--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: you have to be able to answer those…" description: "\"“you have to be able to answer those questions plainly and clearly. There can be qualifications and “get-outs,” but the answers must remain comprehensi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/tony-blair-812_personal-character_you-have-to-be-able-to-answer-those-ques_1533556.jpg" --- # you have to be able to answer those questions plainly and… ![“you have to be able to answer those questions plainly and clearly. There can be qualifications and “get-outs,” but the answers must remain comprehensible, because they define you. They add up to a political, not merely personal, character. This requires thought, detailed analysis and intellectual…” quote by Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/tony-blair-812_personal-character_you-have-to-be-able-to-answer-those-ques_1533556.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/tony-blair-812_personal-character_you-have-to-be-able-to-answer-those-ques_1533556.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/tony-blair-812_personal-character_you-have-to-be-able-to-answer-those-ques_1533556.jpg) > ““you have to be able to answer those questions plainly and clearly. There can be qualifications and “get-outs,” but the answers must remain comprehensible, because they define you. They add up to a political, not merely personal, character. This requires thought, detailed analysis and intellectual rigour. Politics is a far more intellectual business than is often realized. You may think: Well, if it’s simplicity that’s required, you don’t need a whole lot of detail. Wrong. The simplicity is not born of superficial analysis. It is simple precisely because it is the product of being worked through.”” [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Clear, rigorous analysis is essential for political integrity; simplicity stems from deep thought, not superficiality. **In simple terms:** Political answers must be simple yet deeply analyzed. Key Takeaway Seek depth before simplicity. Themes politics integrity analysis communication Mood thoughtful analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - public speaking - debate preparation - media interviews Key Concepts critical thinking intellectual rigor clarity Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure depth without losing clarity? - What checks prevent superficial simplicity? A Different Perspective Simplicity may overlook nuance, leading to oversimplified policies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Add Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add-political-4418492/) [Analysis Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analysis-intellectual-5695681/) [Clearly Qualifications](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clearly-qualifications-5695680/) [Personal character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-character/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Qualifications Outs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qualifications-outs-5695682/) [Questions Plainly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions-plainly-5695679/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [Marrying video, sound, and words can create incredibly compelling storytelling, and when you add the political piece, you get a special combination: stories directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-jackson/marrying-video-sound-and-words-can-create-incredibly-compelling/) [Hallie Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-jackson/) > [You will never be able to truly step inside another person, to see the world as he sees it, until you develop the pure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/you-will-never-be-able-to-truly-step-inside-another-person-to-see-the/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [In many ways, anti-anti-Trumpism mirrors Donald Trump himself because, at its core there are no fixed values, no respect for constitutional government or ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/in-many-ways-anti-anti-trumpism-mirrors-donald-trump-himself-because/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [I get vested in my guys. I want to know who their family members are, I want to know their interests, I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-williams/i-get-vested-in-my-guys-i-want-to-know-who-their-family-members-are-i/) [Monty Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-williams/) > [It is commonly the personal character of a writer which gives him his public significance. It is not imparted by his genius. 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Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [A man who has cured himself of all ridiculous prepossessions, and is fully, sincerely, and steadily convinced, from experience as well as philosophy, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/a-man-who-has-cured-himself-of-all-ridiculous-prepossessions-and-is/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [When the men of antiquity realized their wishes, benefits were conferred by them on the people. If they did not realize their wishes, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/when-the-men-of-antiquity-realized-their-wishes-benefits-were/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [“After Portia has trapped Shylock through his own insistence upon the letter of the law of Contract, she produces another law by which any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/after-portia-has-trapped-shylock-through-his-own-insistence-upon-the/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [In war, three-quarters turns on personal character and relations; the balance of manpower and materials counts only for the remaining quarter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-war-three-quarters-turns-on-personal-character-and-relations-the/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [It is commonly the personal character of a writer which gives him his public significance. It is not imparted by his genius. Napoleon said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-commonly-the-personal-character-of-a-writer-which-gives-him-his/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I get vested in my guys. 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The first kind depends on the personal character ofthe speaker;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/of-the-modes-of-persuasion-furnished-by-the-spoken-word-there-are/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) [Browse all 44 Personal character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“you have to be able to answer those questions plainly and clearly. There can be qualifications and “get-outs,” but the answers must remain comprehensible, because they define you. They add up to a political, not merely personal, character. This requires thought, detailed analysis and intellectual rigour. Politics is a far more intellectual business than is often realized. You may think: Well, if it’s simplicity that’s required, you don’t need a whole lot of detail. Wrong. The simplicity is not born of superficial analysis. 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