--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In typical Washington fashion, nothing…" description: "\"In typical Washington fashion, nothing gets reformed until a disaster happens.\" — Ronald Kessler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9e/ronald-kessler-13022_disaster_in-typical-washington-fashion-nothing-ge_2283496.jpg" --- # In typical Washington fashion, nothing gets reformed until… ![“In typical Washington fashion, nothing gets reformed until a disaster happens.” quote by Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9e/ronald-kessler-13022_disaster_in-typical-washington-fashion-nothing-ge_2283496.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9e/ronald-kessler-13022_disaster_in-typical-washington-fashion-nothing-ge_2283496.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9e/ronald-kessler-13022_disaster_in-typical-washington-fashion-nothing-ge_2283496.jpg) > “In typical Washington fashion, nothing gets reformed until a disaster happens.” [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Policy change often only occurs after a crisis forces attention. **In simple terms:** Disasters prompt reform. Key Takeaway Prepare for crises. Themes politics policy crisis management Mood cautious critical Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - emergency response planning - legislative advocacy - risk assessment Key Concepts reactive governance institutional inertia public pressure Questions to Reflect On - How can proactive reforms be incentivized? - What early signs predict a needed change? A Different Perspective Waiting for disaster can cause unnecessary harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Disaster Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster-happens-5338771/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Gets Reformed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gets-reformed-5338773/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Reformed Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reformed-disaster-5338772/) [Typical Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/typical-washington-373413/) ## Related quotes > [The president we have today is a typical Washington politician that's prone to hyperbole and decisiveness and false outrage. And I think it's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-president-we-have-today-is-a-typical-washington-politician-that-s/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [We are always just one successful terrorist attack away from a nuclear disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/we-are-always-just-one-successful-terrorist-attack-away-from-a/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [Even disasters -- there are always disasters when you travel -- can be turned into adventures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/even-disasters-there-are-always-disasters-when-you-travel-can-be/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/yes-life-in-chechnya-so-far-looks-more-like-a-life-after-a-natural/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Obviously, it's my goal to be the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but it wouldn't be a disaster if I didn't achieve that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-gomez/obviously-it-s-my-goal-to-be-the-top-scorer-in-the-bundesliga-but-it/) [Mario Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-gomez/) > [“She was—of course—perfectly normal— quiet and polite and reasonably intelligent and...normal and self destructive and lonely and terrified of every thing And she loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tah-the-trickster/she-was-of-course-perfectly-normal-quiet-and-polite-and-reasonably/) [Tah the Trickster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tah-the-trickster/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [You know, we can't beat ISIS. We can't do anything. We can't take care of our vets. We can't have good health care. "Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-we-can-t-beat-isis-we-can-t-do-anything-we-can-t-take-care/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [One of the undervalued contributors to Trump's stunning 2016 victory was the masterful performance Pence had in his debate against Hillary Clinton running mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/one-of-the-undervalued-contributors-to-trump-s-stunning-2016-victory/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) ## More by Ronald Kessler > [To reform the Secret Service, the agency needs a director from outside the agency who will be immune from that culture and not beholden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency-needs-a-director-from-outside/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [“The White House is a character crucible," according to Bertram S. Brown, M.D., a psychiatrist who formerly headed the National Institute of Mental Health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/the-white-house-is-a-character-crucible-according-to-bertram-s-brown/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [Complex man that he was, J. Edgar Hoover left nothing to chance. The director shrewdly recognized that building what became known as the world's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/complex-man-that-he-was-j-edgar-hoover-left-nothing-to-chance-the/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [Voters who disregarded Richard Nixon's involvement in the questionable ethics issue that led to his Checkers speech should not have been surprised when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/voters-who-disregarded-richard-nixon-s-involvement-in-the/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [To become a Secret Service agent, applicants must pass a polygraph exam. But after being hired, agents are never required to undergo regular lie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/to-become-a-secret-service-agent-applicants-must-pass-a-polygraph/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [“No one can imagine the kind of pressure being president of the U.S. imposes on an individual and how easily a president can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/no-one-can-imagine-the-kind-of-pressure-being-president-of-the-u-s/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [In a series of articles beginning on Oct. 2, 1966, I wrote about the long-forgotten history of the Liberty Tree. To call attention to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/in-a-series-of-articles-beginning-on-oct-2-1966-i-wrote-about-the/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [“Voters tend to forget that presidents are, first and foremost, people. If they are unbalanced, nasty, and hypocritical, that will be reflected in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/voters-tend-to-forget-that-presidents-are-first-and-foremost-people/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [Love him or hate him, no one has been able to figure out Donald Trump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/love-him-or-hate-him-no-one-has-been-able-to-figure-out-donald-trump/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [Rather than use the term 'profiling,' the profilers prefer to say they engage in criminal investigative analysis. That is because, besides developing profiles, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/rather-than-use-the-term-profiling-the-profilers-prefer-to-say-they/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [The media are always on the lookout for possible sightings of D.B. Cooper, the man who parachuted from a plane with $200,000 in ransom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/the-media-are-always-on-the-lookout-for-possible-sightings-of-d-b/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [The truth is that no internal reviews or congressional hearings will change the Secret Service's broken management culture. It needs better leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/the-truth-is-that-no-internal-reviews-or-congressional-hearings-will/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [With the selection of Acting Secret Service Director Joseph P. Clancy as the director, President Obama has guaranteed that the agency will continue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/with-the-selection-of-acting-secret-service-director-joseph-p-clancy/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [TacOps is a unit which breaks into homes and offices to plant bugging devices. They get into mafia hangouts, they go into embassies, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/tacops-is-a-unit-which-breaks-into-homes-and-offices-to-plant-bugging/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [When I was doing interviews at the FBI, my tape recorder battery died. They gave me a new one, and I said, 'Of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/when-i-was-doing-interviews-at-the-fbi-my-tape-recorder-battery-died/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) [Explore all 52 Ronald Kessler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) ## More Disaster quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [One of the undervalued contributors to Trump's stunning 2016 victory was the masterful performance Pence had in his debate against Hillary Clinton running mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/one-of-the-undervalued-contributors-to-trump-s-stunning-2016-victory/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [You know, we can't beat ISIS. We can't do anything. We can't take care of our vets. We can't have good health care. "Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-we-can-t-beat-isis-we-can-t-do-anything-we-can-t-take-care/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“She was—of course—perfectly normal— quiet and polite and reasonably intelligent and...normal and self destructive and lonely and terrified of every thing And she loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tah-the-trickster/she-was-of-course-perfectly-normal-quiet-and-polite-and-reasonably/) [Tah the Trickster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tah-the-trickster/) > [Obviously, it's my goal to be the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but it wouldn't be a disaster if I didn't achieve that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-gomez/obviously-it-s-my-goal-to-be-the-top-scorer-in-the-bundesliga-but-it/) [Mario Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-gomez/) > [Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/yes-life-in-chechnya-so-far-looks-more-like-a-life-after-a-natural/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Even disasters -- there are always disasters when you travel -- can be turned into adventures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/even-disasters-there-are-always-disasters-when-you-travel-can-be/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [We are always just one successful terrorist attack away from a nuclear disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/we-are-always-just-one-successful-terrorist-attack-away-from-a/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) > [The only aspect of our travels that is interesting to others is disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellmanmartha-gellman/the-only-aspect-of-our-travels-that-is-interesting-to-others-is/) [Martha GellmanMartha Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-gellmanmartha-gellman/) [Browse all 2,239 Disaster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In typical Washington fashion, nothing gets reformed until a disaster happens.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ronald Kessler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/in-typical-washington-fashion-nothing-gets-reformed-until-a-disaster/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disaster" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/in-typical-washington-fashion-nothing-gets-reformed-until-a-disaster/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9e/ronald-kessler-13022_disaster_in-typical-washington-fashion-nothing-ge_2283496.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9e/ronald-kessler-13022_disaster_in-typical-washington-fashion-nothing-ge_2283496.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9e/ronald-kessler-13022_disaster_in-typical-washington-fashion-nothing-ge_2283496.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In typical Washington fashion, nothing gets reformed until a disaster happens.” — Ronald Kessler", "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": "Ronald Kessler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In typical Washington fashion, nothing gets...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/in-typical-washington-fashion-nothing-gets-reformed-until-a-disaster/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/in-typical-washington-fashion-nothing-gets-reformed-until-a-disaster/#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 } } ] } ```