--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Honestly, if you are going to run for…" description: "\"Honestly, if you are going to run for public office, I think it's incumbent... to speak up.\" — Tom Tancredo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/tom-tancredo-3606_i-think_honestly-if-you-are-going-to-run-for-pub_2502697.png" --- # Honestly, if you are going to run for public office, I… ![“Honestly, if you are going to run for public office, I think it's incumbent... to speak up.” quote by Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/tom-tancredo-3606_i-think_honestly-if-you-are-going-to-run-for-pub_2502697.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/tom-tancredo-3606_i-think_honestly-if-you-are-going-to-run-for-pub_2502697.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/tom-tancredo-3606_i-think_honestly-if-you-are-going-to-run-for-pub_2502697.png) > “Honestly, if you are going to run for public office, I think it's incumbent... to speak up.” [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Public office demands vocal advocacy for constituents' concerns. **In simple terms:** Speak up when holding office. Key Takeaway Use your platform to voice community needs. Themes civic duty responsibility communication Mood determined serious Type political motivational When to use this quote - Town hall meetings - legislative debates - media interviews Key Concepts Democratic engagement public advocacy Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance honesty with diplomacy? - What issues matter most to your constituents? A Different Perspective May be perceived as partisan or overly aggressive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Incumbent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incumbent/) [Incumbent Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incumbent-speak-1076262/) [Public office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-office/) [Run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/run/) [Run Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/run-public-1076264/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Incumbent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-incumbent-1076263/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) ## Related quotes > [I think we are incumbent, I am incumbent, the Who is incumbent, anybody that produces anything by me is incumbent by my Englishness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-townshend/i-think-we-are-incumbent-i-am-incumbent-the-who-is-incumbent-anybody/) [Pete Townshend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-townshend/) > [If you are prepared to run for public office, you also have to be willing to accept a debate about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-schauble/if-you-are-prepared-to-run-for-public-office-you-also-have-to-be/) [Wolfgang Schauble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-schauble/) > [I am really rich. All of my life I have heard a truly successful, and even a modestly successful person, cannot run for public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-am-really-rich-all-of-my-life-i-have-heard-a-truly-successful-and/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office...that's what Jesus would do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/jesus-was-too-smart-to-ever-run-for-public-office-that-s-what-jesus/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [You don't run for public office unless you have a specific vision. You are driven by ideas and a vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-nixon-eisenhower/you-don-t-run-for-public-office-unless-you-have-a-specific-vision-you/) [Julie Nixon Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-nixon-eisenhower/) > [I don't claim any moral or ethical high ground, but I also have chosen not to run for public office. Shouldn't there be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/i-don-t-claim-any-moral-or-ethical-high-ground-but-i-also-have-chosen/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [My mother at the age of 65 decided she was going to run for mayor. She had never run for public office, and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-mathews-burwell/my-mother-at-the-age-of-65-decided-she-was-going-to-run-for-mayor-she/) [Sylvia Mathews Burwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-mathews-burwell/) > [We shouldn't leave the work of politics to people who run for public office.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-shouldn-t-leave-the-work-of-politics-to-people-who-run-for-public/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I think the rules are going to have to change for me to ever run for public office. 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I spent my entire life working for a private company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ovitz/i-have-never-run-a-public-company-i-spent-my-entire-life-working-for/) [Michael Ovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ovitz/) > [Once you realize just the sort of glut of books that exists out there, it does become incumbent on you not to add to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/once-you-realize-just-the-sort-of-glut-of-books-that-exists-out-there/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [The President? Hmmm, I wonder who that might be? Could it be, perhaps, the sitting two-term incumbent of the same party holding its convention?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fallows/the-president-hmmm-i-wonder-who-that-might-be-could-it-be-perhaps-the/) [James Fallows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fallows/) ## More by Tom Tancredo > [Anger is an emotion, not a compass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/anger-is-an-emotion-not-a-compass/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [No migrant of any religion has a constitutional right to come to the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/no-migrant-of-any-religion-has-a-constitutional-right-to-come-to-the/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [My policy has always been to say what I believe to be in the best interest of the American people and hope the voters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/my-policy-has-always-been-to-say-what-i-believe-to-be-in-the-best/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [Progressives really do see America as guilty of crimes against humanity, and to them, our 'greatness' must be abandoned to atone for those crimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/progressives-really-do-see-america-as-guilty-of-crimes-against/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [To Barack Obama and the American Left, the 'imperialist' West is always guilty, and so, radical Islam is seen as at least half right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/to-barack-obama-and-the-american-left-the-imperialist-west-is-always/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [We must give Trump credit for asking many politically incorrect questions and challenging mainstream Republican dogma on immigration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/we-must-give-trump-credit-for-asking-many-politically-incorrect/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [The path chosen by Barack Obama and the Democrat Party is the road to 'small-c- communism' - and the important thing to understand is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/the-path-chosen-by-barack-obama-and-the-democrat-party-is-the-road-to/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [To be called a sovereign nation, a nation has to be able to control its own borders. It is controlling your own destiny in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/to-be-called-a-sovereign-nation-a-nation-has-to-be-able-to-control/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [It is neither racist nor elitist to say publicly what every rational person believes privately - that if you don't know anything about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/it-is-neither-racist-nor-elitist-to-say-publicly-what-every-rational/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [Welcome to the brave new world of American multiculturalism. From a nation of diverse peoples united by a common culture, we have become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/welcome-to-the-brave-new-world-of-american-multiculturalism-from-a/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [The Democratic Party looks at massive immigration, legal and illegal, as a source of voters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/the-democratic-party-looks-at-massive-immigration-legal-and-illegal/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [As everyone knows, I have never been a fan of George Bush's presidency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/as-everyone-knows-i-have-never-been-a-fan-of-george-bush-s-presidency/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [When the rule of law is being perverted to the rule of the 'good intentions' of unelected judges, it is time for serious study…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/when-the-rule-of-law-is-being-perverted-to-the-rule-of-the-good/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [The academic Left has a long history of taking the idea of 'false consciousness' seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/the-academic-left-has-a-long-history-of-taking-the-idea-of-false/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [Look at what has happened to Miami. It has become a Third World country. You just pick it up and take it and move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/look-at-what-has-happened-to-miami-it-has-become-a-third-world/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) [Explore all 126 Tom Tancredo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) ## More I think quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [I'm not here trying to convince anybody to vote for Donald Trump. 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I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I think a person has to just be herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-nixon/i-think-a-person-has-to-just-be-herself/) [Pat Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-nixon/) > [I think I am against stereotype. Generally, Asian guys are more quiet - they study and have a good work ethic. Generally, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-lee/i-think-i-am-against-stereotype-generally-asian-guys-are-more-quiet/) [Bobby Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-lee/) > [I think taking a hookline of a hit song and making a new song is fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-kumar/i-think-taking-a-hookline-of-a-hit-song-and-making-a-new-song-is-fun/) [Tulsi Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-kumar/) > [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. 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