--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who thought that she was busy…" description: "\"People who thought that she was busy going around trying to stir up difficulty where there was none or less than she imagined, were quite critical of h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/william-a-rusher-20922_busy_people-who-thought-that-she-was-busy-goi_1576970.jpg" --- # People who thought that she was busy going around trying… ![“People who thought that she was busy going around trying to stir up difficulty where there was none or less than she imagined, were quite critical of her. She was, we must never forget, a public figure. And in democracies, public figures tend to attract criticism as well as praise. The most…” quote by William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/william-a-rusher-20922_busy_people-who-thought-that-she-was-busy-goi_1576970.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/william-a-rusher-20922_busy_people-who-thought-that-she-was-busy-goi_1576970.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/william-a-rusher-20922_busy_people-who-thought-that-she-was-busy-goi_1576970.jpg) > “People who thought that she was busy going around trying to stir up difficulty where there was none or less than she imagined, were quite critical of her. She was, we must never forget, a public figure. And in democracies, public figures tend to attract criticism as well as praise. The most dangerous thing would be if anybody were regarded as above criticism. And Eleanor Roosevelt is, in recent years, getting there.” [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Public figures inevitably face both praise and criticism; shielding anyone from critique is dangerous, especially in democracy **In simple terms:** Public figures get criticism; no one is above it Key Takeaway Recognize criticism as part of public life Themes accountability democracy criticism Mood reflective cautious Type political analytical When to use this quote - political leaders - celebrity - activists - media coverage Key Concepts Freedom of speech public scrutiny Questions to Reflect On - How should public figures respond to unfair criticism? - When does criticism become harassment? A Different Perspective Criticism can become personal attacks that stifle discourse ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) [Public figure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-figure/) [Public figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-figures/) ## Related quotes > [ I think she \[Eleanor Roosevelt\] never was called because she probably didn't know an awful lot. The whole burden of the criticism of her… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/i-think-she-eleanor-roosevelt-never-was-called-because-she-probably/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ There's a responsibility level that comes along with being a public figure. I can use this for really cool things. That really \[allows\] me… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-blackburn/there-s-a-responsibility-level-that-comes-along-with-being-a-public/) [Tyler Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-blackburn/) > [Politicians tend to live "in character" and many a public figure has come to imitate the journalism that describes him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/politicians-tend-to-live-in-character-and-many-a-public-figure-has/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [Being a public figure was reserved for movie stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-de-ribes/being-a-public-figure-was-reserved-for-movie-stars/) Jacqueline de Ribes > [I have never felt the pain of not being white the way I've felt it since I've been a public figure/part of this entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azealia-banks/i-have-never-felt-the-pain-of-not-being-white-the-way-i-ve-felt-it/) [Azealia Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azealia-banks/) > [I don't think it's easy for women to watch themselves age. And I think it's obviously doubly hard to grow older when you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/i-don-t-think-it-s-easy-for-women-to-watch-themselves-age-and-i-think/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) > [I definitely think there is a shift happening right now in terms of visibility, but there's still a choice you make as a public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-rachel-wood/i-definitely-think-there-is-a-shift-happening-right-now-in-terms-of/) [Evan Rachel Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-rachel-wood/) > [If anybody ever tries to do an investigative report on a journalist, much like the kind and the way a journalist would do on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-anybody-ever-tries-to-do-an-investigative-report-on-a-journalist/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [My son is not a public figure to me, he is my son. I can't predict what's going to be in the headlines. Justin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattie-mallette/my-son-is-not-a-public-figure-to-me-he-is-my-son-i-can-t-predict-what/) [Pattie Mallette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattie-mallette/) > [Very few people ever meet celebrities. All we really know is what we read about them and the most memorable lines are jokes. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/very-few-people-ever-meet-celebrities-all-we-really-know-is-what-we/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [ I think it's basically the same game, although with a public figure like \[Donald\] Trump I think you are bound to consider the public… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-think-it-s-basically-the-same-game-although-with-a-public-figure/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I always knew that I would be some type of public figure, but I never knew that it would be rapping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-gibbs/i-always-knew-that-i-would-be-some-type-of-public-figure-but-i-never/) [Freddie Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-gibbs/) > [As an artist, I used to think that my responsibility was to do good work. But I had to learn from the '70s on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/as-an-artist-i-used-to-think-that-my-responsibility-was-to-do-good/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I would tell anyone, pick the person you love the most, the musician, the actor, public figure, whatever, and watch a bunch of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-singh/i-would-tell-anyone-pick-the-person-you-love-the-most-the-musician/) [Lilly Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-singh/) > [I have lived my life very openly and have never hidden the fact that I am gay. Apparently the prerequisite to being a gay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-knight/i-have-lived-my-life-very-openly-and-have-never-hidden-the-fact-that/) [Jonathan Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-knight/) ## More by William A. Rusher > [Our Navy was very largely sunk. And we were at war in no time at all. I share, in retrospect, the distress we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/our-navy-was-very-largely-sunk-and-we-were-at-war-in-no-time-at-all-i/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [One of the most influential women of the 20th century? Well, that may be overdoing it. When one thinks of really influential women, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/one-of-the-most-influential-women-of-the-20th-century-well-that-may/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ I think the fact that she \[Eleanor Roosevelt\] was a woman probably in those days would have been an additional criticism, although first ladies… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/i-think-the-fact-that-she-eleanor-roosevelt-was-a-woman-probably-in/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [And at the UN she took the advice - she had to take the advice - of the State Department and the Assistant Secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/and-at-the-un-she-took-the-advice-she-had-to-take-the-advice-of-the/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [Eleanor Roosevelt had both her admirers and her detractors. And they admired her and detracted from her for many of the same reasons. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/eleanor-roosevelt-had-both-her-admirers-and-her-detractors-and-they/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ One has to say that they \[Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt\] were pioneering to some extent. They didn't know that some of the housing projects… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/one-has-to-say-that-they-eleanor-and-franklin-roosevelt-were/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [She was obviously useful at the UN because she had a public persona before she ever got there. She was well known. She was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/she-was-obviously-useful-at-the-un-because-she-had-a-public-persona/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [These people looked Japanese, were originally Japanese, were numerous. We had no way of knowing to what extent they had been infiltrated. To their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/these-people-looked-japanese-were-originally-japanese-were-numerous/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [Well, you have to remember that until 1948, when Hubert Humphrey and others forced the Democratic Party to adopt a new policy on civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/well-you-have-to-remember-that-until-1948-when-hubert-humphrey-and/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [I think that it is true that Eleanor Roosevelt, by being so active on that front, contributed to that impression very substantially. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/i-think-that-it-is-true-that-eleanor-roosevelt-by-being-so-active-on/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ That was a general impression that one got, that she \[Eleanor Roosevelt\] was always flitting around the country and descending on some place in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/that-was-a-general-impression-that-one-got-that-she-eleanor-roosevelt/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ I think she \[Eleanor Roosevelt\] never was called because she probably didn't know an awful lot. The whole burden of the criticism of her… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/i-think-she-eleanor-roosevelt-never-was-called-because-she-probably/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [ I don't think she ever had a single initiative at the United Nations that was not previously \[vetted\] by the people at the State… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/i-don-t-think-she-ever-had-a-single-initiative-at-the-united-nations/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [In terms of legacy, I'm not sure that I see some great historic deposit there, as a result of her passing our way. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/in-terms-of-legacy-i-m-not-sure-that-i-see-some-great-historic/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [These were in the days before anybody thought to criticize Congressmen, let alone first ladies, for making money on speeches. So Eleanor raked in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/these-were-in-the-days-before-anybody-thought-to-criticize/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) [Explore all 30 William A. Rusher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) ## More Busy quotes > [Success doesn't have a downside for me. I'm busy, but I've always been busy whatever job I've had. My very first job working in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-derbyshire/success-doesn-t-have-a-downside-for-me-i-m-busy-but-i-ve-always-been/) Victoria Derbyshire > [I remember till 997th film, but after that I got so busy with multiple projects; I'm not sure which one released as my 1,000th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brahmanandam/i-remember-till-997th-film-but-after-that-i-got-so-busy-with-multiple/) [Brahmanandam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brahmanandam/) > [I love to work in football, so for me it's not work. I'm not here first in the morning and last in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-farke/i-love-to-work-in-football-so-for-me-it-s-not-work-i-m-not-here-first/) [Daniel Farke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-farke/) > [We all have time away from football to get our head down. At the same time it is a very busy schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/we-all-have-time-away-from-football-to-get-our-head-down-at-the-same/) [Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/) > [I am on sabbatical as of right now, been too busy to think of about my OWN needs as of late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-diamond/i-am-on-sabbatical-as-of-right-now-been-too-busy-to-think-of-about-my/) [Jim Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-diamond/) > [“I don't envy "busy." Busy means having a schedule, not living life. What I really covet is leisure and peace of mind. Those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/i-don-t-envy-busy-busy-means-having-a-schedule-not-living-life-what-i/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [Focus on being productive instead of busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/focus-on-being-productive-instead-of-busy/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [I have no social life. There is no time for one. Once in a while I may go to dinner with a friend but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-halliday/i-have-no-social-life-there-is-no-time-for-one-once-in-a-while-i-may/) [Liz Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-halliday/) > [I like acting too much and it's too, I'm just too busy doing that and I'm too hungry for it, to get behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-like-acting-too-much-and-it-s-too-i-m-just-too-busy-doing-that-and/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [The hollow horn plays wasted words, proves to warn that he not busy being born is busy dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/the-hollow-horn-plays-wasted-words-proves-to-warn-that-he-not-busy/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Films are tricky because for years you're getting told you're about to make it and you're about to be busy for four or six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/films-are-tricky-because-for-years-you-re-getting-told-you-re-about/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Never be too busy for the people you love. Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relationships. Love is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-willis/never-be-too-busy-for-the-people-you-love-never-allow-pursuits-or/) [Dave Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-willis/) > [“Get busy live'n, or get busy die'n”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-shawshank-redemption/get-busy-live-n-or-get-busy-die-n/) The Shawshank Redemption Browse all 3,372 Busy quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People who thought that she was busy going around trying to stir up difficulty where there was none or less than she imagined, were quite critical of her. She was, we must never forget, a public figure. And in democracies, public figures tend to attract criticism as well as praise. The most dangerous thing would be if anybody were regarded as above criticism. 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