---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: President Obama started with a much…"
description: "\"President Obama started with a much weaker economy than I did. Listen to me now. No president, not me, not any of my predecessors, no one could have fu..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/william-j-clinton-302_damage_president-obama-started-with-a-much-weak_2373670.jpg"
---

#  President Obama started with a much weaker economy than I…

![“President Obama started with a much weaker economy than I did. Listen to me now. No president, not me, not any of my predecessors, no one could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years.” quote by William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/william-j-clinton-302_damage_president-obama-started-with-a-much-weak_2373670.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/william-j-clinton-302_damage_president-obama-started-with-a-much-weak_2373670.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/william-j-clinton-302_damage_president-obama-started-with-a-much-weak_2373670.jpg)

> “President Obama started with a much weaker economy than I did. Listen to me now. No president, not me, not any of my predecessors, no one could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years.”

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He claims that no president, including himself, could fully repair the damage left by President Obama after four years.

**In simple terms:** No leader can completely fix all problems left by a predecessor.

Key Takeaway

Accept limits of political change.

Themes

politics leadership legacy

Mood

critical analytical

Type

political historical

When to use this quote

- government reform
- economic recovery
- public expectations
- historical analysis
- media critique

Key Concepts

policy continuity institutional inertia

Questions to Reflect On

- What factors contributed to the economic state?
- How can future leaders build on past efforts?

A Different Perspective

Oversimplifies complex economic factors and shared responsibility.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Damage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damage/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Economy Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy-did-1482465/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Listen President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listen-president-1573935/) [Now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now/) [Obama Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obama-started-791282/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-obama/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Weaker Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weaker-economy-1573934/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [President Obama started with a much weaker economy than I did. Listen to me, now. No president - no president, not me, not any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/president-obama-started-with-a-much-weaker-economy-than-i-did-listen/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Over the weekend it came out that the U.S. has been listening in on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone since 2002. At this point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/over-the-weekend-it-came-out-that-the-u-s-has-been-listening-in-on/)

[Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/)

> [Today, the US spends less on defense as a percentage of our economy than we did at any time since he Japanese attack on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-forbes/today-the-us-spends-less-on-defense-as-a-percentage-of-our-economy/)

[Steve Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-forbes/)

> [Failure's inevitable. It happens all the time in a complex economy. And how did the economy produce all these amazing things that we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/failure-s-inevitable-it-happens-all-the-time-in-a-complex-economy-and/)

[Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/)

> [The Nixonization of Obama has started. The Hooverization comes next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-prechter/the-nixonization-of-obama-has-started-the-hooverization-comes-next/)

[Robert Prechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-prechter/)

> [President Obama started in public life not as an elected official but as a community organizer. He worked with churches and other groups on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rhodes/president-obama-started-in-public-life-not-as-an-elected-official-but/)

[Ben Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rhodes/)

> [I've never thought that I would see any man of color, not just a black president, but any man of color, I never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donte-stallworth/i-ve-never-thought-that-i-would-see-any-man-of-color-not-just-a-black/)

[Donte Stallworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donte-stallworth/)

> [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/)

> [However, President Obama's unwillingness to attend the Paris march is a personal failing on his part that I believe does damage to the pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ungar/however-president-obama-s-unwillingness-to-attend-the-paris-march-is/)

[Rick Ungar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ungar/)

> [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/)

[Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/)

> [Though I often disagree with Republicans, I never learned to hate them the way the far right that now controls their party seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/though-i-often-disagree-with-republicans-i-never-learned-to-hate-them/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [One of the main reasons America should re-elect President Obama is that he is still committed to cooperation. He appointed Republican Secretaries of Defense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/one-of-the-main-reasons-america-should-re-elect-president-obama-is/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [President Obama's approach embodies the values, the ideas, and the direction America must take to build a 21st century version of the American Dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/president-obama-s-approach-embodies-the-values-the-ideas-and-the/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [The Kyoto Treaty wasn't perfect, but we signed it, in fact, helped to draft it. And I'm very proud of it, it was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/the-kyoto-treaty-wasn-t-perfect-but-we-signed-it-in-fact-helped-to/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/)

[Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/)

## More by William J. Clinton

> [When personal freedom's being abused, you have to move to limit it. That's what we did in the announcement I made last weekend on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/when-personal-freedom-s-being-abused-you-have-to-move-to-limit-it/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Almost makes you want to go to jail out here, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/almost-makes-you-want-to-go-to-jail-out-here-doesn-t-it/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [I take full responsability...for what we did. It was the right thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-take-full-responsability-for-what-we-did-it-was-the-right-thing-to/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Even as people take pride in their national independence, we know we are becoming more and more interdependent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/even-as-people-take-pride-in-their-national-independence-we-know-we/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [To build a twenty-first-century economy, America must revive a nineteenth-century habit--investing in the common, national economic resources that enable every person and every firm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/to-build-a-twenty-first-century-economy-america-must-revive-a/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [One of the things that I think we have learned is that we should all be very careful about making predictions about the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/one-of-the-things-that-i-think-we-have-learned-is-that-we-should-all/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Only astrophysicists new about the Internet 20 years ago. Today my cat has a website.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/only-astrophysicists-new-about-the-internet-20-years-ago-today-my-cat/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [You know, I've always been really interested in this stuff, and I'm going to read this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/you-know-i-ve-always-been-really-interested-in-this-stuff-and-i-m/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [If you believe in making change from the bottom up, if you believe the measure of change is how many people's lives are better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/if-you-believe-in-making-change-from-the-bottom-up-if-you-believe-the/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [ We \[Democrats\] have got to be strong. When we look weak in a time where people feel insecure, we lose. when people feel uncertain,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-democrats-have-got-to-be-strong-when-we-look-weak-in-a-time-where/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [It's the economy, stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/it-s-the-economy-stupid/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [The Republicans could mess up a two car parade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/the-republicans-could-mess-up-a-two-car-parade/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [We're all in this together is a far better philosophy than you're on your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-re-all-in-this-together-is-a-far-better-philosophy-than-you-re-on/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

[Explore all 712 William J. Clinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

## More Damage quotes

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/)

[Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/)

> [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/)

[Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/)

> [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [The miracle drugs (neuroleptics) cause the worst plague of brain damage in medical history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-breggin/the-miracle-drugs-neuroleptics-cause-the-worst-plague-of-brain-damage/)

[Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-breggin/)

> [The socially redeeming aspect of golf lies in the vast number of lawyers and bankers and managers who play it, and when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-socially-redeeming-aspect-of-golf-lies-in-the-vast-number-of/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [Gun control laws don't work. What is worse, they act perversely. While legitimate users of firearms encounter intense regulation, scrutiny and bureaucratic control, illicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-polsby/gun-control-laws-don-t-work-what-is-worse-they-act-perversely-while/)

[Daniel D. Polsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-polsby/)

> [The pace of global warming is accelerating and the scale of the impact is devastating. The time for action is limited - we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-spitzer/the-pace-of-global-warming-is-accelerating-and-the-scale-of-the/)

[Eliot Spitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-spitzer/)

> [My first job was a film called 'Storm Damage' for the BBC. I was 16 and working with really respected British actors. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/my-first-job-was-a-film-called-storm-damage-for-the-bbc-i-was-16-and/)

[Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/)

> [But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy’ll be able to do is send sparks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-people-only-die-in-proper-duels-you-know-with-real-wizards-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/)

[Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/)

> [The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-superpowers-often-behave-like-two-heavily-armed-blind-men-feeling/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I couldn't stand being identified by my sexuality, I retaliated by insisting that people regard me for my intellectual worth. My intellect became a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leora-tanenbaum/i-couldn-t-stand-being-identified-by-my-sexuality-i-retaliated-by/)

[Leora Tanenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leora-tanenbaum/)

> [One simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/one-simply-cannot-engage-in-barbarous-action-without-becoming-a/)

[J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/)

> [This strongly asserted but ill-defined license to kill without accountability is not an entitlement which the United States or other states can have without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-alston/this-strongly-asserted-but-ill-defined-license-to-kill-without/)

[Philip Alston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-alston/)

[Browse all 1,271 Damage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damage/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "President Obama started with a much weaker economy than I did. Listen to me now. No president, not me, not any of my predecessors, no one could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William J. Clinton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/president-obama-started-with-a-much-weaker-economy-than-i-did-listen-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Damage"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/president-obama-started-with-a-much-weaker-economy-than-i-did-listen-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/william-j-clinton-302_damage_president-obama-started-with-a-much-weak_2373670.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/william-j-clinton-302_damage_president-obama-started-with-a-much-weak_2373670.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/william-j-clinton-302_damage_president-obama-started-with-a-much-weak_2373670.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“President Obama started with a much weaker economy than I did. Listen to me now. No president, not me, not…” — William J. Clinton",
                "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": "William J. Clinton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "President Obama started with a much...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/president-obama-started-with-a-much-weaker-economy-than-i-did-listen-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/president-obama-started-with-a-much-weaker-economy-than-i-did-listen-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
