--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No foreign policy will stick unless the…" description: "\"No foreign policy will stick unless the American people are behind it. And unless Congress understands it. And unless Congress understands it, the Amer..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51d/w-averell-harriman-24082_american-people_no-foreign-policy-will-stick-unless-the_2114646.jpg" --- # No foreign policy will stick unless the American people… ![“No foreign policy will stick unless the American people are behind it. And unless Congress understands it. And unless Congress understands it, the American people aren't going to understand it.” quote by W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51d/w-averell-harriman-24082_american-people_no-foreign-policy-will-stick-unless-the_2114646.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51d/w-averell-harriman-24082_american-people_no-foreign-policy-will-stick-unless-the_2114646.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51d/w-averell-harriman-24082_american-people_no-foreign-policy-will-stick-unless-the_2114646.jpg) > “No foreign policy will stick unless the American people are behind it. And unless Congress understands it. And unless Congress understands it, the American people aren't going to understand it.” [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective foreign policy requires public support and congressional understanding; without them, policies fail to resonate or be implemented. **In simple terms:** Policy needs people and lawmakers behind it. Key Takeaway Build consensus before enacting policy. Themes politics public opinion policy making Mood strategic pragmatic Type political analytical When to use this quote - campaigns - legislative hearings - public forums - media outreach Key Concepts democracy legislative process national security Questions to Reflect On - How to educate the public on policy? - What mechanisms ensure congressional alignment? A Different Perspective Public opinion can be volatile and misinformed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Foreign policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-policy/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [The Hispanic community understands the American Dream and have not forgotten what they were promised - that in the U.S., a free market system,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-hispanic-community-understands-the-american-dream-and-have-not/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [I don't think most of Congress understands how economics works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandria-ocasio-cortez/i-don-t-think-most-of-congress-understands-how-economics-works/) [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandria-ocasio-cortez/) > [We need a Congress that understands the sanctity of life, the sanctity of traditional values, the sanctity of traditional marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-tillis/we-need-a-congress-that-understands-the-sanctity-of-life-the-sanctity/) [Thom Tillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-tillis/) > [When you're the president of the United States, you have no money unless the Congress says, 'Here's what you can spend it on.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-perino/when-you-re-the-president-of-the-united-states-you-have-no-money/) [Dana Perino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-perino/) > [A territory cannot become a state or a nation unless Congress approves legislation and the president signs it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-pierluisi/a-territory-cannot-become-a-state-or-a-nation-unless-congress/) [Pedro Pierluisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-pierluisi/) > [From a German point of view, German-American and European-American relations are a pillar of our foreign policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/from-a-german-point-of-view-german-american-and-european-american/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [ \[A\]n Obama presidency would be an amusing approximation of the Carter administration, complete with vaporous moralizing and foreign policy bungling. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-tyrrell/a-n-obama-presidency-would-be-an-amusing-approximation-of-the-carter/) [Emmett Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-tyrrell/) > [We have come a long way in terms of foreign policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-pierre-raffarin/we-have-come-a-long-way-in-terms-of-foreign-policy/) [Jean-Pierre Raffarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-pierre-raffarin/) > [The reality is that our military presence on foreign soil is as offensive to the people that live there as armed Chinese troops would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-reality-is-that-our-military-presence-on-foreign-soil-is-as/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [The next president needs to know foreign policy and not learn it on the job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/the-next-president-needs-to-know-foreign-policy-and-not-learn-it-on/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [21st-century foreign policy is going to be built on countries that can tackle transnational challenges together. 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And bullies only understand when we punch them in the nose, but we need to do that economically. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/putin-is-a-bully-and-bullies-only-understand-when-we-punch-them-in/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Britain should take pride in a foreign policy that reflects her values and responsibilities - but it must be grounded in the tangible interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-raab/britain-should-take-pride-in-a-foreign-policy-that-reflects-her/) [Dominic Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-raab/) ## More by W. Averell Harriman > [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [I think Stalin was afraid of Roosevelt. Whenever Roosevelt spoke, he sort of watched him with a certain awe. He was afraid of Roosevelt's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/i-think-stalin-was-afraid-of-roosevelt-whenever-roosevelt-spoke-he/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [Much of the aid we first gave to Russia we took away from what we promised Britain. So in a sense, Britain participated in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/much-of-the-aid-we-first-gave-to-russia-we-took-away-from-what-we/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [There's a myth that Roosevelt gave Stalin Eastern Europe. I was with Roosevelt every day at Yalta.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/there-s-a-myth-that-roosevelt-gave-stalin-eastern-europe-i-was-with/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [This was the period when I used all the influence I had to get the British to abandon their export trade, and as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/this-was-the-period-when-i-used-all-the-influence-i-had-to-get-the/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [Roosevelt was the one who had the vision to change our policy from isolationism to world leadership. That was a terrific revolution. Our country's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/roosevelt-was-the-one-who-had-the-vision-to-change-our-policy-from/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [The Russians often took advantage of Lend-Lease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/the-russians-often-took-advantage-of-lend-lease/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [It never occurred to me that we would have as grandiose a program as the Marshall Plan, but I felt that we had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/it-never-occurred-to-me-that-we-would-have-as-grandiose-a-program-as/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [Yet the whole preamble of the second authorization act for the Marshall Plan showed the direction Congress was ready to take about breaking down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/yet-the-whole-preamble-of-the-second-authorization-act-for-the/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [I was quite ready to accept certain restrictions on the United States. After all, there was a great dollar shortage. It was quite clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/i-was-quite-ready-to-accept-certain-restrictions-on-the-united-states/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [We became convinced that, regardless of Stalin's awful brutality and his reign of terror, he was a great war leader. Without Stalin, they never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/we-became-convinced-that-regardless-of-stalin-s-awful-brutality-and/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [I always read everything on the desks of people I went to see in Moscow, London, Paris I found it quite useful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/i-always-read-everything-on-the-desks-of-people-i-went-to-see-in/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [I think there are telegrams that may or may not be available, which indicated that I very much had in mind the need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/i-think-there-are-telegrams-that-may-or-may-not-be-available-which/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [It was fear. He didn't want to see a united Germany. Stalin made it clear to me - I spoke with him many times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/it-was-fear-he-didn-t-want-to-see-a-united-germany-stalin-made-it/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [We were talking about really getting Europe on its feet. It was our hope that there would be a breakdown of trade barriers in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/we-were-talking-about-really-getting-europe-on-its-feet-it-was-our/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) [Explore all 25 W. Averell Harriman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) ## More American people quotes > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-as-much-as-government-can-do-and-must-do-it-is-ultimately-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Given a choice between two bald political candidates, the American people will vote for the less bald of the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-gold/given-a-choice-between-two-bald-political-candidates-the-american/) Victor Gold > [When the American people saw the LA riots and crowds of Blacks cheering O.J. Simpson (who was acquitted by the almost all Black jury),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/when-the-american-people-saw-the-la-riots-and-crowds-of-blacks/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/) [Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [I don't know a politician who enjoys fundraising. The system is such that the American people have lost faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-don-t-know-a-politician-who-enjoys-fundraising-the-system-is-such/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/probably-the-greatest-single-obstacle-to-the-progress-and-happiness/) [John D. 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