--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Obama never listened to anyone, always…" description: "\"Obama never listened to anyone, always thought he was smarter than every expert in the room, and treated every meeting as an opportunity to lecture eve..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/steve-hilton-5697_disasters_obama-never-listened-to-anyone-always-th_2931727.jpg" --- # Obama never listened to anyone, always thought he was… ![“Obama never listened to anyone, always thought he was smarter than every expert in the room, and treated every meeting as an opportunity to lecture everyone else. This led to real-world disasters, like Syria and the rise of Isis.” quote by Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/steve-hilton-5697_disasters_obama-never-listened-to-anyone-always-th_2931727.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/steve-hilton-5697_disasters_obama-never-listened-to-anyone-always-th_2931727.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/steve-hilton-5697_disasters_obama-never-listened-to-anyone-always-th_2931727.jpg) > “Obama never listened to anyone, always thought he was smarter than every expert in the room, and treated every meeting as an opportunity to lecture everyone else. This led to real-world disasters, like Syria and the rise of Isis.” [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He claims Obama ignored expert advice, leading to disastrous policies, suggesting overconfidence can cause real‑world harm. **In simple terms:** Ignoring expertise can cause disaster. Key Takeaway Balance confidence with counsel. Themes leadership expertise policy failure Mood critical reflective Type analytical political When to use this quote - government meetings - strategic planning - crisis response - public debates Key Concepts political science decision making Questions to Reflect On - When have you over‑relied on intuition? - How can you incorporate dissenting views? A Different Perspective Complex issues often need diverse input. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disasters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disasters/) [Expert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expert/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) ## Related quotes > [“The walls of books around him, dense with the past, formed a kind of insulation against the present world and its disasters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-mcdonald/the-walls-of-books-around-him-dense-with-the-past-formed-a-kind-of-2/) Ross McDonald > [The walls of books around him, dense with the past, formed a kind of insulation against the present world of disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-macdonald/the-walls-of-books-around-him-dense-with-the-past-formed-a-kind-of/) [Ross Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-macdonald/) > [The truth is, we like to talk over our disasters, because they are ours; and others like to listen, because they are not theirs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/the-truth-is-we-like-to-talk-over-our-disasters-because-they-are-ours/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) > [People's first homes are always disasters. It's like the first time you have sex. It's never as good as later on. It always gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/people-s-first-homes-are-always-disasters-it-s-like-the-first-time/) [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) > [“There should be more natural disasters. I like those because you can't blame anyone. You can't put an earthquake on trial. You can't send…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-should-be-more-natural-disasters-i-like-those-because-you-can-t/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Disasters like Oklahoma City and 9/11 were time-limited. The children who were affected psychologically could go to a place of normalcy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-redlener/disasters-like-oklahoma-city-and-9-11-were-time-limited-the-children/) [Irwin Redlener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-redlener/) > [I have seen the devastating and long-term impact natural disasters like Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Ida have had on our families at home first-hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-kim/i-have-seen-the-devastating-and-long-term-impact-natural-disasters/) [Andy Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-kim/) > [Rising above all the voices in Washington, President Obama listened to the voices that mattered to him most, the voices of the auto workers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/rising-above-all-the-voices-in-washington-president-obama-listened-to/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [A decade down the line, I don't want to sit back and think that I didn't do anything to stop disasters like the extinction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhay-deol/a-decade-down-the-line-i-don-t-want-to-sit-back-and-think-that-i-didn/) [Abhay Deol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhay-deol/) > [As I was writing 'The Shock Doctrine', I was covering the Iraq War and profiteering from the war, and I started to see these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/as-i-was-writing-the-shock-doctrine-i-was-covering-the-iraq-war-and/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [I think there are hard-liners inside of Iran that think it is the right thing to do to oppose us, to seek to destroy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-there-are-hard-liners-inside-of-iran-that-think-it-is-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We have to remember examples of many artists of conscious rap who have been coopted by the Department of State of the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bocafloja/we-have-to-remember-examples-of-many-artists-of-conscious-rap-who/) [Bocafloja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bocafloja/) > [I think the foreign policy is really not Donald Trump administration concern. Like the Syria strike. I mean, it meant almost nothing. They hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-think-the-foreign-policy-is-really-not-donald-trump-administration/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Countries in which immigration will be suspended would include places like Syria and Libya.And we are going to stop the tens of thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/countries-in-which-immigration-will-be-suspended-would-include-places/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [When you decide to get involved in a military operation in a place like Syria, you've got to be prepared, as we learned from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/when-you-decide-to-get-involved-in-a-military-operation-in-a-place/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) ## More by Steve Hilton > [Most of the time, I get around perfectly well on my bike and public transportation, even in spite of the Bay Area's almost comically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/most-of-the-time-i-get-around-perfectly-well-on-my-bike-and-public/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [We must not let the panicky Wall Street wheeler-dealers and the Trump-hating establishment state media talk us into a recession. We must keep the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/we-must-not-let-the-panicky-wall-street-wheeler-dealers-and-the-trump/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [After Trump, it will be a different Republican party... and for American workers, families, and communities, that is fantastic news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/after-trump-it-will-be-a-different-republican-party-and-for-american/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [There's an ideological belief on the left that you should not use nonpartisan tools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/there-s-an-ideological-belief-on-the-left-that-you-should-not-use/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Straight out of college, I worked at the Conservative Party but that was just a couple of years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/straight-out-of-college-i-worked-at-the-conservative-party-but-that/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Even when they are trying to deceive the voters, the Democrats are incompetent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/even-when-they-are-trying-to-deceive-the-voters-the-democrats-are/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [You can do business with America or the authoritarian dictators of Beijing, who oppress their own people, put millions of Muslims in concentration camps,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/you-can-do-business-with-america-or-the-authoritarian-dictators-of/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [I don't really care much about what the top one per cent earn. The gap we ought to care about in wealth is between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/i-don-t-really-care-much-about-what-the-top-one-per-cent-earn-the-gap/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [The idea that Donald Trump committed an abuse of power by bringing politics into a foreign relationship is a joke. They all do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/the-idea-that-donald-trump-committed-an-abuse-of-power-by-bringing/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [The most important thing about a candidate is not their promises - those hardly ever get delivered anyway. It's about how they would respond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/the-most-important-thing-about-a-candidate-is-not-their-promises/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Membership of the E.U. makes Britain literally ungovernable, in the sense that no administration elected by the people can govern the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/membership-of-the-e-u-makes-britain-literally-ungovernable-in-the/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Our democracies are increasingly captured by a ruling class that seeks to perpetuate its privileges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/our-democracies-are-increasingly-captured-by-a-ruling-class-that/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Establishment idiots say the Trump tax cuts only helped the rich. Don't they understand anything about economics?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/establishment-idiots-say-the-trump-tax-cuts-only-helped-the-rich-don/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [The Democrats are up to their necks in foreign meddling. Nancy Pelosi took money from Ukraine lobbyists. Chuck Schumer took money from Saudi Arabia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/the-democrats-are-up-to-their-necks-in-foreign-meddling-nancy-pelosi/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Leaving the E.U. enables the U.K. to be more engaged with the global economy, not just the European economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/leaving-the-e-u-enables-the-u-k-to-be-more-engaged-with-the-global/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) [Explore all 100 Steve Hilton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) ## More Disasters quotes > [Disasters affect every state, and North Carolinians have given our own tax dollars to help neighbors and those in other states in times of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/disasters-affect-every-state-and-north-carolinians-have-given-our-own/) [Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/) > [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/) > [It is in the genes of cities to bounce back from disasters - whether natural or man made. The denizens of suburbia have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/it-is-in-the-genes-of-cities-to-bounce-back-from-disasters-whether/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [Birth: The first and direst of all disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/birth-the-first-and-direst-of-all-disasters/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Being along with the Nature your soul is stronger than all disasters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esat-durak/being-along-with-the-nature-your-soul-is-stronger-than-all-disasters/) Esat Durak > [The fact that disasters have the power to bring us all together probably explains why weddings are so popular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-fact-that-disasters-have-the-power-to-bring-us-all-together/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The reality is people have always died in large numbers in natural disasters such as avalanches, earthquakes, and tornadoes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/the-reality-is-people-have-always-died-in-large-numbers-in-natural/) [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [So there you have it: Nature is a rotten mess. But that's only the beginning. If you take your eyes off it for one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-goldberg/so-there-you-have-it-nature-is-a-rotten-mess-but-that-s-only-the/) [Lee Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-goldberg/) > [In addition to surviving the Forrestal, McCain has survived three other plane disasters, including being shot down over enemy territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickerson/in-addition-to-surviving-the-forrestal-mccain-has-survived-three/) [John Dickerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickerson/) > [Disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, floods, oil spills and radioactive fallout cause massive death of people, pigs, bats and birds. These disasters also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-stamets/disasters-such-as-earthquakes-tsunamis-volcanoes-floods-oil-spills/) [Paul Stamets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-stamets/) > [The environmental movement, like all political processes, reacts best to disasters. But these are very slow, very gradual disasters in the making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-danson/the-environmental-movement-like-all-political-processes-reacts-best/) [Ted Danson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-danson/) > [When you see natural disasters caught on film you realize how well they had been imagined by Hollywood for such a long time. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/when-you-see-natural-disasters-caught-on-film-you-realize-how-well/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [“It's a shame there has to be a tragedy before the best in people will finally shine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-a-shame-there-has-to-be-a-tragedy-before-the-best-in-people-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My understanding is that we are generally a very philanthropic and compassionate people - that when there are disasters in the world, individual citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rylance/my-understanding-is-that-we-are-generally-a-very-philanthropic-and/) [Mark Rylance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rylance/) > [i am a limitless series of natural disasters and all of these disasters have been unnaturally repressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-acker/i-am-a-limitless-series-of-natural-disasters-and-all-of-these/) [Kathy Acker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-acker/) [Browse all 224 Disasters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disasters/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Obama never listened to anyone, always thought he was smarter than every expert in the room, and treated every meeting as an opportunity to lecture everyone else. 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