--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I asked Secretary [Robert] Gates, what…" description: "\"I asked Secretary [Robert] Gates, what did they get in return for giving up the nuclear shield of Poland and the Czech Republic? And you know what his ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/rudy-giuliani-958_answers_i-asked-secretary-robert-gates-what-did_3108249.jpg" --- # I asked Secretary \[Robert\] Gates, what did they get in… ![“I asked Secretary [Robert] Gates, what did they get in return for giving up the nuclear shield of Poland and the Czech Republic? And you know what his answer was? Nada. They got nothing.” quote by Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/rudy-giuliani-958_answers_i-asked-secretary-robert-gates-what-did_3108249.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/rudy-giuliani-958_answers_i-asked-secretary-robert-gates-what-did_3108249.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/rudy-giuliani-958_answers_i-asked-secretary-robert-gates-what-did_3108249.jpg) > “I asked Secretary \[Robert\] Gates, what did they get in return for giving up the nuclear shield of Poland and the Czech Republic? And you know what his answer was? Nada. They got nothing.” [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The promised benefits of giving up nuclear protection were empty; no tangible gains resulted. **In simple terms:** No payoff for losing security. Key Takeaway Demand concrete benefits before sacrificing security. Themes security politics trade‑offs Mood skeptical analytical Type political strategic When to use this quote - defense policy - alliances - nuclear negotiations - regional stability Key Concepts deterrence geopolitics Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives exist to nuclear guarantees? - How to measure security trade‑offs? A Different Perspective Complex security decisions often involve hidden costs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked/) [Asked Secretary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-secretary-1098644/) [Czech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/czech/) [Czech republic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/czech-republic/) [Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gates/) [Gates Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gates-did-5418246/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving Nuclear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-nuclear-4047485/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Nuclear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear/) [Nuclear Shield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-shield-4509818/) [Poland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poland/) [Republic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republic/) [Return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return/) [Secretary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secretary/) [Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shields/) ## Related quotes > [We are technologically ahead of Russia and China. We can develop a nuclear shield for the United States, for Poland, and for the Czech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/we-are-technologically-ahead-of-russia-and-china-we-can-develop-a/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [ Ronald Reagan is going to go into negotiations with \[Vladimir\] Putin from a position of strength. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama gave up the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/ronald-reagan-is-going-to-go-into-negotiations-with-vladimir-putin/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [North Korea is making several demands in exchange for giving up their nuclear program, including a promise from America not to attack them. Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/north-korea-is-making-several-demands-in-exchange-for-giving-up-their/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [We're not going to walk into the World Cup thinking, 'Ah, you know, we beat Norway 5-0 and we beat Japan so now we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kasey-keller/we-re-not-going-to-walk-into-the-world-cup-thinking-ah-you-know-we/) [Kasey Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kasey-keller/) > [Certainly Amadeus because it was a very powerful time for me, we filmed it in the Czech Republic at a time of lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-jones/certainly-amadeus-because-it-was-a-very-powerful-time-for-me-we/) [Jeffrey Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-jones/) > [The Czech Republic are coming from behind in more than one way now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/the-czech-republic-are-coming-from-behind-in-more-than-one-way-now/) [John Motson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-motson/) > [There is this huge Roma problem in Europe. There are a lot of Romas who are discriminated against in countries like the Czech Republic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/there-is-this-huge-roma-problem-in-europe-there-are-a-lot-of-romas/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [We had a poster of the Davis Cup in 1986. It was in Prague, the Czech Republic against Sweden, and we went to watch,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-hingis/we-had-a-poster-of-the-davis-cup-in-1986-it-was-in-prague-the-czech/) [Martina Hingis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-hingis/) > [I'd always admired the intellectuals who had made the transition into politics - Mario Vargas Llosa in Peru, Vaclav Havel in the Czech Republic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-d-always-admired-the-intellectuals-who-had-made-the-transition-into/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Regarding 'Ferris Bueller,' I was in the Czech Republic once, in Prague, making a movie at the same time as Jeffrey Jones, who played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edie-mcclurg/regarding-ferris-bueller-i-was-in-the-czech-republic-once-in-prague/) [Edie McClurg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edie-mcclurg/) > [The Czech Republic, severed from its old Slovak half, sits in apparent landlocked contentment, inside the European Union but outside the troubled Euro Zone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/the-czech-republic-severed-from-its-old-slovak-half-sits-in-apparent/) [Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/) > [Ours is a war not against a religion, not against the Muslim faith. But ours is a war against individuals who absolutely hate what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/ours-is-a-war-not-against-a-religion-not-against-the-muslim-faith-but/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I do not consider the Lisbon Treaty to be a good thing for Europe, for the freedom of Europe, or for the Czech Republic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-klaus/i-do-not-consider-the-lisbon-treaty-to-be-a-good-thing-for-europe-for/) [Vaclav Klaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-klaus/) > [We have to be thankful to the Czechs that they did their duty. The Czech Republic won, I can't believe it. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruud-van-nistelrooy/we-have-to-be-thankful-to-the-czechs-that-they-did-their-duty-the/) [Ruud van Nistelrooy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruud-van-nistelrooy/) > [I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. People there are overflowing with energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-have-lived-in-countries-that-were-coming-out-of-conflict-ireland/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) ## More by Rudy Giuliani > [On the one hand, you don't want to disrupt the nation with what might look like a vindictive prosecution, even though it might not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/on-the-one-hand-you-don-t-want-to-disrupt-the-nation-with-what-might/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [We want everyone to prepare themselves for the reality that we are not going to be able to recover significant numbers of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/we-want-everyone-to-prepare-themselves-for-the-reality-that-we-are/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [I'd rather have a genius like Donald Trump running America than someone like Hillary Clinton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/i-d-rather-have-a-genius-like-donald-trump-running-america-than/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [The rule is, you can protest all you want. Make all the noise you want. Carry all the signs you want. The minute you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/the-rule-is-you-can-protest-all-you-want-make-all-the-noise-you-want/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [The way you get through tragedy is to look at the good things in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/the-way-you-get-through-tragedy-is-to-look-at-the-good-things-in-life/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [I'm looking for a president that'll be like a Ronald Reagan to a Jimmy Carter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/i-m-looking-for-a-president-that-ll-be-like-a-ronald-reagan-to-a/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [There are terrible, terrible memories of September 11th, things that I saw, people that I lost, the devastation, the identification of bodies. I mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/there-are-terrible-terrible-memories-of-september-11th-things-that-i/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [You've got to be who you are. You've got to be honest with people. If your views change on something, you've got to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/you-ve-got-to-be-who-you-are-you-ve-got-to-be-honest-with-people-if/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/what-children-need-most-are-the-essentials-that-grandparents-provide/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [A lot of the people that are poor take advantage of loopholes and pay no taxes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/a-lot-of-the-people-that-are-poor-take-advantage-of-loopholes-and-pay/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [The most visible symbol in New York is the spirit of a free people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/the-most-visible-symbol-in-new-york-is-the-spirit-of-a-free-people/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [God bless every soul that we lost. God bless the families who have to endure that loss, and God guide us to our reunion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/god-bless-every-soul-that-we-lost-god-bless-the-families-who-have-to/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [ I know both Secretary \[Hillary\] Clinton and President \[Barack\] Obama were very gracious and I respect that a lot in the way they handled… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/i-know-both-secretary-hillary-clinton-and-president-barack-obama-were/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [ My advice would be the same advice that I gave President \[George W.\] Bush when he won in '04, and, kind of, wasn't followed.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/my-advice-would-be-the-same-advice-that-i-gave-president-george-w/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [Now, people have a hard time understanding how taxes work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/now-people-have-a-hard-time-understanding-how-taxes-work/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) [Explore all 320 Rudy Giuliani quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [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/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) [Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I asked Secretary [Robert] Gates, what did they get in return for giving up the nuclear shield of Poland and the Czech Republic? And you know what his answer was? Nada. They got nothing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rudy Giuliani" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/i-asked-secretary-robert-gates-what-did-they-get-in-return-for-giving/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/i-asked-secretary-robert-gates-what-did-they-get-in-return-for-giving/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/rudy-giuliani-958_answers_i-asked-secretary-robert-gates-what-did_3108249.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/rudy-giuliani-958_answers_i-asked-secretary-robert-gates-what-did_3108249.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/rudy-giuliani-958_answers_i-asked-secretary-robert-gates-what-did_3108249.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I asked Secretary [Robert] Gates, what did they get in return for giving up the nuclear shield of Poland and…” — Rudy Giuliani", "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": "Rudy Giuliani", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I asked Secretary [Robert] Gates, what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/i-asked-secretary-robert-gates-what-did-they-get-in-return-for-giving/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/i-asked-secretary-robert-gates-what-did-they-get-in-return-for-giving/#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 } } ] } ```