10 when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-m-not-bothered-by-the-idea-of-getting-old-or-i-guess-you-could-say/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [I'm always surprised when the corporate world does stupid things, because they're often not very stupid in hindsight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-m-always-surprised-when-the-corporate-world-does-stupid-things/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [It's only the losers named 'Dave' that think having an unusual name is bad, and who cares what they think? They're named 'Dave.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/it-s-only-the-losers-named-dave-that-think-having-an-unusual-name-is/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [The only secret of magic is that I'm willing to work harder on it than you think it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/the-only-secret-of-magic-is-that-i-m-willing-to-work-harder-on-it/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Well, it's not really the right word, but freedom is kind of a hobby with me, and I have disposable income that I'll spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/well-it-s-not-really-the-right-word-but-freedom-is-kind-of-a-hobby/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [It is really funny to see people that you know acting unpleasantly just because there are TV cameras on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/it-is-really-funny-to-see-people-that-you-know-acting-unpleasantly/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [My whole take on libertarianism is simply that I don't know what's best for other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/my-whole-take-on-libertarianism-is-simply-that-i-don-t-know-what-s/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Freedom means the right to be stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/freedom-means-the-right-to-be-stupid/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [“Once you've condoned faith in general, you've condoned any crazy shit done because of faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/once-you-ve-condoned-faith-in-general-you-ve-condoned-any-crazy-shit/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) [Explore all 302 Penn Jillette quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) ## More Competent quotes > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [“In your goals to go the extra mile, prepare to pay an extra cost. Excellence is to be exceptional, surpassing, more competent and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/in-your-goals-to-go-the-extra-mile-prepare-to-pay-an-extra-cost/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [You basically have a group of four spies who are chosen for a mission they feel for the fact of how competent they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-leblanc/you-basically-have-a-group-of-four-spies-who-are-chosen-for-a-mission/) [Matt LeBlanc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-leblanc/) > [While photography is the easiest medium in which to be competent, it is the hardest in which to develop an idiosyncratic personal vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/while-photography-is-the-easiest-medium-in-which-to-be-competent-it/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [There's always, I guess, a philosophy that if you come in, you want to change all the parts, you want to change everything over.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-gillick/there-s-always-i-guess-a-philosophy-that-if-you-come-in-you-want-to/) [Pat Gillick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-gillick/) > [If you are any competent musician, if you have creative ideas, ideas of songs, of arrangements, in a band like the Stones, where these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-wyman/if-you-are-any-competent-musician-if-you-have-creative-ideas-ideas-of/) [Bill Wyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-wyman/) > [I remember when President Bush, George W. Bush, came into office, he focused on No Child Left Behind, and with - and before very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-alexander/i-remember-when-president-bush-george-w-bush-came-into-office-he/) [Lamar Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-alexander/) > [I have so many positive points. I am not corrupt, I am competent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamilisai-soundararajan/i-have-so-many-positive-points-i-am-not-corrupt-i-am-competent/) [Tamilisai Soundararajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamilisai-soundararajan/) > [We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/we-could-encourage-the-best-qualities-of-youthfulness-curiosity/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [As part of our ongoing series of reports on the environment, 'America Goes Green,' we take on the question that can make otherwise competent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-williams/as-part-of-our-ongoing-series-of-reports-on-the-environment-america/) [Brian Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-williams/) > [As for mathematicians themselves: don't expect too much help. Most of them are too far removed in their ivory towers to take up such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apostolos-doxiadis/as-for-mathematicians-themselves-don-t-expect-too-much-help-most-of/) [Apostolos Doxiadis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apostolos-doxiadis/) > [But medicine has long had all its means to hand, and has discovered both a principle and a method, through which the discoveries made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippocrates/but-medicine-has-long-had-all-its-means-to-hand-and-has-discovered/) [Hippocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippocrates/) > [Not everyone in an organization is in a position to accumulate power through competent performance because most people are just carrying out the ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosabeth-moss-kanter/not-everyone-in-an-organization-is-in-a-position-to-accumulate-power/) [Rosabeth Moss Kanter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosabeth-moss-kanter/) > [How infinitely happier and more grateful is the whole personality or spirit when it finds something nourishing in art or writing or thinking, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/how-infinitely-happier-and-more-grateful-is-the-whole-personality-or/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [One could count on one's fingers the number of scientists throughout the world with a general idea of the history and development of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/one-could-count-on-one-s-fingers-the-number-of-scientists-throughout/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) Browse all 395 Competent quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even if I disagree with Obama on many, many things, he is certainly qualified to be president. 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