--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: President Carter famously said the…" description: "\"President Carter famously said the hostages were the first thing he thought about in the morning and the last thing he thought about at night. It was a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/ted-koppel-3111_awful_president-carter-famously-said-the-hosta_1154809.png" --- # President Carter famously said the hostages were the first… ![“President Carter famously said the hostages were the first thing he thought about in the morning and the last thing he thought about at night. It was a downright foolish thing to say, because it made the people holding the hostages realize that they had an awful lot of influence over the United…” quote by Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/ted-koppel-3111_awful_president-carter-famously-said-the-hosta_1154809.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/ted-koppel-3111_awful_president-carter-famously-said-the-hosta_1154809.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/ted-koppel-3111_awful_president-carter-famously-said-the-hosta_1154809.png) > “President Carter famously said the hostages were the first thing he thought about in the morning and the last thing he thought about at night. It was a downright foolish thing to say, because it made the people holding the hostages realize that they had an awful lot of influence over the United States.” [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. President Carter’s comment on hostages shows how leaders can unintentionally empower adversaries by publicizing their leverage. **In simple terms:** Publicly acknowledging a problem can give power to the problem. Key Takeaway Be mindful of how statements affect power dynamics. Themes politics leadership hostage crisis Mood cautious reflective Type political strategic When to use this quote - diplomacy - crisis communication - negotiation - public statements Key Concepts psychology of influence media strategy Questions to Reflect On - How do leaders balance transparency with strategic restraint? - What are the risks of giving opponents a platform? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on a single issue can obscure broader policy needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hostages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hostages/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-carter/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) ## Related quotes > [Since leaving office in 1977, Dr. Kissinger has continued to play a highly influential role in U.S. politics, in the U.S. media, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/since-leaving-office-in-1977-dr-kissinger-has-continued-to-play-a/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) > [If I were to be taken hostage, I would not plead for release nor would I want my government to be blackmailed. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/if-i-were-to-be-taken-hostage-i-would-not-plead-for-release-nor-would/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [I remember the last three days that I was president, I never went to bed at all. I never went to bed until we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-remember-the-last-three-days-that-i-was-president-i-never-went-to/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [All schoolchildren are hostages to red tape and fiscal insufficiency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosellen-brown/all-schoolchildren-are-hostages-to-red-tape-and-fiscal-insufficiency/) [Rosellen Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosellen-brown/) > [In my family, misery didn't just love company, it wanted hostages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/in-my-family-misery-didn-t-just-love-company-it-wanted-hostages/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-that-hath-wife-and-children-hath-given-hostages-to-fortune/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Because when you kill 300 people, 400 people, who have nothing to do with the provocations Hezbollah staged, but you do it in effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/because-when-you-kill-300-people-400-people-who-have-nothing-to-do/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [We're all time's captives, hostages to eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/we-re-all-time-s-captives-hostages-to-eternity/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [Perhaps one of the more noteworthy trends of our time is the occupation of buildings accompanied by the taking of hostages. The perpetrators of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/perhaps-one-of-the-more-noteworthy-trends-of-our-time-is-the/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [Terrorists don't take black hostages. That's the truth. I have yet to see one of us on the news reading a hostage letter. Like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/terrorists-don-t-take-black-hostages-that-s-the-truth-i-have-yet-to/) [Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/) > [I would have promised those terrorists a trip to Disneyland if it would have gotten the hostages released. I thank God they were satisfied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-north/i-would-have-promised-those-terrorists-a-trip-to-disneyland-if-it/) [Oliver North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-north/) > [No commandment surpasses the one concerning the liberation of hostages, for they are among the starving, the thirsting, the stripped, always in danger of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/no-commandment-surpasses-the-one-concerning-the-liberation-of/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“The goal with hostages is to gradually lower expectations; in nonhostage crises, it's to lower emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-cullen/the-goal-with-hostages-is-to-gradually-lower-expectations-in/) [Dave Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-cullen/) > [I have a wife, I have sons; all these hostages have I given to fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-l-lucas/i-have-a-wife-i-have-sons-all-these-hostages-have-i-given-to-fortune/) [F. L. Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-l-lucas/) > [When death gives us a long lease of life, it takes as hostages all those whom we have loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-curchod/when-death-gives-us-a-long-lease-of-life-it-takes-as-hostages-all/) [Suzanne Curchod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-curchod/) ## More by Ted Koppel > [“Nobody’s in charge there, nobody has responsibility, nor can anybody require that they do work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/nobody-s-in-charge-there-nobody-has-responsibility-nor-can-anybody/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [Would anyone else like to say anything nice about women?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/would-anyone-else-like-to-say-anything-nice-about-women/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“smaller companies with lean profit margins are simply not inclined to spend a great deal on cybersecurity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/smaller-companies-with-lean-profit-margins-are-simply-not-inclined-to/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“has to be connected to the company’s billing department, which in turn needs to be connected to whatever department actually conveys electricity to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/has-to-be-connected-to-the-company-s-billing-department-which-in-turn/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“I think that within six months, if things weren’t straightened out adequately to have something besides anarchy, somebody’s going to show up on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/i-think-that-within-six-months-if-things-weren-t-straightened-out/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“the extreme vulnerability of SCADA systems to cyber sabotage was first demonstrated, and dramatically so, during the administration of George W. Bush.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/the-extreme-vulnerability-of-scada-systems-to-cyber-sabotage-was/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“The August 2003 blackout was a wake-up call for both industry and government regulators.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/the-august-2003-blackout-was-a-wake-up-call-for-both-industry-and/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“The world is locked into a state of cyber dependency”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/the-world-is-locked-into-a-state-of-cyber-dependency/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“consumer deals directly only with the local company that delivers the electricity on that final leg.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/consumer-deals-directly-only-with-the-local-company-that-delivers-the/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“We remain largely oblivious to the potential catastrophe of a well-targeted cyberattack.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/we-remain-largely-oblivious-to-the-potential-catastrophe-of-a-well/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“the Internet is also giving rise to “filter bubbles” that decrease users’ exposure to conflicting viewpoints and reinforce their own ideological frames.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/the-internet-is-also-giving-rise-to-filter-bubbles-that-decrease/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“(Several nation-states, most prominently the Russians and the Chinese, have already spent years conducting just such reconnaissance.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/several-nation-states-most-prominently-the-russians-and-the-chinese/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“the only institution with real power to decide how the power industry is protected is the power industry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/the-only-institution-with-real-power-to-decide-how-the-power-industry/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“What about independent actors using cyberattacks to knock out one of our power grids? Are we at that point yet? “Simple answer,” said Schmidt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/what-about-independent-actors-using-cyberattacks-to-knock-out-one-of/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“it took on average 279 days before companies that had been breached came to realize it or were told by someone else. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/it-took-on-average-279-days-before-companies-that-had-been-breached/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) [Explore all 139 Ted Koppel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) ## More Awful quotes > [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. 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