--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To reform the Secret Service, the agency…" description: "\"To reform the Secret Service, the agency needs a director from outside the agency who will be immune from that culture and not beholden to entrenched b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/ronald-kessler-13022_culture_to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency_42452.jpg" --- # To reform the Secret Service, the agency needs a director… ![“To reform the Secret Service, the agency needs a director from outside the agency who will be immune from that culture and not beholden to entrenched bureaucrats within the agency.” quote by Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/ronald-kessler-13022_culture_to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency_42452.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/ronald-kessler-13022_culture_to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency_42452.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/ronald-kessler-13022_culture_to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency_42452.jpg) > “To reform the Secret Service, the agency needs a director from outside the agency who will be immune from that culture and not beholden to entrenched bureaucrats within the agency.” [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. Effective reform requires external leadership insulated from internal politics and entrenched interests. **In simple terms:** External director needed for agency reform. Key Takeaway Outside perspective breaks internal inertia. Themes leadership bureaucracy reform culture change accountability Mood determined critical Type policy recommendation strategic insight When to use this quote - government agency restructuring - security sector overhaul - policy implementation Key Concepts organizational dynamics political independence Practical Applications - appointing an independent director - establishing oversight mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards ensure the director remains independent? - How can cultural resistance be mitigated? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) ## Related quotes > [If you call on God to improve the results of a shot while it is still in motion, you are using 'an outside agency'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-longhurst/if-you-call-on-god-to-improve-the-results-of-a-shot-while-it-is-still/) Henry Longhurst > [Virtue needs a director and guide. Vice can be learned even without a teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/virtue-needs-a-director-and-guide-vice-can-be-learned-even-without-a/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [You have to be flexible according to patterns and needs of director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-raina/you-have-to-be-flexible-according-to-patterns-and-needs-of-director/) [Mohit Raina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-raina/) > [The producer can put something together, package it, oversee it, give input. I'm the kind of producer that likes to take a back seat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-ratner/the-producer-can-put-something-together-package-it-oversee-it-give/) [Brett Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-ratner/) > [Agents who have left the Secret Service to join other federal law enforcement agencies report that training in firearms and counterterrorism tactics in those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/agents-who-have-left-the-secret-service-to-join-other-federal-law/) [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/) > [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/) > [On a regular basis, to appease White House or campaign staffs, Secret Service officials order agents to ignore basic security rules and let people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/on-a-regular-basis-to-appease-white-house-or-campaign-staffs-secret/) [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/) > [I challenge Hillary Clinton; take away your Secret Service. Take it away now! Take away your Secret Service! Dismiss them! Have no security around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-drudge/i-challenge-hillary-clinton-take-away-your-secret-service-take-it/) [Matt Drudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-drudge/) > [I don't know if I'd want to be a Secret Service agent. In the movies, it's exciting and romantic and all that. Really, most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-quaid/i-don-t-know-if-i-d-want-to-be-a-secret-service-agent-in-the-movies/) [Dennis Quaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-quaid/) > [A couple of years ago, I went to dinner with a very high-profile source, and out of respect, I put my phone down for,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-welker/a-couple-of-years-ago-i-went-to-dinner-with-a-very-high-profile/) [Kristen Welker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-welker/) > [“He looked like a cross between The Terminator and a secret service agent— a really hot secret service agent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-humphreys/he-looked-like-a-cross-between-the-terminator-and-a-secret-service/) [Sara Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-humphreys/) > [“Who wants to serve in a police vice squad, spending hours peeking into men’s johns to detect acts of homosexuality? Who wants a job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/who-wants-to-serve-in-a-police-vice-squad-spending-hours-peeking-into/) [Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/) > [A gun in the hands of a secret service agent protecting our president isn't a bad word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-lapierre/a-gun-in-the-hands-of-a-secret-service-agent-protecting-our-president/) [Wayne LaPierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-lapierre/) ## More by 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/) > [Agents who have left the Secret Service to join other federal law enforcement agencies report that training in firearms and counterterrorism tactics in those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/agents-who-have-left-the-secret-service-to-join-other-federal-law/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) [Explore all 52 Ronald Kessler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) ## More Culture quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [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/) > [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/) [Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/) [Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/) > [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [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/) > [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) [Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To reform the Secret Service, the agency needs a director from outside the agency who will be immune from that culture and not beholden to entrenched bureaucrats within the agency.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ronald Kessler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency-needs-a-director-from-outside/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Culture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency-needs-a-director-from-outside/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/ronald-kessler-13022_culture_to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency_42452.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/ronald-kessler-13022_culture_to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency_42452.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/ronald-kessler-13022_culture_to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency_42452.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To reform the Secret Service, the agency needs a director from outside the agency who will be immune from…” — 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": "To reform the Secret Service, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency-needs-a-director-from-outside/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency-needs-a-director-from-outside/#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 } } ] } ```