Few men in our history have ever obtained the Presidency by planning to obtain it.

Garfield’s remark reflects a recurring theme in U.S. political history: the presidency often comes to those who are elevated by circumstance, party compromise, or national crisis rather than by a straight, openly declared campaign. Read this way, the line is both descriptive and cautionary. It suggests that overt ambition can be politically dangerous, while reputations for service, availability, or “reluctant” leadership can be more electable. Coming from Garfield—himself a surprise compromise nominee in 1880—the observation also carries an implicit autobiographical irony: the office may be won less by a single-minded plan than by being positioned, credible, and acceptable when opportunity suddenly appears.