--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am a citizen of a country that has just…" description: "\"I am a citizen of a country that has just undergone a thieved election, a country deeply and dangerously divided between rich and poor, but also betwee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/adrienne-rich-803_believe_i-am-a-citizen-of-a-country-that-has-jus_1874257.jpg" --- # I am a citizen of a country that has just undergone a… ![“I am a citizen of a country that has just undergone a thieved election, a country deeply and dangerously divided between rich and poor, but also between rich and middle class. What I believe in and what my government represents are not the same thing.” quote by Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/adrienne-rich-803_believe_i-am-a-citizen-of-a-country-that-has-jus_1874257.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/adrienne-rich-803_believe_i-am-a-citizen-of-a-country-that-has-jus_1874257.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/adrienne-rich-803_believe_i-am-a-citizen-of-a-country-that-has-jus_1874257.jpg) > “I am a citizen of a country that has just undergone a thieved election, a country deeply and dangerously divided between rich and poor, but also between rich and middle class. What I believe in and what my government represents are not the same thing.” [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A citizen feels alienated from a corrupt, divided nation where personal values clash with government actions **In simple terms:** Alienation from corrupt government Key Takeaway Question authority and seek community Themes politics social injustice class divide Mood critical determined Type political social When to use this quote - activism - public discourse - community organizing Key Concepts civic engagement ethical integrity social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can you align personal values with civic action? - What steps can bridge class divisions? A Different Perspective Change may be slow and risky ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Rich and poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-and-poor/) ## Related quotes > [Mankind is divided into rich and poor, into property owners and exploited; and to abstract oneself from this fundamental division; and from the antagonism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/mankind-is-divided-into-rich-and-poor-into-property-owners-and/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [Italy is divided between us and them, rich and poor, north and south, young and old, employed and unemployed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romano-prodi/italy-is-divided-between-us-and-them-rich-and-poor-north-and-south/) [Romano Prodi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romano-prodi/) > [The World Has Divided into Rich and Poor as at No Time in History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maude-barlow/the-world-has-divided-into-rich-and-poor-as-at-no-time-in-history/) [Maude Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maude-barlow/) > [Now is the time to alter our government. Now is the time to stop the movement toward oligarchy. Now is the time to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/now-is-the-time-to-alter-our-government-now-is-the-time-to-stop-the/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Election days come and go. But the struggle of the people to create a government which represents all of us and not just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/election-days-come-and-go-but-the-struggle-of-the-people-to-create-a/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The reality is we that have a corrupt campaign finance system which separates the American people's needs and desires from what Congress is doing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-reality-is-we-that-have-a-corrupt-campaign-finance-system-which/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The danger in our system is that the general government, which represents the interests of the whole, may encroach on the states, which represent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-calhoun/the-danger-in-our-system-is-that-the-general-government-which/) [John C. Calhoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-calhoun/) > [“The future generation is not divided by rich or poor but fast and slow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alwintoffler/the-future-generation-is-not-divided-by-rich-or-poor-but-fast-and-slow/) alwinToffler > [I was told, continued Egremont, that an impassable gulf divided the Rich from the Poor; I was told that the Privileged and the People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/i-was-told-continued-egremont-that-an-impassable-gulf-divided-the/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [We no longer live in a world that is neatly divided between rich and well-educated countries, and poor and badly-educated ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-schleicher/we-no-longer-live-in-a-world-that-is-neatly-divided-between-rich-and/) [Andreas Schleicher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-schleicher/) > [As a citizen of this country, I've got to be honest to the people of South Africa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-zuma/as-a-citizen-of-this-country-i-ve-got-to-be-honest-to-the-people-of/) [Jacob Zuma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-zuma/) > [I don't consider myself a subject, I think I'm a citizen of this country and I think the vast majority of people consider themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-lewis/i-don-t-consider-myself-a-subject-i-think-i-m-a-citizen-of-this/) [Clive Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-lewis/) > [“You are carrying the future of America in your heart and your mind. So live your dreams and remember, whatever you choose to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-clinton/you-are-carrying-the-future-of-america-in-your-heart-and-your-mind-so/) [Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-clinton/) > [I am here, a citizen of this country, and I'm saying, 'Hey, the system failed me. I am a good citizen. I contribute to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-guerrero/i-am-here-a-citizen-of-this-country-and-i-m-saying-hey-the-system/) [Diane Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-guerrero/) > [To kill a citizen of our own country is evil, but to kill a citizen of another country is 'good.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/to-kill-a-citizen-of-our-own-country-is-evil-but-to-kill-a-citizen-of/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) ## More by Adrienne Rich > [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Responsibility to yourself means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and naming for you...it means that you do not treat your body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/responsibility-to-yourself-means-refusing-to-let-others-do-your/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The beauty of darkness is how it lets you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-beauty-of-darkness-is-how-it-lets-you-see/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [What I search for continuously in my art is adequate language, language I hope can stand beyond any particular occasion. What I'm finding is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/what-i-search-for-continuously-in-my-art-is-adequate-language/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Well, she's long about her coming, who must be more merciless to herself than history. Her mind full to the wind, I see her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/well-she-s-long-about-her-coming-who-must-be-more-merciless-to/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [I think my work comes out of both an intense desire for connection and what it means to feel isolated. There's always going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/i-think-my-work-comes-out-of-both-an-intense-desire-for-connection/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Popular culture entered my life as Shirley Temple, who was exactly my age and wrotea letter in the newspapers telling how her mother fixed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/popular-culture-entered-my-life-as-shirley-temple-who-was-exactly-my/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [... in a history of spiritual rupture, a social compact built on fantasy and collective secrets, poetry becomes more necessary than ever: it keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/in-a-history-of-spiritual-rupture-a-social-compact-built-on-fantasy/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [It's as if, in the mother's eyes, her smile, her stroking touch, the child first reads the message:'You are there!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/it-s-as-if-in-the-mother-s-eyes-her-smile-her-stroking-touch-the/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The women's movement appeared at a very crucial moment in my life. There was a whole political movement asking such questions and others I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-women-s-movement-appeared-at-a-very-crucial-moment-in-my-life/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The word revolution itself has become not only a dead relic of Leftism, but a key to the deadendedness of male politics: the revolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-word-revolution-itself-has-become-not-only-a-dead-relic-of/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The decision to feed the world is the real decision. No revolution has chosen it. For that choice requires that women shall be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-decision-to-feed-the-world-is-the-real-decision-no-revolution-has/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The necessity of poetry has to be stated over and over, but only to those who have reason to fear its power, or those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-necessity-of-poetry-has-to-be-stated-over-and-over-but-only-to/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [I think many poets, including myself, write both for the voice and for the page. I certainly write for the person alone in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/i-think-many-poets-including-myself-write-both-for-the-voice-and-for/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [If I cling to circumstances I could feel not responsible. Only she who says she did not choose, is the loser in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/if-i-cling-to-circumstances-i-could-feel-not-responsible-only-she-who/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) [Explore all 364 Adrienne Rich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am a citizen of a country that has just undergone a thieved election, a country deeply and dangerously divided between rich and poor, but also between rich and middle class. 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