---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My time in the Obama administration…"
description: "\"My time in the Obama administration turned out to be a deeply disillusioning experience.\" — Vali Nasr"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/vali-nasr-53327_administration_my-time-in-the-obama-administration-turn_1052676.jpg"
---

#  My time in the Obama administration turned out to be a…

![“My time in the Obama administration turned out to be a deeply disillusioning experience.” quote by Vali Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/vali-nasr-53327_administration_my-time-in-the-obama-administration-turn_1052676.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/vali-nasr-53327_administration_my-time-in-the-obama-administration-turn_1052676.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/vali-nasr-53327_administration_my-time-in-the-obama-administration-turn_1052676.jpg)

> “My time in the Obama administration turned out to be a deeply disillusioning experience.”

[Vali Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vali-nasr/)

## 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 felt profound disappointment and loss of idealism after working in the Obama administration.

**In simple terms:** Disillusionment after political service

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address systemic flaws

Themes

politics disillusionment idealism

Mood

cynical reflective

Type

political personal

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- career counseling
- activism
- academic study
- public discourse

Key Concepts

Public service expectations reality check

Questions to Reflect On

- What expectations were unmet?
- How can one stay hopeful?

A Different Perspective

Idealism can clash with bureaucratic realities

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) [Administration Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration-turned-1393573/) [Deeply Disillusioning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeply-disillusioning-2526990/) [Disillusioning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disillusioning-401769/) [Disillusioning Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disillusioning-experience-2526989/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [My time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-time/) [Obama administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obama-administration/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [The Clinton Administration has turned out to be a boon. I knew that he would be wonderful, I just knew it from the beginning.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-paulsen/the-clinton-administration-has-turned-out-to-be-a-boon-i-knew-that-he/)

[Pat Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-paulsen/)

> [To live in the past or in the future may be less satisfying than to live in the present, but it can never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/to-live-in-the-past-or-in-the-future-may-be-less-satisfying-than-to/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [You talk to people and they seem really nice and then you read what they write and it's very disillusioning. You have to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/you-talk-to-people-and-they-seem-really-nice-and-then-you-read-what/)

[Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/)

> [“I like to think I'm above that kind of shitty behavior, so you can imagine how disillusioning it's been for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/i-like-to-think-i-m-above-that-kind-of-shitty-behavior-so-you-can/)

[Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/)

> [Any life lived attentively is disillusioning as it forces us to know us as we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/any-life-lived-attentively-is-disillusioning-as-it-forces-us-to-know/)

[Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/)

> [Affairs are just as disillusioning as marriage, and much less restful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/affairs-are-just-as-disillusioning-as-marriage-and-much-less-restful/)

[Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/)

> [I mean, it's pretty disillusioning for all of us right now, and we feel pretty helpless when Congress, their approval rating is thirteen percent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-cross/i-mean-it-s-pretty-disillusioning-for-all-of-us-right-now-and-we-feel/)

[Christopher Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-cross/)

> [It's all right to be disillusioned, but you can't be disillusioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-ford/it-s-all-right-to-be-disillusioned-but-you-can-t-be-disillusioning/)

[Leslie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-ford/)

> [The Obama administration seems to be following what might be called 'the Detroit pattern increasing taxes, harassing businesses, and pandering to unions. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-obama-administration-seems-to-be-following-what-might-be-called/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Obama administration officials who were in key positions on Sept. 11, 2012, acknowledge that a range of mistakes were made the night of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/obama-administration-officials-who-were-in-key-positions-on-sept-11/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [Some of this is bureaucratic ineptitude and a great deal of this is an administration that doesn't understand the urgency of the situation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/some-of-this-is-bureaucratic-ineptitude-and-a-great-deal-of-this-is/)

[Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/)

> [It is the policies of the Obama Administration that has led to a stagnated economy as well as high unemployment, as well as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-cain/it-is-the-policies-of-the-obama-administration-that-has-led-to-a/)

[Herman Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-cain/)

> [ I have to say, early on, to be fair, in the \[Barack\] Obama administration, the Obama White House said that Fox News was not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-have-to-say-early-on-to-be-fair-in-the-barack-obama-administration/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [It's hardly news that the Obama administration is intensely and, in many respects, unprecedentedly hostile toward the news-gathering process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-hardly-news-that-the-obama-administration-is-intensely-and-in/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [If Martin Luther King looked at the Obama administration and saw an intimate connection with Wall Street, he'd be very critical. If he saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/if-martin-luther-king-looked-at-the-obama-administration-and-saw-an/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

## More by Vali Nasr

> [A timely and incisive look into the history, politics, and future of the Muslim Brotherhood by the foremost expert on Islamism in Egypt. Carrie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vali-nasr/a-timely-and-incisive-look-into-the-history-politics-and-future-of/)

[Vali Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vali-nasr/)

> [I think President Barack Obama came to office with quite fundamental understandings in his mind about what's possible and what's not possible in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vali-nasr/i-think-president-barack-obama-came-to-office-with-quite-fundamental/)

[Vali Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vali-nasr/)

> [“Heed not the blind eye, the echoing ear, nor yet the tongue, but bring to this great debate the test of reason. —Parmenides”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vali-nasr/heed-not-the-blind-eye-the-echoing-ear-nor-yet-the-tongue-but-bring/)

[Vali Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vali-nasr/)

> [President Barack Obama started by accepting the military's counterinsurgency, but came out of Afghanistan having decided that counterinsurgency actually doesn't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vali-nasr/president-barack-obama-started-by-accepting-the-military-s/)

[Vali Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vali-nasr/)

> [What you have in Iraq is not just a society coming apart like Yugoslavia or Congo. What is at stake is not just Iraq's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vali-nasr/what-you-have-in-iraq-is-not-just-a-society-coming-apart-like/)

[Vali Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vali-nasr/)

[Explore all 6 Vali Nasr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vali-nasr/)

## More Administration quotes

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [If you want to serve in a Trump administration, you're going to serve this country, not yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-spicer/if-you-want-to-serve-in-a-trump-administration-you-re-going-to-serve/)

[Sean Spicer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-spicer/)

> [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/)

[David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/)

> [I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-don-t-believe-anyone-that-i-know-in-the-administration-ever-said/)

[Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/)

> [What was unique about me being in City Hall during the Giuliani Administration, I was the only one who wasn't an attorney. I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/what-was-unique-about-me-being-in-city-hall-during-the-giuliani/)

[Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/)

> [The Trump administration launched the cruise missile strikes in Syria, an act of war, without a U.N. resolution or Congressional authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-trump-administration-launched-the-cruise-missile-strikes-in-syria/)

[Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/)

> [The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved in the administration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is-if-i-m-involved-in-the/)

[Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/)

> [Obama spent the first two years of his administration practicing political unilateral disarmament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/obama-spent-the-first-two-years-of-his-administration-practicing/)

[Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/)

> [The actions of the University in my case make it abundantly clear that the Administration's rhetoric about Harvard's desire to attract and retain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/the-actions-of-the-university-in-my-case-make-it-abundantly-clear/)

[Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/)

> [In mid-May, the House of Representatives approved the full amount of money that the Veterans Administration said was needed for next year - plus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doc-hastings/in-mid-may-the-house-of-representatives-approved-the-full-amount-of/)

[Doc Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doc-hastings/)

> [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/)

[Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/)

> [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/)

[Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/)

> [When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/when-we-criticize-in-iran-the-actions-of-the-government-the/)

[Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/)

> [We will finally complete the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system, which we need desperately. For years Congress has required biometric entry-exit visa tracking systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-finally-complete-the-biometric-entry-exit-visa-tracking/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

[Browse all 1,855 Administration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My time in the Obama administration turned out to be a deeply disillusioning experience.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Vali Nasr"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vali-nasr/my-time-in-the-obama-administration-turned-out-to-be-a-deeply/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Administration"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vali-nasr/my-time-in-the-obama-administration-turned-out-to-be-a-deeply/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/vali-nasr-53327_administration_my-time-in-the-obama-administration-turn_1052676.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/vali-nasr-53327_administration_my-time-in-the-obama-administration-turn_1052676.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/vali-nasr-53327_administration_my-time-in-the-obama-administration-turn_1052676.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My time in the Obama administration turned out to be a deeply disillusioning experience.” — Vali Nasr",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Vali Nasr",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vali-nasr/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My time in the Obama administration...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vali-nasr/my-time-in-the-obama-administration-turned-out-to-be-a-deeply/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vali-nasr/my-time-in-the-obama-administration-turned-out-to-be-a-deeply/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
