--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People in Washington seem as hypnotized…" description: "\"People in Washington seem as hypnotized by precedence as though they were hens with their beaks on a chalk line.\" — Alice Roosevelt Longworth" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/alice-roosevelt-longworth-2166_beaks_people-in-washington-seem-as-hypnotized_2621667.png" --- # People in Washington seem as hypnotized by precedence as… ![“People in Washington seem as hypnotized by precedence as though they were hens with their beaks on a chalk line.” quote by Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/alice-roosevelt-longworth-2166_beaks_people-in-washington-seem-as-hypnotized_2621667.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/alice-roosevelt-longworth-2166_beaks_people-in-washington-seem-as-hypnotized_2621667.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/alice-roosevelt-longworth-2166_beaks_people-in-washington-seem-as-hypnotized_2621667.png) > “People in Washington seem as hypnotized by precedence as though they were hens with their beaks on a chalk line.” [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often cling to precedent, limiting innovation and critical thinking. **In simple terms:** Precedent can stifle new ideas. Key Takeaway Question assumptions and seek fresh perspectives. Themes tradition critical thinking innovation Mood skeptical analytical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy making - business strategy - education curricula Key Concepts political science social behavior Questions to Reflect On - Why do we cling to old ways? - When is tradition beneficial? A Different Perspective Blind adherence may ignore necessary change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beaks/) [Chalk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chalk/) [Hens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hens/) [Hypnotized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypnotized/) [Hypnotized Precedence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypnotized-precedence-2114705/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-washington/) [Precedence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precedence/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington/) [Washington Hypnotized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington-hypnotized-2114704/) ## Related quotes > [It's easy. You draw a red line on the ground, right? Then you wait for a chicken to come along. When he arrives, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-santiago/it-s-easy-you-draw-a-red-line-on-the-ground-right-then-you-wait-for-a/) [Joey Santiago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-santiago/) > [In the absence of specific solutions or evidence that we have people in Washington, D.C., who can make a significant difference... people will cling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-young/in-the-absence-of-specific-solutions-or-evidence-that-we-have-people/) [Todd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-young/) > [It's not empirically wrong to say that Washington isn't working for the American people and Washington does too many things for powerful special interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/it-s-not-empirically-wrong-to-say-that-washington-isn-t-working-for/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [I think we need people in Washington who really have more of a sense of a George Washington approach to it, which is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-rigell/i-think-we-need-people-in-washington-who-really-have-more-of-a-sense/) [Scott Rigell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-rigell/) > [Too many people in Washington are full of themselves, among other things that they are full of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/too-many-people-in-washington-are-full-of-themselves-among-other/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [... Washington is, for one thing, the news capital of the world. And for another, it is a company town. Most of the interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-quinn/washington-is-for-one-thing-the-news-capital-of-the-world-and-for/) [Sally Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-quinn/) > [The people in Washington spend too much time in Washington, so they think Washington-centric thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-lutnick/the-people-in-washington-spend-too-much-time-in-washington-so-they/) [Howard Lutnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-lutnick/) > [I've said for a long time that the governor and the mayors should be far more engaged in this conversation at the federal level.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-baker/i-ve-said-for-a-long-time-that-the-governor-and-the-mayors-should-be/) [Charlie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-baker/) > [People in Washington need to put their feet in the shoes of working Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/people-in-washington-need-to-put-their-feet-in-the-shoes-of-working/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [When a totally offensive tax hits a few million people, Washington is prepared to look the other way. But when everyone is harmed, self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hassett/when-a-totally-offensive-tax-hits-a-few-million-people-washington-is/) [Kevin Hassett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hassett/) > [People in Washington, D.C., may not be paying that much attention to what's happening in Chechnya, but people in Riyadh and Amman and elsewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/people-in-washington-d-c-may-not-be-paying-that-much-attention-to/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [ \[The American people\] would rather invest in themselves than listen to a bunch of people in Washington who do not have a record of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-american-people-would-rather-invest-in-themselves-than-listen-to/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Now you have people in Washington who have no interest in the country at all. They're interested in their companies, their corporations grabbing Caspian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/now-you-have-people-in-washington-who-have-no-interest-in-the-country/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [What's fascinating is, people in Washington would rather spend time in Hollywood, and people in Hollywood would rather spend time in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/what-s-fascinating-is-people-in-washington-would-rather-spend-time-in/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [I think a lot of people in Washington are extremely suspicious of NASA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/i-think-a-lot-of-people-in-washington-are-extremely-suspicious-of-nasa/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) ## More by Alice Roosevelt Longworth > [I have a simple philosophy. Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/i-have-a-simple-philosophy-fill-what-s-empty-empty-what-s-full-and/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [ “Father \[Teddy\] always wanted to be the bride at every wedding, the corpse at every funeral, and the baby at every christening.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/father-teddy-always-wanted-to-be-the-bride-at-every-wedding-the/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [ ... \[woman suffrage\] has made little difference beyond doubling the number of voters. There is no woman's vote as such. They divide up just… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/woman-suffrage-has-made-little-difference-beyond-doubling-the-number/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [He looks as though he's been weaned on a pickle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/he-looks-as-though-he-s-been-weaned-on-a-pickle/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [I can be President of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/i-can-be-president-of-the-united-states-or-i-can-control-alice-i/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [If you have nothing good to say about anyone, come and sit with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/if-you-have-nothing-good-to-say-about-anyone-come-and-sit-with-me/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [I've always believed in the adage that the secret of eternal youth is arrested development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/i-ve-always-believed-in-the-adage-that-the-secret-of-eternal-youth-is/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [He sprang from the grass roots of the country clubs of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/he-sprang-from-the-grass-roots-of-the-country-clubs-of-america/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [You can't make souffle rise twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/you-can-t-make-souffle-rise-twice/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [If you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/if-you-can-t-say-anything-good-about-someone-sit-right-here-by-me/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [I live by three rules: I eat when I'm hungry, sleep when I'm tired and scratch when I itch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/i-live-by-three-rules-i-eat-when-i-m-hungry-sleep-when-i-m-tired-and/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [If YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY ABOUT ANYONE..COME SIT BY ME.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/if-you-don-t-have-anything-nice-to-say-about-anyone-come-sit-by-me/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [I valued my independence from an early age and was always something of a individualist … Well, a show-off anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/i-valued-my-independence-from-an-early-age-and-was-always-something/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [The secret of eternal youth is arrested development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/the-secret-of-eternal-youth-is-arrested-development/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [Never trust a man who combs his hair straight from his left armpit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/never-trust-a-man-who-combs-his-hair-straight-from-his-left-armpit/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) [Explore all 28 Alice Roosevelt Longworth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) ## More Beaks quotes > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Come on," I said. "I've got some questions for Thoth. And then I'm going to punch him in the beak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/come-on-i-said-i-ve-got-some-questions-for-thoth-and-then-i-m-going/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Night was falling. Birds were singing. Birds were, it occurred to me to say, enacting a frantic celebration of day's end. They were manifesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/night-was-falling-birds-were-singing-birds-were-it-occurred-to-me-to/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Repeat the truth so that the dull can grasp it! Repeat the truth with the speed of a woodpecker's beak making holes in tree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/repeat-the-truth-so-that-the-dull-can-grasp-it-repeat-the-truth-with/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [As you may know, KFC is under worldwide pressure to eliminate its cruelest abuses of chickens, such as cutting the beaks off baby birds;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/as-you-may-know-kfc-is-under-worldwide-pressure-to-eliminate-its/) [Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/) > [The child is born speaking the languages of birds; the child has horns and scales and wings; it has a beak; it has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rikki-ducornet/the-child-is-born-speaking-the-languages-of-birds-the-child-has-horns/) [Rikki Ducornet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rikki-ducornet/) > [I think a pillow should be the peace symbol, not the dove. The pillow has more feathers than the dove, and it doesn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-think-a-pillow-should-be-the-peace-symbol-not-the-dove-the-pillow/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Beauty is, in some way, boring. Even if its concept changes through the ages... a beautiful object must always follow certain rules. A beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/beauty-is-in-some-way-boring-even-if-its-concept-changes-through-the/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [It took me three weeks to stuff the turkey. I stuffed it through the beak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/it-took-me-three-weeks-to-stuff-the-turkey-i-stuffed-it-through-the/) [Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/) > [Sharp is the kiss of the falcon's beak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/sharp-is-the-kiss-of-the-falcon-s-beak/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [I sit in my tree I sing like the birds My beak is my pen My songs are my poems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-almond/i-sit-in-my-tree-i-sing-like-the-birds-my-beak-is-my-pen-my-songs-are/) [David Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-almond/) > [Please also remember the pitiful gasping/thirsty little mouths/ beaks in summer. They'll appreciate abundant/fresh/cool/clean/ water! Food they can get easily in parks/sidewalks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adela-popescu/please-also-remember-the-pitiful-gasping-thirsty-little-mouths-beaks/) [Adela Popescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adela-popescu/) > [Without a human voice to read them aloud, or a pair of wide eyes following them by flashlight beneath a blanket, books had no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/without-a-human-voice-to-read-them-aloud-or-a-pair-of-wide-eyes/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [The robin flew from his swinging spray of ivy on to the top of the wall and he opened his beak and sang a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/the-robin-flew-from-his-swinging-spray-of-ivy-on-to-the-top-of-the/) [Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/) > [I must confess that I and a few others are burdened with heavy responsibilities regarding the future of criticism. I am certainly, if not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-aragon/i-must-confess-that-i-and-a-few-others-are-burdened-with-heavy/) [Louis Aragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-aragon/) [Browse all 64 Beaks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beaks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People in Washington seem as hypnotized by precedence as though they were hens with their beaks on a chalk line.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Roosevelt Longworth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/people-in-washington-seem-as-hypnotized-by-precedence-as-though-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beaks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/people-in-washington-seem-as-hypnotized-by-precedence-as-though-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/alice-roosevelt-longworth-2166_beaks_people-in-washington-seem-as-hypnotized_2621667.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/alice-roosevelt-longworth-2166_beaks_people-in-washington-seem-as-hypnotized_2621667.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/alice-roosevelt-longworth-2166_beaks_people-in-washington-seem-as-hypnotized_2621667.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People in Washington seem as hypnotized by precedence as though they were hens with their beaks on a chalk…” — Alice Roosevelt Longworth", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alice Roosevelt Longworth", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People in Washington seem as hypnotized...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/people-in-washington-seem-as-hypnotized-by-precedence-as-though-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/people-in-washington-seem-as-hypnotized-by-precedence-as-though-they/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```