---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As in nature, so in politics: Every…"
description: "\"As in nature, so in politics: Every action has a reaction.\" — Anne Applebaum"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/anne-applebaum-2544_action_as-in-nature-so-in-politics-every-action_1605818.png"
---

#  As in nature, so in politics: Every action has a reaction.

![“As in nature, so in politics: Every action has a reaction.” quote by Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/anne-applebaum-2544_action_as-in-nature-so-in-politics-every-action_1605818.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/anne-applebaum-2544_action_as-in-nature-so-in-politics-every-action_1605818.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/anne-applebaum-2544_action_as-in-nature-so-in-politics-every-action_1605818.png)

> “As in nature, so in politics: Every action has a reaction.”

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Political actions mirror natural laws; every decision triggers consequences.

**In simple terms:** Politics follows natural cause and effect.

Key Takeaway

Consider downstream effects of policies.

Themes

cause and effect political theory environmentalism

Mood

analytical cautious

Type

political educational

When to use this quote

- legislative drafting
- environmental regulation
- international treaties

Key Concepts

systems thinking policy analysis

Questions to Reflect On

- What unintended consequences might arise?
- How can we anticipate ripple effects?

A Different Perspective

Complex systems can be unpredictable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Action Reaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action-reaction-577192/) [Every Action Has A Reaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-action-has-a-reaction/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-politics-2125491/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-action-3646526/) [Reaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reaction/)

## Related quotes

> [Every action has a reaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-action-has-a-reaction/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Every action has a reaction so therefore I act according to how you treat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-action-has-a-reaction-so-therefore-i-act-according-to-how-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Every action has a reaction and the big man does not sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-action-has-a-reaction-and-the-big-man-does-not-sleep/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Nothing goes unnoticed. And every action has a reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-goes-unnoticed-and-every-action-has-a-reaction/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Every action has a reaction. We've got one planet and one chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mcilrath/every-action-has-a-reaction-we-ve-got-one-planet-and-one-chance/)

[Tim McIlrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mcilrath/)

> [Every action has a reaction...In other words positive actions will bring positive results...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-action-has-a-reaction-in-other-words-positive-actions-will/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Every action has a reaction,everything we do or say has an effect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-ayarbe/every-action-has-a-reaction-everything-we-do-or-say-has-an-effect/)

[Heidi Ayarbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-ayarbe/)

> [Folk art has never been much about politics; it's about action and utility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-mccombs/folk-art-has-never-been-much-about-politics-it-s-about-action-and/)

[Cass McCombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-mccombs/)

> [To every action there is a reaction ... apparently haha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naye-naye/to-every-action-there-is-a-reaction-apparently-haha/)

[Naye-Naye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naye-naye/)

> [To every action is a reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/to-every-action-is-a-reaction/)

[Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/)

> [“There are times when the window for action or reaction is quite limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/there-are-times-when-the-window-for-action-or-reaction-is-quite/)

[Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/)

> [“Your behavior is the sum total of your action and reaction to issues and people around you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/your-behavior-is-the-sum-total-of-your-action-and-reaction-to-issues/)

[Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/)

> [For every action, there is a reaction, so think twice before you act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-every-action-there-is-a-reaction-so-think-twice-before-you-act/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [FOR EVERY ACTION THERE IS YOUR REACTION](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-paul-rose/for-every-action-there-is-your-reaction/)

[LEONARD PAUL ROSE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-paul-rose/)

> [Action and reaction are equal and opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/action-and-reaction-are-equal-and-opposite/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

## More by Anne Applebaum

> [Quite a lot has been written, including by me, about the effect of social media on politics, and in particular the way in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/quite-a-lot-has-been-written-including-by-me-about-the-effect-of/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [After Trump became president, it was really too late to investigate his dodgy investments in Azerbaijan or his links to Russian money laundering. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/after-trump-became-president-it-was-really-too-late-to-investigate/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [If Reagan and John Paul II were linked by anything, it was a grand, ambitious, and generous idea of Western political civilization, one in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/if-reagan-and-john-paul-ii-were-linked-by-anything-it-was-a-grand/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [Until the attack on Pearl Harbor, isolationism was an important, even dominant strand in U.S. politics. After the Second World War, this strand disappeared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/until-the-attack-on-pearl-harbor-isolationism-was-an-important-even/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [The U.S.S.R. was a totalitarian state in which judges and prosecutors were controlled by the ruling party. The result was injustice, oppression and corruption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/the-u-s-s-r-was-a-totalitarian-state-in-which-judges-and-prosecutors/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [One knows, of course, that Donald Trump behaves differently from the leaders of other countries, especially the leaders of other Western democracies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/one-knows-of-course-that-donald-trump-behaves-differently-from-the/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [As a nation, we are not good at long-term planning, and no wonder: Our political system insists that every president be allowed to appoint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/as-a-nation-we-are-not-good-at-long-term-planning-and-no-wonder-our/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [Amazingly, quite a few people, even some American conservatives, are taken in by Russian tactics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/amazingly-quite-a-few-people-even-some-american-conservatives-are/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [Like wealth, or health, political freedom may simply be something that people don't value if they've always had it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/like-wealth-or-health-political-freedom-may-simply-be-something-that/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [Unlike most European countries, the police in the US are decentralized; even the FBI has regional offices. Amending the constitution is a long and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/unlike-most-european-countries-the-police-in-the-us-are-decentralized/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [The hard truth is that Trump was not exceptional. He was just another amoral Western businessman, one of many whom the ex-KGB elite have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/the-hard-truth-is-that-trump-was-not-exceptional-he-was-just-another/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [Politics in Slovakia had long been a battle between egotistical men. Caputova sought to be the anti-ego alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/politics-in-slovakia-had-long-been-a-battle-between-egotistical-men/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [European security may now depend on Germany, France, Britain and one or two others, and it's better to start planning now for the possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/european-security-may-now-depend-on-germany-france-britain-and-one-or/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [Americans might not want to intervene in the outside world, but the outside world will still want to intervene in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/americans-might-not-want-to-intervene-in-the-outside-world-but-the/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [Romney was an excellent businessman with a strong record as a public servant - whereas Trump inherited wealth, went bankrupt more than once, created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/romney-was-an-excellent-businessman-with-a-strong-record-as-a-public/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

[Explore all 161 Anne Applebaum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

## More Action quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

> [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/)

[Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/)

[Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/)

> [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/)

[Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/)

> [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

[Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As in nature, so in politics: Every action has a reaction.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anne Applebaum"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/as-in-nature-so-in-politics-every-action-has-a-reaction/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Action"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/as-in-nature-so-in-politics-every-action-has-a-reaction/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/anne-applebaum-2544_action_as-in-nature-so-in-politics-every-action_1605818.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/anne-applebaum-2544_action_as-in-nature-so-in-politics-every-action_1605818.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/anne-applebaum-2544_action_as-in-nature-so-in-politics-every-action_1605818.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As in nature, so in politics: Every action has a reaction.” — Anne Applebaum",
                "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": "Anne Applebaum",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As in nature, so in politics:...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/as-in-nature-so-in-politics-every-action-has-a-reaction/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/as-in-nature-so-in-politics-every-action-has-a-reaction/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
