Bad years Quote by William J. Clinton
“I liked working with Republicans. We had five pretty good years after we had that bad year in '95 that culminated in two government shutdowns. But then they really decided that they liked being in the majority for the first time in forty years, and they wanted to get some things done, and I agreed, to get things I wanted. It was all perfectly transparent. Everybody knew what they wanted and what I wanted.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Democratic National Convention, 1996
Collaboration with opposing parties can yield productive outcomes when transparency and shared goals exist.
In simple terms: Working with Republicans was transparent and goal‑oriented.
Key Takeaway
Seek transparent, goal‑focused cooperation across differences.
Themes
politics
collaboration
transparency
Mood
hopeful
strategic
Type
political
inspirational
When to use this quote
- legislative negotiations
- public policy
- team leadership
- conflict resolution
Key Concepts
bipartisan governance
policy making
Questions to Reflect On
- How can transparency be maintained in partisan settings?
- What shared goals can bridge divides?
A Different Perspective
Political realities may limit genuine cooperation.
![“I've had few dull moments [in my life] and not too many sad and defeated ones. In saying this I am by no means overlooking the rough and rocky years I've lived through. But I was not brought up thinking life would be easy. I always expected to work hard for my money and to get nothing I did not…” quote by Buster Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/72b/buster-keaton-22416_bad-years_i-ve-had-few-dull-moments-in-my-life-and_1458229.jpg)
![“We [Democrats] have got to be strong. When we look weak in a time where people feel insecure, we lose. when people feel uncertain, they'd rather have somebody who's strong and wrong than somebody who's weak and right.” quote by William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4af/william-j-clinton-302_democracy_we-democrats-have-got-to-be-strong-when_62306.jpg)
