Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
Obama makes a lighthearted joke about assassination suggestions during a speech.
In plain terms
He laughs off suggestions of violence against him.
What can you take from it?
Leaders can use humor to defuse serious threats.

Where it applies

  • campaign speeches
  • press interactions
  • public appearances

Putting it to work

  • using humor in crisis
  • handling threats

Questions to consider

  • How should leaders respond to threats?
  • What is appropriate humor in danger?

Another view

Joking about violence can trivialize real security risks.

More from Barack Obama

  1. My opponent said that the people of Pennsylvania who faced hard times are bitter. Well, that's not my experience. As I travel around Pennsylvania, I meet peopl…

    Permalink to quote #87
  2. That boy's finger does not need to be on the button.

    Permalink to quote #89
  3. This isn't just some phenomenon of the Internet - to liken Barack Obama to the flash-in-the-pan Dean campaign does him a disservice. There is something happeni…

    Permalink to quote #86

Related quotes

  1. Don't go to parties with metal detectors. Sure, it feels safe inside. But what about all those niggers waiting outside with guns? They know you ain't got one.

    Chris RockChris Rock quote #3
  2. So why is it they allow a guy with big, powerful hands to get on board an airplane? I'll tell you why: they know he's not a security risk, because he's already…

    George CarlinGeorge Carlin quote #34
  3. This is The Tonight Show. I can't tell you too much about it, other than the fact that this program is going to go on forever.

    Steve AllenSteve Allen quote #1