--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [In Moscow] we got through to [Soviet…" description: "\"[In Moscow] we got through to [Soviet leaders] Brezhnev and Kosygin on the telephone. I think it was because nobody had ever tried to call them at home..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/872/ross-perot-10054_brezhnev_in-moscow-we-got-through-to-soviet-leade_2636462.jpg" --- # \[In Moscow\] we got through to \[Soviet leaders\] Brezhnev… ![“[In Moscow] we got through to [Soviet leaders] Brezhnev and Kosygin on the telephone. I think it was because nobody had ever tried to call them at home before.” quote by Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/872/ross-perot-10054_brezhnev_in-moscow-we-got-through-to-soviet-leade_2636462.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/872/ross-perot-10054_brezhnev_in-moscow-we-got-through-to-soviet-leade_2636462.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/872/ross-perot-10054_brezhnev_in-moscow-we-got-through-to-soviet-leade_2636462.jpg) > “\[In Moscow\] we got through to \[Soviet leaders\] Brezhnev and Kosygin on the telephone. I think it was because nobody had ever tried to call them at home before.” [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He humorously notes that contacting Soviet leaders at home was unprecedented, implying a break in protocol. **In simple terms:** Calling leaders at home was new and unusual. Key Takeaway Challenge norms to open dialogue. Themes communication politics innovation protocol Mood playful thoughtful Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - cold war negotiations - modern diplomacy - business outreach Key Concepts diplomacy technology history Questions to Reflect On - What barriers can you break? - When is protocol necessary? A Different Perspective Unusual tactics may be risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brezhnev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brezhnev/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorous/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Moscow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moscow/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Soviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Soviet leaders had to treat the outside world as hostile because this provided the only excuse “for the dictatorship without which they did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/soviet-leaders-had-to-treat-the-outside-world-as-hostile-because-this/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [“For more than five years, I’d made little progress with my efforts at quiet diplomacy—for one thing, the Soviet leaders kept dying on me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/for-more-than-five-years-i-d-made-little-progress-with-my-efforts-at/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Under Lenin the Soviet Union was like a religious revival, under Stalin like a prison, under Khrushchev like a circus, and under Brezhnev like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/under-lenin-the-soviet-union-was-like-a-religious-revival-under/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [In retrospect, I can see that President Brezhnev was quite proud of the limited agreement that he had concluded in Vladivostok; and to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/in-retrospect-i-can-see-that-president-brezhnev-was-quite-proud-of/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I'm part of nobody's world except Brezhnev's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/i-m-part-of-nobody-s-world-except-brezhnev-s/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [I think the big tragedy of the Cuban Revolution was that it became dependent on the Soviet Union, and it became dependent on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/i-think-the-big-tragedy-of-the-cuban-revolution-was-that-it-became/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [I believe that without Watergate we would have had an extraordinary period of success with a strong Nixon and a still vital Brezhnev in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/i-believe-that-without-watergate-we-would-have-had-an-extraordinary/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Word spread about us in what was then the Soviet Union and we received an invite from President Brezhnev to perform there, which no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-mitchell/word-spread-about-us-in-what-was-then-the-soviet-union-and-we/) [Liz Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-mitchell/) > [The citizen lives in each of us. In the days of Brezhnev, Andropov, Gorbachev and Yeltsin, I was constantly trying to suppress the responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-sorokin/the-citizen-lives-in-each-of-us-in-the-days-of-brezhnev-andropov/) [Vladimir Sorokin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-sorokin/) > [When the Soviet Union came to be run by a valetudinarian mafioso like Brezhnev, the thing itself had fallen into self-contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonid-brezhnev/when-the-soviet-union-came-to-be-run-by-a-valetudinarian-mafioso-like/) [Leonid Brezhnev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonid-brezhnev/) > [The only law we broke was the Brezhnev doctrine that once a country is in the Soviet bloc it cannot be overthrown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kemp/the-only-law-we-broke-was-the-brezhnev-doctrine-that-once-a-country/) [Jack Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kemp/) > [It’s irrelevant to me what young Singaporeans think of me. What they think of me after I’m dead and gone in one generation will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/it-s-irrelevant-to-me-what-young-singaporeans-think-of-me-what-they/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [One of the surprising things that Brezhnev said when we were in our talks, was - when I proposed that we make these changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-surprising-things-that-brezhnev-said-when-we-were-in-our/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Brezhnev wasn't a minus for the history of our country, he was a huge plus, He laid a foundation for the country's economics and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonid-brezhnev/brezhnev-wasn-t-a-minus-for-the-history-of-our-country-he-was-a-huge/) [Leonid Brezhnev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonid-brezhnev/) > [Moscow has changed. I was here in 1982, during the Brezhnev twilight, and things are better now. For instance, they've got litter. In 1982…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/moscow-has-changed-i-was-here-in-1982-during-the-brezhnev-twilight/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## More by Ross Perot > [We have to succeed, so we will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/we-have-to-succeed-so-we-will/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [Inventories can be managed, but people must be led.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/inventories-can-be-managed-but-people-must-be-led/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [Sometimes in human nature causes us to start slacking off at our moment of greatest accomplishment.As you become successful,you will need a great deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/sometimes-in-human-nature-causes-us-to-start-slacking-off-at-our/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [Big is not beautiful. Big is inefficient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/big-is-not-beautiful-big-is-inefficient/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [This planet is our home. If we destroy the planet, we've destroyed our home, so it is fundamentally important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/this-planet-is-our-home-if-we-destroy-the-planet-we-ve-destroyed-our/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [Anything that is excellent or praiseworthy stands moment by moment on the cutting edge and must be constantly fought for. 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I want people moving and shaking the earth and they're going to make mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/punishing-honest-mistakes-stifles-creativity-i-want-people-moving-and/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [If you see a snake, just kill it - don't appoint a committee on snakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/if-you-see-a-snake-just-kill-it-don-t-appoint-a-committee-on-snakes/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [The best way to make money is not to have money as your primary goal. I've seen great people come into the business world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/the-best-way-to-make-money-is-not-to-have-money-as-your-primary-goal/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [If we decide to take this level of business creating ability nationwide, we'll all be plucking chickens for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/if-we-decide-to-take-this-level-of-business-creating-ability/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [I love this country, I love the principles on which it's founded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/i-love-this-country-i-love-the-principles-on-which-it-s-founded/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) [Explore all 68 Ross Perot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) ## More Brezhnev quotes > [Moscow has changed. I was here in 1982, during the Brezhnev twilight, and things are better now. For instance, they've got litter. In 1982…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/moscow-has-changed-i-was-here-in-1982-during-the-brezhnev-twilight/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Brezhnev wasn't a minus for the history of our country, he was a huge plus, He laid a foundation for the country's economics and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonid-brezhnev/brezhnev-wasn-t-a-minus-for-the-history-of-our-country-he-was-a-huge/) [Leonid Brezhnev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonid-brezhnev/) > [One of the surprising things that Brezhnev said when we were in our talks, was - when I proposed that we make these changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-surprising-things-that-brezhnev-said-when-we-were-in-our/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [It’s irrelevant to me what young Singaporeans think of me. What they think of me after I’m dead and gone in one generation will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/it-s-irrelevant-to-me-what-young-singaporeans-think-of-me-what-they/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [The only law we broke was the Brezhnev doctrine that once a country is in the Soviet bloc it cannot be overthrown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kemp/the-only-law-we-broke-was-the-brezhnev-doctrine-that-once-a-country/) [Jack Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kemp/) > [When the Soviet Union came to be run by a valetudinarian mafioso like Brezhnev, the thing itself had fallen into self-contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonid-brezhnev/when-the-soviet-union-came-to-be-run-by-a-valetudinarian-mafioso-like/) [Leonid Brezhnev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonid-brezhnev/) > [The citizen lives in each of us. In the days of Brezhnev, Andropov, Gorbachev and Yeltsin, I was constantly trying to suppress the responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-sorokin/the-citizen-lives-in-each-of-us-in-the-days-of-brezhnev-andropov/) [Vladimir Sorokin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-sorokin/) > [Word spread about us in what was then the Soviet Union and we received an invite from President Brezhnev to perform there, which no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-mitchell/word-spread-about-us-in-what-was-then-the-soviet-union-and-we/) [Liz Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-mitchell/) > [I believe that without Watergate we would have had an extraordinary period of success with a strong Nixon and a still vital Brezhnev in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/i-believe-that-without-watergate-we-would-have-had-an-extraordinary/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [I think the big tragedy of the Cuban Revolution was that it became dependent on the Soviet Union, and it became dependent on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/i-think-the-big-tragedy-of-the-cuban-revolution-was-that-it-became/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [I'm part of nobody's world except Brezhnev's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/i-m-part-of-nobody-s-world-except-brezhnev-s/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [In retrospect, I can see that President Brezhnev was quite proud of the limited agreement that he had concluded in Vladivostok; and to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/in-retrospect-i-can-see-that-president-brezhnev-was-quite-proud-of/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Under Lenin the Soviet Union was like a religious revival, under Stalin like a prison, under Khrushchev like a circus, and under Brezhnev like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/under-lenin-the-soviet-union-was-like-a-religious-revival-under/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Leonid Brezhnev did not understand the enormous political importance of the decision to produce and afterwards deploy the SS-20s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-schmidt/leonid-brezhnev-did-not-understand-the-enormous-political-importance/) [Helmut Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-schmidt/) > [If the Soviet Union can give up the Brezhnev Doctrine for the Sinatra Doctrine, the United States can give up the James Monroe Doctrine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/if-the-soviet-union-can-give-up-the-brezhnev-doctrine-for-the-sinatra/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) [Browse all 19 Brezhnev quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brezhnev/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[In Moscow] we got through to [Soviet leaders] Brezhnev and Kosygin on the telephone. 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