"If someone is blessed as I am is not willing to clean out the barn, who will?"
About this Quote
The grammar is slightly off-kilter (“is not willing”), and that clunkiness helps. Perot’s brand was competence without polish, a CEO who talked like he was still pacing a warehouse. The question at the end isn’t seeking an answer; it’s a pressure tactic. If even the “blessed” won’t do the dirty work, the rest of us are off the hook too. That implied abdication is meant to shame both elites who enjoy the benefits of the system and politicians who treat government like a barn they only visit for photo ops.
Context matters: Perot rose in an era of anti-Washington frustration, ballooning deficits, and a growing suspicion that the people in charge were too insulated to do basic upkeep. By casting himself as the guy willing to clean, he offers a populist bargain: trust me because I’m rich enough not to need you, and practical enough to fix what you can smell from the road.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work Ethic |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Perot, Ross. (n.d.). If someone is blessed as I am is not willing to clean out the barn, who will? FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-someone-is-blessed-as-i-am-is-not-willing-to-1607/
Chicago Style
Perot, Ross. "If someone is blessed as I am is not willing to clean out the barn, who will?" FixQuotes. Accessed February 1, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-someone-is-blessed-as-i-am-is-not-willing-to-1607/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If someone is blessed as I am is not willing to clean out the barn, who will?" FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-someone-is-blessed-as-i-am-is-not-willing-to-1607/. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.







