The California governor, looking tired, held one of his infrequent news conferences after voters rejected all eight initiatives offered on Tuesday in a special election he called to advance what he called "the year of reform."
"If I would do another 'Terminator' movie I would have Terminator travel back in time and tell Arnold not to have a special election," the former action film star joked. "I should have also listened to my wife who said don't do it."
Schwarzenegger's wife is Democrat Maria Shriver, niece of former Democratic President John F. Kennedy. She did not campaign with her husband as she did when he was elected in a special recall election two years ago.
The celebrity governor's tone was more subdued than in the past as the Republican stressed he would work patiently with Democrats in governing the state. He also offered some rare introspection about his personality.
"I operate with a different mentality than most people do, which is that I am very forceful and inpatient. I always have mapped out my entire life a program and a work schedule and also a schedule of when I want to accomplish things," he told reporters. "And I always, you know, was successful with that, and with tremendous amount of determination and with tremendous amount of will."
"So here in this capital and in this job as governor... I think you have to be more patient," he said. "I recognize that now, more so than I did before."
