---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He didn't say that. He was reading what…"
description: "\"He didn't say that. He was reading what was given to him in a speech.\" — Richard Darman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/richard-darman-51177_communication_he-didn-t-say-that-he-was-reading-what-w_556789.jpg"
---

#  He didn't say that. He was reading what was given to him…

![“He didn't say that. He was reading what was given to him in a speech.” quote by Richard Darman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/richard-darman-51177_communication_he-didn-t-say-that-he-was-reading-what-w_556789.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/richard-darman-51177_communication_he-didn-t-say-that-he-was-reading-what-w_556789.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/richard-darman-51177_communication_he-didn-t-say-that-he-was-reading-what-w_556789.jpg)

> “He didn't say that. He was reading what was given to him in a speech.”

[Richard Darman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-darman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He merely repeated a prepared statement without personal input.

**In simple terms:** He repeated a speech verbatim.

Key Takeaway

Avoid echoing others without own thought.

Themes

communication authenticity critical thinking

Mood

reflective critical

Type

observational analytical

When to use this quote

- public speaking
- media consumption
- political discourse

Key Concepts

speech repetition originality

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you often repeat what you hear?
- How can you add your own perspective?

A Different Perspective

May lack personal insight or nuance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Given Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-speech-1051183/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-given-1233484/) [Say Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-reading-1689724/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/)

## Related quotes

> [Have a relentless commitment to consistency of message. It might be the 15th time you’ve given the speech, but some people may never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-cote/have-a-relentless-commitment-to-consistency-of-message-it-might-be/)

[David M. Cote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-cote/)

> [“He didn't say that. He read what was given to him in a speech.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-darman/he-didn-t-say-that-he-read-what-was-given-to-him-in-a-speech/)

[Richard Darman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-darman/)

> [God has given us speech in order that we may say pleasant things to our friends, and tell bitter truths to our enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/god-has-given-us-speech-in-order-that-we-may-say-pleasant-things-to/)

[Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/)

> [I've never given a speech without being terrified first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/i-ve-never-given-a-speech-without-being-terrified-first/)

[Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/)

> [“If you've never given a speech before, do you want your first speech to be in front of ten thousand people or ten people?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-fried-david-heinemeier-hansson-matthew-linderman-37-signals/if-you-ve-never-given-a-speech-before-do-you-want-your-first-speech/)

[Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, Matthew Linderman, 37 Signals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-fried-david-heinemeier-hansson-matthew-linderman-37-signals/)

> [All the reading she had done had given her a view of life that they had never seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/all-the-reading-she-had-done-had-given-her-a-view-of-life-that-they-2/)

[Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/)

> [I feel like the books that I'm reading at any given time will really help me with my work, because it's just more characters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-bamber/i-feel-like-the-books-that-i-m-reading-at-any-given-time-will-really/)

[Ellie Bamber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-bamber/)

> [“All the reading she had done had given her a view of life that they had never seen. If only they would read a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/all-the-reading-she-had-done-had-given-her-a-view-of-life-that-they/)

[Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/)

> [There is a note in the front of the volume saying that no public reading may be given without first getting the author's permission.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/there-is-a-note-in-the-front-of-the-volume-saying-that-no-public/)

[Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/)

> [“Reading has given me more satisfaction than anything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-blass/reading-has-given-me-more-satisfaction-than-anything-else/)

[Bill Blass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-blass/)

> [Reading has given me more satisfaction than really anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-blass/reading-has-given-me-more-satisfaction-than-really-anything-else/)

[Bill Blass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-blass/)

> [A man I know who writes and aspires to be a novelist does very little reading, and he's not that successful. But I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/a-man-i-know-who-writes-and-aspires-to-be-a-novelist-does-very-little/)

[Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/)

> [Let me say first that reading is my favorite pastime, bar none. If I couldn't read, I don't know what I'd do. But as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/let-me-say-first-that-reading-is-my-favorite-pastime-bar-none-if-i/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [“Running records capture what young readers say and do while reading continuous text, usually short stories or books. Having taken the record teachers can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-clay/running-records-capture-what-young-readers-say-and-do-while-reading/)

[Marie Clay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-clay/)

> [“I love to read, but I'm not a reviewer. I'll leave the reviewing to someone else. Suffice it to say, if I'm reading your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-inman/i-love-to-read-but-i-m-not-a-reviewer-i-ll-leave-the-reviewing-to/)

[John Inman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-inman/)

## More by Richard Darman

> [I have no idea what White House statement was issued, but I stand by it 100 percent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-darman/i-have-no-idea-what-white-house-statement-was-issued-but-i-stand-by/)

[Richard Darman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-darman/)

> [Explaining why President Bush wasn't following up on his campaign pledge that there would be no loss of wetlands: He didn't say that. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-darman/explaining-why-president-bush-wasn-t-following-up-on-his-campaign/)

[Richard Darman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-darman/)

> [“He didn't say that. He read what was given to him in a speech.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-darman/he-didn-t-say-that-he-read-what-was-given-to-him-in-a-speech/)

[Richard Darman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-darman/)

> [I am now celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first request for my resignation. I look forward to many more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-darman/i-am-now-celebrating-the-20th-anniversary-of-the-first-request-for-my/)

[Richard Darman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-darman/)

> [Corpocracy is large-scale corporate America's tendency to be like the government bureaucracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-darman/corpocracy-is-large-scale-corporate-america-s-tendency-to-be-like-the/)

[Richard Darman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-darman/)

> [ It \[1991 Federal budget\] contains almost 190,000 accounts. At a rate of one per minute, eight hours a day, it would take over a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-darman/it-1991-federal-budget-contains-almost-190-000-accounts-at-a-rate-of/)

[Richard Darman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-darman/)

[Explore all 7 Richard Darman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-darman/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

[Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/)

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "He didn't say that. He was reading what was given to him in a speech.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Darman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-darman/he-didn-t-say-that-he-was-reading-what-was-given-to-him-in-a-speech/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-darman/he-didn-t-say-that-he-was-reading-what-was-given-to-him-in-a-speech/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/richard-darman-51177_communication_he-didn-t-say-that-he-was-reading-what-w_556789.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/richard-darman-51177_communication_he-didn-t-say-that-he-was-reading-what-w_556789.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/richard-darman-51177_communication_he-didn-t-say-that-he-was-reading-what-w_556789.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He didn't say that. He was reading what was given to him in a speech.” — Richard Darman",
                "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": "Richard Darman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-darman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "He didn't say that. He was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-darman/he-didn-t-say-that-he-was-reading-what-was-given-to-him-in-a-speech/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-darman/he-didn-t-say-that-he-was-reading-what-was-given-to-him-in-a-speech/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
