--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You never want a serious crisis to go to…" description: "\"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.\" — Rahm Emanuel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cc/rahm-emanuel-4413_crisis_you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to_1926414.jpg" --- # You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. ![“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” quote by Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cc/rahm-emanuel-4413_crisis_you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to_1926414.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cc/rahm-emanuel-4413_crisis_you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to_1926414.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cc/rahm-emanuel-4413_crisis_you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to_1926414.jpg) > “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Crisis presents unique opportunities for innovation and reform if acted upon promptly. **In simple terms:** Crises can be turned into chances for change. Key Takeaway Leverage crises to drive positive change. Themes leadership opportunity crisis management Mood determined strategic Type political inspirational When to use this quote - policy reform - emergency response - organizational change - public communication Key Concepts political strategy change management Questions to Reflect On - What crisis have you turned into opportunity? - How do you balance urgency with ethics? A Different Perspective Not all crises are equally exploitable; ethical constraints may limit actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Crisis Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis-waste-395146/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-crisis-395148/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) ## Related quotes > [Remember chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's callous enjoinder 'you never want a serious crisis to go to waste'? This White House is a serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-tyrrell/remember-chief-of-staff-rahm-emanuel-s-callous-enjoinder-you-never/) [Bob Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-tyrrell/) > [“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to-waste-and-what-i-mean-by/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [“him. “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. Things that we had postponed for too long, that were long-term, are now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/him-you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to-waste-things-that-we-had/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/you-never-let-a-serious-crisis-go-to-waste-and-what-i-mean-by-that-it/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [There was an existential moment - I don't know if I want to call it crisis - when I turned 50 and I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/there-was-an-existential-moment-i-don-t-know-if-i-want-to-call-it/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [We should take Democrats at their word when they say never let a crisis go to waste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-boebert/we-should-take-democrats-at-their-word-when-they-say-never-let-a/) [Lauren Boebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-boebert/) > [“Never let a good crisis go to waste. It’s the universe challenging you to learn something new and rise to the next level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/never-let-a-good-crisis-go-to-waste-it-s-the-universe-challenging-you/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [Never let a good crisis go to waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/never-let-a-good-crisis-go-to-waste/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Never let a crisis go to waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/never-let-a-crisis-go-to-waste/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/) > [Europe has been in the grip of a very serious economic crisis for few years, so there have been major cuts to anti-terrorist funding,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-napoleoni/europe-has-been-in-the-grip-of-a-very-serious-economic-crisis-for-few/) [Loretta Napoleoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-napoleoni/) > [The Death of Money is an engrossing account of the massive stresses accumulating in the global financial system, especially since the 2008 financial crisis.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-makin/the-death-of-money-is-an-engrossing-account-of-the-massive-stresses/) [John H. Makin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-makin/) > [If we are really serious about preventing another crisis like the 2008 meltdown we should simply ban complex financial instruments, unless they can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/if-we-are-really-serious-about-preventing-another-crisis-like-the/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [In San Francisco, we have long faced serious challenges in managing the crisis of homelessness on our streets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-breed/in-san-francisco-we-have-long-faced-serious-challenges-in-managing/) [London Breed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-breed/) > [I have no doubt that there will continue to be bumps, some serious crises indeed in our relationship with China… Neither membership in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/i-have-no-doubt-that-there-will-continue-to-be-bumps-some-serious/) [Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/) > [Urbanisation is not a crisis but an opportunity, seeing it as a crisis is wrong. And not just villages, we want everyone to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/urbanisation-is-not-a-crisis-but-an-opportunity-seeing-it-as-a-crisis/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) ## More by Rahm Emanuel > [The GOP is broken. They need a Bill Clinton moment with someone to figure things out. Let me just say - and I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/the-gop-is-broken-they-need-a-bill-clinton-moment-with-someone-to/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [For all the things that make Chicago great, for all the things that make us proud to call ourselves Chicagoans, the violence that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/for-all-the-things-that-make-chicago-great-for-all-the-things-that/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [In the White House, you can be on the pitcher's mound or you can be in the catcher's position. Put points on the board.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/in-the-white-house-you-can-be-on-the-pitcher-s-mound-or-you-can-be-in/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [Because of the president's leadership, every American will have access to affordable, quality health care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/because-of-the-president-s-leadership-every-american-will-have-access/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [Republicans are 'bad people who deserve a two-by-four upside their heads.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/republicans-are-bad-people-who-deserve-a-two-by-four-upside-their/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [We have work to do, and Tuesday Americans sent Washington a clear message - get the job done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/we-have-work-to-do-and-tuesday-americans-sent-washington-a-clear/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [In millions of encounters each year between the police and the public, it may be too much to expect that every officer will always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/in-millions-of-encounters-each-year-between-the-police-and-the-public/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [No officer should be allowed to behave as if they are above the law just because they are responsible for upholding the law. Permitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/no-officer-should-be-allowed-to-behave-as-if-they-are-above-the-law/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [We need to deal with the problem of al Qaeda, make sure that they can't have a sanctuary in Afghanistan and guarantee that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/we-need-to-deal-with-the-problem-of-al-qaeda-make-sure-that-they-can/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [Deliberation is a good thing when it comes to fighting wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/deliberation-is-a-good-thing-when-it-comes-to-fighting-wars/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [The moment somebody's a president and you call him "Mr. President," (the person represents) our culture, our history, our sense as our nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/the-moment-somebody-s-a-president-and-you-call-him-mr-president-the/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [You may say I may be unfit to be mayor. But you can never say I'm an unfit mayor,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/you-may-say-i-may-be-unfit-to-be-mayor-but-you-can-never-say-i-m-an/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [I do not believe the government has the right to investigate somebody's private life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/i-do-not-believe-the-government-has-the-right-to-investigate-somebody/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [Today, because of President Obama's courage to my kids can stay on their parents' plan until they are 26. Insurers cannot take you off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/today-because-of-president-obama-s-courage-to-my-kids-can-stay-on/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [The Afghan - obviously the parties will decide which course of action. The most important there, get a government that is seen as legitimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/the-afghan-obviously-the-parties-will-decide-which-course-of-action/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) [Explore all 111 Rahm Emanuel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) ## More Crisis quotes > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe (if less obviously immediate) as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wright/the-crisis-of-our-diminishing-water-resources-is-just-as-severe-if/) [Jim Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wright/) > [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [In a couple of decades you have half of the wells that are drilled right now, and you're talking about numbers in the millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/in-a-couple-of-decades-you-have-half-of-the-wells-that-are-drilled/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [Disasters affect every state, and North Carolinians have given our own tax dollars to help neighbors and those in other states in times of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/disasters-affect-every-state-and-north-carolinians-have-given-our-own/) [Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/) > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [When this coronavirus crisis is over, what kind of society will we be? A more important question is what kind of society do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lucas/when-this-coronavirus-crisis-is-over-what-kind-of-society-will-we-be/) [Caroline Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lucas/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Firstly, economic globalisation has brought prosperity and development to many countries, but also financial crises to Asia, Latin America and Russia, and increasing poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lindh/firstly-economic-globalisation-has-brought-prosperity-and-development/) [Anna Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lindh/) > [If we Europeans are not in a state to be able to solve the refugee crisis ourselves, if we only depend on Plan B…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-kurz/if-we-europeans-are-not-in-a-state-to-be-able-to-solve-the-refugee/) [Sebastian Kurz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-kurz/) > [Urbanisation is not a crisis but an opportunity, seeing it as a crisis is wrong. And not just villages, we want everyone to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/urbanisation-is-not-a-crisis-but-an-opportunity-seeing-it-as-a-crisis/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) [Browse all 3,419 Crisis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rahm Emanuel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to-waste/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crisis" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to-waste/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cc/rahm-emanuel-4413_crisis_you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to_1926414.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cc/rahm-emanuel-4413_crisis_you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to_1926414.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cc/rahm-emanuel-4413_crisis_you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to_1926414.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” — Rahm Emanuel", "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": "Rahm Emanuel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You never want a serious crisis...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to-waste/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/you-never-want-a-serious-crisis-to-go-to-waste/#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 } } ] } ```