QuoteProject
The difficulty with businessmen entering politics, after they've had a successful business career, is that they want to start at the top.
Harry S. Truman
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Successful businessmen often expect immediate high positions in politics rather than starting from the bottom.

Harry S. Truman illustrates the challenges that arise when businessmen transition into politics, emphasizing that their success in business can lead them to expect top-tier political positions without acknowledging the need for a grassroots understanding of the political system. This expectation can create a disconnect with the complexities of political life and public service, which often require experience, patience, and a deep understanding of the needs of constituents.

Themes

PoliticsBusinessLeadershipSuccessExpectations

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech addressing the challenges of leadership transitions, this quote highlights the necessity of grassroots experience in politics.

More from Harry S. Truman

May the sun never set on American baseball.
Harry S. TrumanRead
Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans.
Harry S. TrumanRead
Herbert Hoover once ran on the slogan, 'Two cars in every garage'. Apparently, the Republican candidate this year is running on the slogan, 'Two families in every garage'.
Harry S. TrumanRead
The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all.
Harry S. TrumanRead
I never would have agreed to the formulation of the Central Intelligence Agency back in forty-seven, if I had known it would become the American Gestapo.
Harry S. TrumanRead
I would rather have peace in the world than be President.
Harry S. TrumanRead

Similar quotes

To make peace, one must be an uncompromising leader. To make peace, one must also embody compromise.
Benazir BhuttoRead
Organizations exist to enable ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
Theodore LevittRead
And here one must not that hatred is acquired just as much by means of good actions as by bad ones; and so, as I said above, if a prince wishes to maintain the state, he is often obliged not to be good; because whenever that group which you believe you need to support you is corrupted, whether it be the common people, the soldiers, or the nobles, it is to your advantage to follow their inclinations in order to satisfy them; and then good actions are your enemy.
Niccolo MachiavelliRead
Women have made tons of progress. But we still have a small percentage of the top jobs in any industry, in any nation in the world. I think that's partly because from a very young age, we encourage our boys to lead and we call our girls bossy.
Sheryl SandbergRead
Too many leaders are so caught up in the momentum of work that they lose sight of the opportunity to connect with people. I discovered that the more fully present I was with other people, the more fully present they were with me, and the more productive our relationship became over time.
Douglas ConantRead
I would rather hire a man with enthusiasm, than a man who knows everything.
John D. RockefellerRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.