--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Taking her cue from the points I had…" description: "\"“Taking her cue from the points I had made, Christine seconded my appeals for debt relief and lower tax rates as prerequisites for a Greek recovery. Th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/yanis-varoufakis-10824_hell-or-high-water_taking-her-cue-from-the-points-i-had-mad_2689684.jpg" --- # Taking her cue from the points I had made, Christine… ![“Taking her cue from the points I had made, Christine seconded my appeals for debt relief and lower tax rates as prerequisites for a Greek recovery. Then she addressed me with calm and gentle honesty: You are of course right, Yanis. These targets that they insist on can’t work. But, you must…” quote by Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/yanis-varoufakis-10824_hell-or-high-water_taking-her-cue-from-the-points-i-had-mad_2689684.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/yanis-varoufakis-10824_hell-or-high-water_taking-her-cue-from-the-points-i-had-mad_2689684.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/yanis-varoufakis-10824_hell-or-high-water_taking-her-cue-from-the-points-i-had-mad_2689684.jpg) > ““Taking her cue from the points I had made, Christine seconded my appeals for debt relief and lower tax rates as prerequisites for a Greek recovery. Then she addressed me with calm and gentle honesty: You are of course right, Yanis. These targets that they insist on can’t work. But, you must understand that we have put too much into this programme. We cannot go back on it. Your credibility depends on accepting and working within this programme.2 So, there I had it. The head of the IMF was telling the finance minister of a bankrupt government that the policies imposed upon his country couldn’t work. Not that it would be hard to make them work. Not that the probability of them working was low. No, she was acknowledging that, come hell or high water, they couldn’t work. With”” [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A negotiator acknowledges that imposed policies are unworkable but must be maintained for credibility, highlighting the tension between realism and political commitment. **In simple terms:** Policies may be unrealistic but are kept to preserve trust. Key Takeaway Balance honesty with political constraints. Themes politics economics credibility policy negotiation Mood tense reflective critical Type advice analytical political When to use this quote - government negotiations - IMF discussions - public statements - policy reforms Key Concepts realism political constraints credibility policy design Questions to Reflect On - How do leaders reconcile truth with political necessity? - When should credibility be sacrificed for effectiveness? A Different Perspective Maintaining credibility may force support of ineffective measures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hell Or High Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell-or-high-water/) ## Related quotes > [“You are of course right, Yanis. These targets that they insist on can’t work. But, you must understand that we have put too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/you-are-of-course-right-yanis-these-targets-that-they-insist-on-can-t/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“But, you must understand that we have put too much into this programme. We cannot go back on it. Your credibility depends on accepting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/but-you-must-understand-that-we-have-put-too-much-into-this-programme/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [There were certain areas in the country where I couldn't go without being stopped and asked for autographs and pictures for years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/there-were-certain-areas-in-the-country-where-i-couldn-t-go-without/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [I think anyone who's been around me knows that I left home at 15 alone, to go to a country where I couldn't speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-hargreaves/i-think-anyone-who-s-been-around-me-knows-that-i-left-home-at-15/) [Owen Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-hargreaves/) > [I lived in a country where I couldn't live where I wanted to live. I lived in a country where I couldn't go where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/i-lived-in-a-country-where-i-couldn-t-live-where-i-wanted-to-live-i/) [Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/) > [There is nothing in the nature of a miracle that should render it incredible:;: its credibility depends upon the nature of the evidence by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-babbage/there-is-nothing-in-the-nature-of-a-miracle-that-should-render-it/) [Charles Babbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-babbage/) > [“Through Hell or high water." "It'll probably be both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/through-hell-or-high-water-it-ll-probably-be-both/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [When I made my first decision, come hell or high water, that I would try to be a professional actor, I was burnt. Emotionally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jason/when-i-made-my-first-decision-come-hell-or-high-water-that-i-would/) [David Jason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jason/) > [“I am the love of my own life, and I will cherish and defend me against slander and disrespect, violence and erasure, in sickness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aurora-levin-morales/i-am-the-love-of-my-own-life-and-i-will-cherish-and-defend-me-against/) Aurora Levin Morales > [They all know I'm back, very much back, and that I will be the general president again come hell or high water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-hoffa/they-all-know-i-m-back-very-much-back-and-that-i-will-be-the-general/) [Jimmy Hoffa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-hoffa/) > [“Come hell or high water, I will separate you from your man-business. I don't care how, or if you kill me. If it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-peeler/come-hell-or-high-water-i-will-separate-you-from-your-man-business-i/) [Nicole Peeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-peeler/) > [“Some really do want to prepare themselves, and in these cases, the preparedness is primarily emotional. They want to love that baby as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-d-taylor/some-really-do-want-to-prepare-themselves-and-in-these-cases-the/) [Thomas D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-d-taylor/) > [The man of genius is he and he alone who finds such joy in his art that he will work at it come hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-man-of-genius-is-he-and-he-alone-who-finds-such-joy-in-his-art/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Once I finished 'Sicario,' I knew I wanted to follow it up with 'Hell or High Water.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-sheridan/once-i-finished-sicario-i-knew-i-wanted-to-follow-it-up-with-hell-or/) [Taylor Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-sheridan/) > [“You starting to feel hope yet?" Viola asks, her voice curious. "No," I say, fuddling my noise. "You?" Her eyebrows are up but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/you-starting-to-feel-hope-yet-viola-asks-her-voice-curious-no-i-say/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) ## More by Yanis Varoufakis > [“Forcing new loans upon the bankrupt on condition that they shrink their income is nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. Greece was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/forcing-new-loans-upon-the-bankrupt-on-condition-that-they-shrink/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“Larry Summers is one such rare insider. His question to me was in fact an invocation to reject the lure of the outside. Underpinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/larry-summers-is-one-such-rare-insider-his-question-to-me-was-in-fact/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [The many refugees are not a Greek or German problem. They are a European problem. We should therefore develop a common strategy. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/the-many-refugees-are-not-a-greek-or-german-problem-they-are-a/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“If you cannot imagine walking out of a negotiation, you should never enter it. If you cannot fathom the idea of an impasse you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/if-you-cannot-imagine-walking-out-of-a-negotiation-you-should-never/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [Had history been democratic in its ways, there would have been no farming and no indsturial revolution. Both leaps into the future were occasioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/had-history-been-democratic-in-its-ways-there-would-have-been-no/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [The economic crisis has weakened the EU for years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu-for-years/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [We will compromise and compromise and compromise but we will never be compromised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/we-will-compromise-and-compromise-and-compromise-but-we-will-never-be/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“Beneath the specific events that I experienced, I recognised a universal story – the story of what happens when human beings find themselves at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/beneath-the-specific-events-that-i-experienced-i-recognised-a/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [Germany is Europe's heart. But bitterness is widespread. Currently the Germans hate the Greeks and the Greeks hate the Germans. The demonization of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/germany-is-europe-s-heart-but-bitterness-is-widespread-currently-the/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [I don't believe a Brexit will hurt the City of London as one of the largest financial centers in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/i-don-t-believe-a-brexit-will-hurt-the-city-of-london-as-one-of-the/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“Whenever a politician in the know gives a journalist an exclusive in exchange for a particular spin that is in the politician’s interest, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/whenever-a-politician-in-the-know-gives-a-journalist-an-exclusive-in/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [European Union partners never said European Union partners're going to renege on any promises, European Union partners said that European Union partners promises concern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/european-union-partners-never-said-european-union-partners-re-going/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“When inordinate weight is loaded onto a flimsily constructed bridge, the weakest beam will break first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/when-inordinate-weight-is-loaded-onto-a-flimsily-constructed-bridge/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“Most Europeans like to think that American bankruptocracy is worse than its European cousin, thanks to the power of Wall Street and the infamous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/most-europeans-like-to-think-that-american-bankruptocracy-is-worse/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“Austerity is a morality play pressed into the service of legitimizing cynical wealth transfers from the have-nots to the haves during times of crisis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/austerity-is-a-morality-play-pressed-into-the-service-of-legitimizing/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) [Explore all 63 Yanis Varoufakis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) ## More Hell Or High Water quotes > [“You starting to feel hope yet?" Viola asks, her voice curious. "No," I say, fuddling my noise. "You?" Her eyebrows are up but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/you-starting-to-feel-hope-yet-viola-asks-her-voice-curious-no-i-say/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Once I finished 'Sicario,' I knew I wanted to follow it up with 'Hell or High Water.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-sheridan/once-i-finished-sicario-i-knew-i-wanted-to-follow-it-up-with-hell-or/) [Taylor Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-sheridan/) > [The man of genius is he and he alone who finds such joy in his art that he will work at it come hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-man-of-genius-is-he-and-he-alone-who-finds-such-joy-in-his-art/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [“Some really do want to prepare themselves, and in these cases, the preparedness is primarily emotional. They want to love that baby as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-d-taylor/some-really-do-want-to-prepare-themselves-and-in-these-cases-the/) [Thomas D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-d-taylor/) > [When I made my first decision, come hell or high water, that I would try to be a professional actor, I was burnt. Emotionally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jason/when-i-made-my-first-decision-come-hell-or-high-water-that-i-would/) [David Jason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jason/) > [“Through Hell or high water." "It'll probably be both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/through-hell-or-high-water-it-ll-probably-be-both/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“I am the love of my own life, and I will cherish and defend me against slander and disrespect, violence and erasure, in sickness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aurora-levin-morales/i-am-the-love-of-my-own-life-and-i-will-cherish-and-defend-me-against/) Aurora Levin Morales > [They all know I'm back, very much back, and that I will be the general president again come hell or high water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-hoffa/they-all-know-i-m-back-very-much-back-and-that-i-will-be-the-general/) [Jimmy Hoffa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-hoffa/) > [“Come hell or high water, I will separate you from your man-business. I don't care how, or if you kill me. If it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-peeler/come-hell-or-high-water-i-will-separate-you-from-your-man-business-i/) [Nicole Peeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-peeler/) > [I just want him to know that come hell or high water, I would love him forever. After all, he is the definition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley/i-just-want-him-to-know-that-come-hell-or-high-water-i-would-love-him/) [Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley/) > [“It was the first time in my life I ever felt… Fucking important. Come hell or high water, no one could ever take that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-robinson/it-was-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-ever-felt-fucking-important-come/) [M. Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-robinson/) > [So okay - there you are in your room with the shade down and the door shut and the plug pulled out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/so-okay-there-you-are-in-your-room-with-the-shade-down-and-the-door/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Acting was always the first love, but a lot of people want to be actors, and my goal was, 'Come hell or high water,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/acting-was-always-the-first-love-but-a-lot-of-people-want-to-be/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [“Come hell or high water.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-graham/come-hell-or-high-water/) [Heather Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-graham/) > [“We're going to change. We're going to throw out what's worse in us and keep what's best. But come hell or high water, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/we-re-going-to-change-we-re-going-to-throw-out-what-s-worse-in-us-and/) [V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/) [Browse all 27 Hell Or High Water quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell-or-high-water/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Taking her cue from the points I had made, Christine seconded my appeals for debt relief and lower tax rates as prerequisites for a Greek recovery. Then she addressed me with calm and gentle honesty: You are of course right, Yanis. These targets that they insist on can’t work. But, you must understand that we have put too much into this programme. We cannot go back on it. Your credibility depends on accepting and working within this programme.2 So, there I had it. The head of the IMF was telling the finance minister of a bankrupt government that the policies imposed upon his country couldn’t work. Not that it would be hard to make them work. Not that the probability of them working was low. No, she was acknowledging that, come hell or high water, they couldn’t work. 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