--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After [Dan Fried] was initially hired…" description: "\"After [Dan Fried] was initially hired into the Foreign Service in 1977, five subsequent presidents of both parties thought it would be a good idea to k..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/rachel-maddow-1240_assets_after-dan-fried-was-initially-hired-into_897226.png" --- # After \[Dan Fried\] was initially hired into the Foreign… ![“After [Dan Fried] was initially hired into the Foreign Service in 1977, five subsequent presidents of both parties thought it would be a good idea to keep him on. That his deep understanding, his knowledge of all the players and so many of the secrets it would make him an indispensable asset…” quote by Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/rachel-maddow-1240_assets_after-dan-fried-was-initially-hired-into_897226.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/rachel-maddow-1240_assets_after-dan-fried-was-initially-hired-into_897226.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/rachel-maddow-1240_assets_after-dan-fried-was-initially-hired-into_897226.png) > “After \[Dan Fried\] was initially hired into the Foreign Service in 1977, five subsequent presidents of both parties thought it would be a good idea to keep him on. That his deep understanding, his knowledge of all the players and so many of the secrets it would make him an indispensable asset, particularly when it comes to dealing with Russia.” [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Her expertise and deep knowledge make her a valuable asset in US‑Russia relations. **In simple terms:** Her deep knowledge makes her indispensable in dealing with Russia. Key Takeaway Cultivate expertise to become indispensable. Themes expertise politics geopolitics Mood analytical cautious Type political strategic When to use this quote - diplomacy - policy advising - international negotiations Key Concepts foreign service strategic analysis Questions to Reflect On - How can one maintain relevance across administrations? - What risks arise from being a key insider? A Different Perspective Expertise may be underutilized without political support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assets/) [Dan Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dan-fried-1052863/) [Dealing Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dealing-russia-1206228/) [Deep understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-understanding/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Foreign service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-service/) [Good ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-ideas/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Indispensable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indispensable/) [Initially Hired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/initially-hired-1206229/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/player/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Subsequent Presidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subsequent-presidents-1206227/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [ The \[Donald\] Trump folks chose not to keep \[Dan Fried\] on. He was actually - I said he was actually the third-most senior diplomat… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-donald-trump-folks-chose-not-to-keep-dan-fried-on-he-was-actually/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [ \[Dan Fried\] served six presidents over a 40-year career dating back to the \[Jimmy\] Carter administration. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/dan-fried-served-six-presidents-over-a-40-year-career-dating-back-to/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [ \[Dan Fried\] served under President \[Barack\] Obama and under President George W. Bush before that and under President \[Bill\] Clinton before that and under… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/dan-fried-served-under-president-barack-obama-and-under-president/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [ \[Dan fried\] is the department's foremost Russia expert and he, too, is now leaving at a time when arguably the State Department needs it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/dan-fried-is-the-department-s-foremost-russia-expert-and-he-too-is/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [ \[Dan Fried \]is a pillar of the U.S. State Department. He's part of its institutional memory. He has been in the room for basically… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/dan-fried-is-a-pillar-of-the-u-s-state-department-he-s-part-of-its/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [General Mike Flynn obviously was dealing with Russia. So that's one person. But he was dealing, as he should have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/general-mike-flynn-obviously-was-dealing-with-russia-so-that-s-one/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The Finnish way of dealing with Russia, whatever the situation, is that we will be very decisive to show what we don't like, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sauli-niinisto/the-finnish-way-of-dealing-with-russia-whatever-the-situation-is-that/) [Sauli Niinisto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sauli-niinisto/) > [ The \[Donald\] Trump administration got rid of the number one and number two most senior people ahead of \[Dan fried\] in the foreign service,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-donald-trump-administration-got-rid-of-the-number-one-and-number/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I am honored to serve on the Board of Visitors for Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Being the first board member from Latin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-salinas-pliego/i-am-honored-to-serve-on-the-board-of-visitors-for-georgetown/) [Ricardo Salinas Pliego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-salinas-pliego/) > [I was born in Australia and grew up in the foreign services. I had this kind of trans-Pacific life. I think I was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-alison/i-was-born-in-australia-and-grew-up-in-the-foreign-services-i-had/) [Jane Alison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-alison/) > [Having spent years in academia - at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Oxford University and Harvard Law School - I encountered a wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/having-spent-years-in-academia-at-georgetown-university-school-of/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) > [Yeah, my dad was in the foreign service. We lived in India, Indonesia and Africa, and we traveled a lot from those places. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-walsh/yeah-my-dad-was-in-the-foreign-service-we-lived-in-india-indonesia/) [Dylan Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-walsh/) > [You try various things when you're growing up. I was an attache in the Foreign Service for a while and then I drove a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-moran/you-try-various-things-when-you-re-growing-up-i-was-an-attache-in-the/) [Dylan Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-moran/) > [Moskin has brought together with care and lucidity an inside history of American diplomacy written through the eyes of the many diplomats who conceived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-pickering/moskin-has-brought-together-with-care-and-lucidity-an-inside-history/) [Thomas R. Pickering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-pickering/) > [Let me be clear: I'm a believer in a robust military, which is essential for backing up diplomacy. But the implication is that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-d-kristof/let-me-be-clear-i-m-a-believer-in-a-robust-military-which-is/) [Nicholas D. Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-d-kristof/) ## More by Rachel Maddow > [ Ben Carson also denounced \[Donald\] Trump's ban all Muslims proposal saying we do not and would not advocate being selective on one's religion. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/ben-carson-also-denounced-donald-trump-s-ban-all-muslims-proposal/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [ Senator \[Tom\] Cotton has campaigned on wanting to kill Obamacare. He voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act back in January, but he now… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/senator-tom-cotton-has-campaigned-on-wanting-to-kill-obamacare-he/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [ \[Tom Cotton\] has been an absolute champion of the idea of getting rid of Obamacare, scrapping the Affordable Care Act. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/tom-cotton-has-been-an-absolute-champion-of-the-idea-of-getting-rid/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [If you're working on better conditions for prisoners, if you make that a popular issue and you invite mainstream media to weigh in on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/if-you-re-working-on-better-conditions-for-prisoners-if-you-make-that/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Liberals say that we are secular country with a majority of Christians, absolutely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/liberals-say-that-we-are-secular-country-with-a-majority-of/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [What's insulting to the American people, the Senate, to this whole process is that the Republicans, with all other nominees, have said Democrats are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/what-s-insulting-to-the-american-people-the-senate-to-this-whole/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Oswald Mosley's movement, it was a big movement. It was obviously anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, it was populist. Mosley wanted to replace the parliamentary system of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/oswald-mosley-s-movement-it-was-a-big-movement-it-was-obviously-anti/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Pentagon dollars are essentially seen as a different kind of funding that doesn't have to stand for itself and make an argument for itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/pentagon-dollars-are-essentially-seen-as-a-different-kind-of-funding/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Military preparedness is absolutely a form of strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/military-preparedness-is-absolutely-a-form-of-strength/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [When Conservatives crusade against government while they are trying to be appointed to head the government, I think that's weird!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/when-conservatives-crusade-against-government-while-they-are-trying/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [One of the manifestations of depression for me is that I lose my will. And I thereby lose my ability to focus. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/one-of-the-manifestations-of-depression-for-me-is-that-i-lose-my-will/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [There had been a proposed plank for the platform that said the Republican Party believed the United States should support Ukraine in any way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/there-had-been-a-proposed-plank-for-the-platform-that-said-the/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [John McCain has refused to ever criticize Sarah Palin, to ever admit there was anything wrong about her choice. He has been capital "L"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/john-mccain-has-refused-to-ever-criticize-sarah-palin-to-ever-admit/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [ The more you push back on Donald \[Trump\], whether you're in the media or whether you are in the GOP establishment, the stronger his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-more-you-push-back-on-donald-trump-whether-you-re-in-the-media-or/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) [Explore all 268 Rachel Maddow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) ## More Assets quotes > [A great smile is a wonderful asset, but a good heart is pure gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/a-great-smile-is-a-wonderful-asset-but-a-good-heart-is-pure-gold/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [Most people put money in their piggy bank. I buy a goose that lays golden eggs over and over again. That's what an asset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/most-people-put-money-in-their-piggy-bank-i-buy-a-goose-that-lays/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [Groupon has some interesting assets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cohler/groupon-has-some-interesting-assets/) [Matt Cohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cohler/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Well I think they broke the mould when they made me and being humble is one of my great assets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hagman/well-i-think-they-broke-the-mould-when-they-made-me-and-being-humble/) [Larry Hagman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hagman/) > [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader & an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/) [Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/) > [Why doesn't the United States take over the monarchy and unite with England? England does have important assets. Naturally the longer you wait, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/why-doesn-t-the-united-states-take-over-the-monarchy-and-unite-with/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [You have great assets if you're a dual-threat, but you still have to throw from the pocket and do all those types of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mariota/you-have-great-assets-if-you-re-a-dual-threat-but-you-still-have-to/) [Marcus Mariota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mariota/) > [Regulations for international accounting and funding will have to be examined to identify policies that inadvertently discourage institutional investors from putting their resources into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-angel-gurria/regulations-for-international-accounting-and-funding-will-have-to-be/) [Jose Angel Gurria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-angel-gurria/) > [I think Kwame will be an asset to the Lakers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-think-kwame-will-be-an-asset-to-the-lakers/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [ \[When I die\], I will decidedly not be regretting missed opportunities for a good time. My regrets will be more along the lines of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/when-i-die-i-will-decidedly-not-be-regretting-missed-opportunities/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [Sourav's greatest asset is his ability to communicate. He is a naturally very confident person. He encourages his team, is a great motivator and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shastri/sourav-s-greatest-asset-is-his-ability-to-communicate-he-is-a/) [Ravi Shastri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shastri/) > [When you consider the sheer magnitude of investable equities to choose from in the world's emerging markets, you realize that finding one that looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mobius/when-you-consider-the-sheer-magnitude-of-investable-equities-to/) [Mark Mobius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mobius/) > [I was impressed for the ten thousandth time by the fact that literature illuminates life only for those to whom books are a necessity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/i-was-impressed-for-the-ten-thousandth-time-by-the-fact-that/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [If God was the owner, I was the manager. I needed to adopt a steward's mentality toward the assets He had entrusted - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/if-god-was-the-owner-i-was-the-manager-i-needed-to-adopt-a-steward-s/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) [Browse all 957 Assets quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assets/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "After [Dan Fried] was initially hired into the Foreign Service in 1977, five subsequent presidents of both parties thought it would be a good idea to keep him on. 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