--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now I can go back to being ruthless again." description: "\"Now I can go back to being ruthless again.\" — Robert Kennedy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/robert-kennedy-2083_i-can_now-i-can-go-back-to-being-ruthless-agai_2601014.jpg" --- # Now I can go back to being ruthless again. ![“Now I can go back to being ruthless again.” quote by Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/robert-kennedy-2083_i-can_now-i-can-go-back-to-being-ruthless-agai_2601014.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/robert-kennedy-2083_i-can_now-i-can-go-back-to-being-ruthless-agai_2601014.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/robert-kennedy-2083_i-can_now-i-can-go-back-to-being-ruthless-agai_2601014.jpg) > “Now I can go back to being ruthless again.” [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. After a period of restraint, the speaker reclaims a fierce, decisive approach to leadership. **In simple terms:** Returning to decisive action after restraint. Key Takeaway Embrace decisive leadership when needed. Themes leadership determination politics Mood determined reflective Type political motivational When to use this quote - campaign strategy - crisis response - policy implementation Key Concepts strategic decision‑making assertiveness political strategy Questions to Reflect On - When is firmness more effective than diplomacy? - How do you balance ruthlessness with compassion? A Different Perspective Decisiveness can alienate allies if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Ruthless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruthless/) ## Related quotes > [People say I am ruthless. I am not ruthless. And if I find the man who is calling me ruthless, I shall destroy him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/people-say-i-am-ruthless-i-am-not-ruthless-and-if-i-find-the-man-who-2/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Florey was not an easy personality. His drive and ambition were manifest from the day he arrived ... He could be ruthless and selfish;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-drury/florey-was-not-an-easy-personality-his-drive-and-ambition-were/) [Allen Drury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-drury/) > [I've been fortunate to play many different types of characters thus far. However, I really enjoy playing roles that are different than who I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-holden/i-ve-been-fortunate-to-play-many-different-types-of-characters-thus/) [Gina Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-holden/) > [I'm trying to make the box, trying to be more ruthless, more clinical, and trying to decide games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheem-sterling/i-m-trying-to-make-the-box-trying-to-be-more-ruthless-more-clinical/) [Raheem Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheem-sterling/) > [“There was an infinitesimal pause while he watched her face, as though he half expected her to recognise it, before he went on, 'My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-wilkinson/there-was-an-infinitesimal-pause-while-he-watched-her-face-as-though/) [Lee Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-wilkinson/) > [Deathstroke is the dark-mirror version of Batman, basically. He is every bit as resourceful, every bit as ruthless, every bit as powerful as Batman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/deathstroke-is-the-dark-mirror-version-of-batman-basically-he-is/) [Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/) > [Look at these ISIS people. These people are ruthless. They don't operate by any sort of normal civilized code. That's the world. There's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-newbern/look-at-these-isis-people-these-people-are-ruthless-they-don-t/) [George Newbern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-newbern/) > [Where there is no danger of overt action there is rarely any interference with freedom. That is why there has so often been amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/where-there-is-no-danger-of-overt-action-there-is-rarely-any/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [Ruthless Villain' was supposed to be E's song. But it was too fast for him, so when I rapped it, they was like, 'Man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-ren/ruthless-villain-was-supposed-to-be-e-s-song-but-it-was-too-fast-for/) [MC Ren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-ren/) > [As Americans, we want peace - we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/as-americans-we-want-peace-we-work-and-sacrifice-for-peace-but-there/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Be ruthless about protecting writing days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/be-ruthless-about-protecting-writing-days/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [Chicago, to me, is the best wrestling crowd on the planet. They are the best. They are loud, they are ruthless, and they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldust/chicago-to-me-is-the-best-wrestling-crowd-on-the-planet-they-are-the/) [Goldust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldust/) > [Many people, including myself, thought of Jobs as an inventor, an Edison-like figure, but he wasn't. I did a documentary on James Brown recently;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/many-people-including-myself-thought-of-jobs-as-an-inventor-an-edison/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) > [My old man was ruthless. He terrorised us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hunt/my-old-man-was-ruthless-he-terrorised-us/) [Mark Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hunt/) ## More by Robert Kennedy > [Wars of any magnitude release powerful social and economic forces which can change the whole face of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/wars-of-any-magnitude-release-powerful-social-and-economic-forces/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [If freedom makes social progress possible, so social progress strengthens and enlarges freedom. The two are inseparable partners in the great adventure of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/if-freedom-makes-social-progress-possible-so-social-progress/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Goethe tells us in his greatest poem that Faust lost the liberty of his soul when he said to the passing moment, 'Stay, thou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/goethe-tells-us-in-his-greatest-poem-that-faust-lost-the-liberty-of/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [The intolerant man will not rely on persuasion, or on the worth of the idea. He would deny to others the very freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/the-intolerant-man-will-not-rely-on-persuasion-or-on-the-worth-of-the/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/let-us-dedicate-ourselves-to-what-the-greeks-wrote-so-many-years-ago/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [President Kennedy's election was such an enlargement. It expanded religious freedom to include the highest office in the land. President Kennedy's administration was such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/president-kennedy-s-election-was-such-an-enlargement-it-expanded/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Men and women with freed minds may often be mistaken, but they are seldom fooled. They may be influenced, but they cannot be intimidated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/men-and-women-with-freed-minds-may-often-be-mistaken-but-they-are/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Prejudice exists and probably will continue to 'but we have tried to make progress and we are making progress. We are not going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/prejudice-exists-and-probably-will-continue-to-but-we-have-tried-to/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/too-much-and-too-long-we-seem-to-have-surrendered-community/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [In the final analysis, poverty is a condition of helplessness - of inability to cope with the conditions of existence in our complex society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/in-the-final-analysis-poverty-is-a-condition-of-helplessness-of/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [We know that we cannot live together without rules which tell us what is right and what is wrong, what is permitted and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/we-know-that-we-cannot-live-together-without-rules-which-tell-us-what/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Punishment is not prevention. History offers cold comfort to those who think grievance and despair can be subdued by force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/punishment-is-not-prevention-history-offers-cold-comfort-to-those-who/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [The travail of freedom and justice is not easy, but nothing serious and important in life is easy. The history of humanity has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/the-travail-of-freedom-and-justice-is-not-easy-but-nothing-serious/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [The Gross National Product measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/the-gross-national-product-measures-neither-our-wit-nor-our-courage/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Our future may lie beyond our vision, but it is not completely beyond our control. It is the shaping impulse of America that neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/our-future-may-lie-beyond-our-vision-but-it-is-not-completely-beyond/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) [Explore all 186 Robert Kennedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) ## More I can quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [My team mates are fundamental for my characteristics, if they send in crosses I can play inside the area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filippo-inzaghi/my-team-mates-are-fundamental-for-my-characteristics-if-they-send-in/) [Filippo Inzaghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filippo-inzaghi/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [From my experience of having served for 3000 days, I can say that anything can be achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/from-my-experience-of-having-served-for-3000-days-i-can-say-that/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [I take the responsibility of playing another ethnicity very, very seriously, and I promise myself and those people that I will represent them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-take-the-responsibility-of-playing-another-ethnicity-very-very/) [Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I remember my friend Johnny von Neumann used to say, 'with four parameters I can fit an elephant and with five I can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/i-remember-my-friend-johnny-von-neumann-used-to-say-with-four/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) [Browse all 24,836 I can quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Now I can go back to being ruthless again.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Kennedy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/now-i-can-go-back-to-being-ruthless-again/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "I can" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/now-i-can-go-back-to-being-ruthless-again/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/robert-kennedy-2083_i-can_now-i-can-go-back-to-being-ruthless-agai_2601014.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/robert-kennedy-2083_i-can_now-i-can-go-back-to-being-ruthless-agai_2601014.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/robert-kennedy-2083_i-can_now-i-can-go-back-to-being-ruthless-agai_2601014.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Now I can go back to being ruthless again.” — Robert Kennedy", "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": "Robert Kennedy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Now I can go back to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/now-i-can-go-back-to-being-ruthless-again/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/now-i-can-go-back-to-being-ruthless-again/#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 } } ] } ```