--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was asked to manage some issues in…" description: "\"When I was asked to manage some issues in Europe for the government, I didn't go to Parliament and just make a great speech and impress them. Instead, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/tan-cheng-bock-8629_communication_when-i-was-asked-to-manage-some-issues-i_648795.jpg" --- # When I was asked to manage some issues in Europe for the… ![“When I was asked to manage some issues in Europe for the government, I didn't go to Parliament and just make a great speech and impress them. Instead, I will go down and discuss with those people about certain issues that we don't agree, and over a glass of wine we talk about it and they say…” quote by Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/tan-cheng-bock-8629_communication_when-i-was-asked-to-manage-some-issues-i_648795.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/tan-cheng-bock-8629_communication_when-i-was-asked-to-manage-some-issues-i_648795.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/tan-cheng-bock-8629_communication_when-i-was-asked-to-manage-some-issues-i_648795.jpg) > “When I was asked to manage some issues in Europe for the government, I didn't go to Parliament and just make a great speech and impress them. Instead, I will go down and discuss with those people about certain issues that we don't agree, and over a glass of wine we talk about it and they say 'okay, let's forget it.'” [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective problem solving often requires informal dialogue rather than formal oratory, building trust through personal connection. **In simple terms:** Talk to people directly instead of giving speeches. Key Takeaway Use informal settings to resolve disputes. Themes communication trust conflict resolution Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type advice reflective When to use this quote - government negotiations - community disputes - cross‑cultural meetings Key Concepts dialogue relationship building informal negotiation Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance informal trust‑building with formal accountability? - When is a public speech more appropriate? A Different Perspective Informal talks may lack official accountability or documentation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Parliament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parliament/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [I look forward to the day when the Westminster Parliament is just a council chamber in Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clarke/i-look-forward-to-the-day-when-the-westminster-parliament-is-just-a/) [Kenneth Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clarke/) > [It's true that the war in Iraq opened a distance in relations between part of Europe and the U.S. government, but our basic ties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-luis-rodriguez-zapatero/it-s-true-that-the-war-in-iraq-opened-a-distance-in-relations-between/) [Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-luis-rodriguez-zapatero/) > [If the official community is interested in asking the private sector to take another look at Greece, then it will have to be only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dallara/if-the-official-community-is-interested-in-asking-the-private-sector/) [Charles Dallara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dallara/) > [A truly united Singapore means having a Parliament that reflects all views, and not just the PAP view or the group-think of a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/a-truly-united-singapore-means-having-a-parliament-that-reflects-all/) [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) > [Any of us who wants to go to Parliament must have that responsibility to represent the people who voted us in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/any-of-us-who-wants-to-go-to-parliament-must-have-that-responsibility/) [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) > [The European Union is effectively a union dominated by the German political and economic elite. 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It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/) [Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/) > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) ## More by Tan Cheng Bock > [We should not live in fear, we should all enjoy being able to express our views freely and openly, challenge each other on issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/we-should-not-live-in-fear-we-should-all-enjoy-being-able-to-express/) [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) > [I was only a village doctor with a rebellious streak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/i-was-only-a-village-doctor-with-a-rebellious-streak/) [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) > [We are not starting a revolution. 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In politics, we sell ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/selling-and-telling-are-two-different-things-in-politics-we-sell-ideas/) [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) > [I was previously the chairman of the Jurong East Town Council and South West CDC.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/i-was-previously-the-chairman-of-the-jurong-east-town-council-and/) [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) > [I'm not sponsored by anybody but myself... I'm not sponsored by the PAP.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/i-m-not-sponsored-by-anybody-but-myself-i-m-not-sponsored-by-the-pap/) [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) [Explore all 79 Tan Cheng Bock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. 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The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [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/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [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/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. 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