Lyndon B. Johnson Quotes


It's probably better to have the son-of-a-bitch inside the tent pissing out than outside the tent pissing in.


Context

When he assumed the presidency, Lyndon Johnson considered not renewing the appointment of FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover, but finally decided to keep him: The quotation has its origin in a joke of the British Arabists about having a camel inside or outside of the tent. A similar phrase was used earlier by Winston Churchill to King George VI when the King asked him to form a government but advised him not to include Lord Beaverbrook.


Citations

Lyndon Baines Johnson, 1908-1973, 36th President of the United States (Democrat, TX), Quoted in David Halberstam, The Best and the Brightest, 1969

Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations

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Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
  • Born: August 27, 1908
  • Died: January 22, 1973
  • Nationality: American
  • Profession: President

Lyndon Baines Johnson, often referred to by his initials LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, in office from 1963 to 1969. He served as the 37th vice president from 1961 to 1963 and assumed the presidency following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson was also a United States representative and later majority leader in the United States Senate. Johnson is one of only four people to have served, at various times, in all four federal elected positions.