--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can ask a President to provide for…" description: "\"“You can ask a President to provide for two years ahead, maybe for twenty or even thirty years, but not for two hundred or a thousand!”\" — Pierre Boulle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/pierre-boulle-32134_politics-of-the-unit_you-can-ask-a-president-to-provide-for-t_240277.jpg" --- # You can ask a President to provide for two years ahead… ![“You can ask a President to provide for two years ahead, maybe for twenty or even thirty years, but not for two hundred or a thousand!” quote by Pierre Boulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/pierre-boulle-32134_politics-of-the-unit_you-can-ask-a-president-to-provide-for-t_240277.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/pierre-boulle-32134_politics-of-the-unit_you-can-ask-a-president-to-provide-for-t_240277.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/pierre-boulle-32134_politics-of-the-unit_you-can-ask-a-president-to-provide-for-t_240277.jpg) > ““You can ask a President to provide for two years ahead, maybe for twenty or even thirty years, but not for two hundred or a thousand!”” [Pierre Boulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-boulle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaders promise long‑term support, but practical limits prevent planning beyond a few decades. **In simple terms:** Long‑term promises are unrealistic. Key Takeaway Set realistic timelines for planning. Themes leadership planning politics Mood cautious analytical Type political strategic When to use this quote - government budgeting - corporate strategy - personal goal setting Key Concepts strategic foresight policy limits Questions to Reflect On - How far ahead should leaders plan? - What risks arise from over‑promising? A Different Perspective Unexpected events can invalidate even short‑term forecasts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Space exploration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-exploration/) ## Related quotes > [A president has to provide leadership to gain support.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/a-president-has-to-provide-leadership-to-gain-support/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [I think it's time we had a President who will provide the only real economic security: good jobs. A President who will provide middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-think-it-s-time-we-had-a-president-who-will-provide-the-only-real/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [“When, in the fifteenth century, some audacious mariners who had sailed from Europe discovered America, nothing seemed to justify such a venture in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-boulle/when-in-the-fifteenth-century-some-audacious-mariners-who-had-sailed/) [Pierre Boulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-boulle/) > [“To rise from the national level to the level of mankind, I call that progress. And that's what's so admirable. For a man to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-boulle/to-rise-from-the-national-level-to-the-level-of-mankind-i-call-that/) [Pierre Boulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-boulle/) > [“ask the President and then tell the usher how many there will be. In the winter months,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-west/ask-the-president-and-then-tell-the-usher-how-many-there-will-be-in/) J.B. 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And then I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-cain/when-they-ask-me-who-s-the-president-of-ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan/) [Herman Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-cain/) > [I'm just warning you here: Don't anybody ask about the president's religion! Don't even get close to going there. Don't do it. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-m-just-warning-you-here-don-t-anybody-ask-about-the-president-s/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Set your sights not just on the next few weeks ... set your sights on the years ahead - because our vision will look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-rainey-harper/set-your-sights-not-just-on-the-next-few-weeks-set-your-sights-on-the/) [William Rainey Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-rainey-harper/) > [“One touch of His (God’s) favor can put you fifty years ahead of where you thought you’d be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/one-touch-of-his-god-s-favor-can-put-you-fifty-years-ahead-of-where/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) ## More by Pierre Boulle > [“The army had little attraction for him, but it afforded him the possibility of taking a great step toward his goal. After all, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-boulle/the-army-had-little-attraction-for-him-but-it-afforded-him-the/) [Pierre Boulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-boulle/) > [“I racked my brains to discover some sense in the events I had witnessed. I needed this intellectual exercise to escape from the despair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-boulle/i-racked-my-brains-to-discover-some-sense-in-the-events-i-had/) [Pierre Boulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-boulle/) > [“This time I felt it was impossible that they could entertain further doubt as to my true condition. 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Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-e-stevenson/) > [“Given time, Washington DC. has a way of making a Politician out of an Honest Man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rinna/given-time-washington-dc-has-a-way-of-making-a-politician-out-of-an/) Ron Rinna > [“The American craving for illegal, mind-altering, addictive chemicals provides a steady flow of American capital through the Texas border into Mexico and South America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-earl-maxwell/the-american-craving-for-illegal-mind-altering-addictive-chemicals/) William Earl Maxwell > [“Most politicians are corrupt as they do not represent the masses that voted for them, but rather they choose to return numerous favors to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/most-politicians-are-corrupt-as-they-do-not-represent-the-masses-that/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“I am looking forward to the departure of the corrupt Obama administration in 2017.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-am-looking-forward-to-the-departure-of-the-corrupt-obama/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Since America is in so much debt maybe President Trump will file bankrupt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-hickman/since-america-is-in-so-much-debt-maybe-president-trump-will-file/) [Omar Hickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-hickman/) > [“It does not require much historical knowledge (though it may require a certain historical perspective) to see that many, if not all, of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lukacs/it-does-not-require-much-historical-knowledge-though-it-may-require-a/) [John Lukacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lukacs/) > [“In other words, our constitution was designed by people who were idealistic but not ideological. There's a big difference. You can have a philosophy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-clinton/in-other-words-our-constitution-was-designed-by-people-who-were/) [Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-clinton/) > [“Shamelessness is not the same as honesty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-poniewozik/shamelessness-is-not-the-same-as-honesty/) [James Poniewozik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-poniewozik/) Browse all 77 Politics-of-the-united-states quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You can ask a President to provide for two years ahead, maybe for twenty or even thirty years, but not for two hundred or a thousand!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pierre Boulle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-boulle/you-can-ask-a-president-to-provide-for-two-years-ahead-maybe-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Politics-of-the-united-states" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-boulle/you-can-ask-a-president-to-provide-for-two-years-ahead-maybe-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/pierre-boulle-32134_politics-of-the-unit_you-can-ask-a-president-to-provide-for-t_240277.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/pierre-boulle-32134_politics-of-the-unit_you-can-ask-a-president-to-provide-for-t_240277.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/pierre-boulle-32134_politics-of-the-unit_you-can-ask-a-president-to-provide-for-t_240277.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can ask a President to provide for two years ahead, maybe for twenty or even thirty years, but not for…” — Pierre Boulle", "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": "Pierre Boulle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-boulle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“You can ask a President to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-boulle/you-can-ask-a-president-to-provide-for-two-years-ahead-maybe-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-boulle/you-can-ask-a-president-to-provide-for-two-years-ahead-maybe-for/#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 } } ] } ```