--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not serving in office because I…" description: "\"I'm not serving in office because I desperately needed 99 new friends in the U.S. Senate. Given the choice between being reviled in Washington, DC, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/ted-cruz-487_appreciated_i-m-not-serving-in-office-because-i-desp_1769695.jpg" --- # I'm not serving in office because I desperately needed 99… ![“I'm not serving in office because I desperately needed 99 new friends in the U.S. Senate. Given the choice between being reviled in Washington, DC, and appreciated in Texas, or reviled in Texas and appreciated in Washington, I would take the former 100 out of 100 times.” quote by Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/ted-cruz-487_appreciated_i-m-not-serving-in-office-because-i-desp_1769695.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/ted-cruz-487_appreciated_i-m-not-serving-in-office-because-i-desp_1769695.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/651/ted-cruz-487_appreciated_i-m-not-serving-in-office-because-i-desp_1769695.jpg) > “I'm not serving in office because I desperately needed 99 new friends in the U.S. Senate. Given the choice between being reviled in Washington, DC, and appreciated in Texas, or reviled in Texas and appreciated in Washington, I would take the former 100 out of 100 times.” [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker prefers being disliked in a less prominent place over being liked in a more powerful one, valuing personal comfort over political prestige. **In simple terms:** He’d rather be reviled in Texas than appreciated in Washington, valuing personal over political. Key Takeaway Prioritize personal values over external approval. Themes politics principles regional loyalty Mood skeptical determined Type political personal When to use this quote - campaign decisions - career moves - public perception Key Concepts Integrity personal vs public interest Questions to Reflect On - What does “reviled” versus “appreciated” truly entail? - How do personal comforts shape public service? A Different Perspective Such a stance may limit influence and effectiveness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appreciated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciated/) [Appreciated Texas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciated-texas-1767484/) [Appreciated Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciated-washington-1767483/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Former](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/former/) [Friends Senate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends-senate-1767487/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed/) [New friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-friends/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Reviled Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reviled-washington-1767485/) [Senate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senate/) [Serving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serving/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Texas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texas/) [Texas Appreciated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texas-appreciated-1767486/) [Washington dc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington-dc/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I was raised in Washington, DC, very violent place. 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When I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/i-have-a-lot-of-friends-who-come-from-alcoholic-families-and-they/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [Civil disobedience can help to focus attention on a particular injustice. It was used historically to highlight wrongs in society - turning ancient redwood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-brune/civil-disobedience-can-help-to-focus-attention-on-a-particular/) [Michael Brune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-brune/) > [Killing Lincoln is a must-read historical thriller. Bill O'Reilly recounts the dramatic events of the spring of 1865 with such exhilarating immediacy that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-flynn/killing-lincoln-is-a-must-read-historical-thriller-bill-o-reilly/) [Vince Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-flynn/) > [ \[Washington, DC\] feels like you're watching performance art. A lot of the time. I don't believe them, I don't believe what they say, I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/washington-dc-feels-like-you-re-watching-performance-art-a-lot-of-the/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [It is cold down in Washington, DC. They had to use an ice scraper on John Boehner's face to get the tears off, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/it-is-cold-down-in-washington-dc-they-had-to-use-an-ice-scraper-on/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [“Even if I worked in the corruption capital of the world, Washington DC, I wouldn’t be a whistleblower. I’m more into flutes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/even-if-i-worked-in-the-corruption-capital-of-the-world-washington-dc/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) ## More by Ted Cruz > [I was born in Cuba. At the age of 14 years of age I was involved in a revolution. 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And Democratic leaders in Congress and Republican leaders in Congress follow elite opinion as well. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-court-follows-elite-opinion-not-public-opinion-and-democratic/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) [Explore all 523 Ted Cruz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) ## More Appreciated quotes > [Art is art when it is appreciated by someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isao-tomita/art-is-art-when-it-is-appreciated-by-someone/) [Isao Tomita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isao-tomita/) > [Relish love in your old age! Aged love is like aged wine; it becomes more satisfying, more refreshing, more valuable, more appreciated and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/relish-love-in-your-old-age-aged-love-is-like-aged-wine-it-becomes/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [For many of us, work is the one place where we feel appreciated. The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [You know, your sarcasm isn’t appreciated right now. I’ve been drugged, beaten, nearly raped, saved, drugged again, hijacked, and now threatened by you. Tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/you-know-your-sarcasm-isn-t-appreciated-right-now-i-ve-been-drugged/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [The Spanish never appreciated me like the British.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seve-ballesteros/the-spanish-never-appreciated-me-like-the-british/) [Seve Ballesteros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seve-ballesteros/) > [What I appreciated was the fact that the script delved into how Australians were - and still are - condescended to by the English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-rush/what-i-appreciated-was-the-fact-that-the-script-delved-into-how/) [Geoffrey Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-rush/) > [For once I feel appreciated and not someone to show off constantly smiling and knowing how amazing you are, I just want make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-once-i-feel-appreciated-and-not-someone-to-show-off-constantly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I sometimes find that my family's emphasis on stories, characters, and art that appeals directly to children rather than over their heads to adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-berenstain/i-sometimes-find-that-my-family-s-emphasis-on-stories-characters-and/) [Mike Berenstain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-berenstain/) > [This element of surprise or mystery - the detective element as it is sometimes rather emptily called - is of great importance in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/this-element-of-surprise-or-mystery-the-detective-element-as-it-is/) [E. 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Likewise I feel I have a great affinity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-mcilroy/i-receive-huge-support-from-irish-and-british-sports-fans-alike-and/) [Rory McIlroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-mcilroy/) [Browse all 742 Appreciated quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciated/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not serving in office because I desperately needed 99 new friends in the U.S. Senate. 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