"This is a tough environment, and it's tough for everybody"
About this Quote
That’s the subtext: circumstances are the story, not choices. In media and political talk, “environment” is a strategic abstraction. It gestures at economic pressure, cultural polarization, newsroom churn, social media backlash, the always-on outrage cycle - all without naming any actor who might be responsible. When you don’t specify what made it tough, you quietly suggest it’s inevitable, like a recession or a storm. It’s a way of acknowledging strain while sidestepping accountability.
The phrase “for everybody” is the real tell. It offers a democratic blanket of hardship that can be humane, but also evasive. If everyone is suffering equally, then no one’s suffering is especially urgent; demands for reform start to look like special pleading. That’s why the line plays well in moments when institutions feel under siege: it reassures insiders that they’re not uniquely failing, they’re merely enduring.
Hume’s intent, then, reads as managerial: lower the temperature, validate the audience, keep the conversation from turning into a trial. It’s a sentence built to end an argument without winning it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Tough Times |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Hume, Brit. (2026, January 17). This is a tough environment, and it's tough for everybody. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/this-is-a-tough-environment-and-its-tough-for-45486/
Chicago Style
Hume, Brit. "This is a tough environment, and it's tough for everybody." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/this-is-a-tough-environment-and-its-tough-for-45486/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"This is a tough environment, and it's tough for everybody." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/this-is-a-tough-environment-and-its-tough-for-45486/. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.






