--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Those who are too smart to engage in…" description: "\"Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/anonymous-1_dumber_those-who-are-too-smart-to-engage-in-pol_2836604.jpg" --- # Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished… ![“Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/anonymous-1_dumber_those-who-are-too-smart-to-engage-in-pol_2836604.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/anonymous-1_dumber_those-who-are-too-smart-to-engage-in-pol_2836604.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/anonymous-1_dumber_those-who-are-too-smart-to-engage-in-pol_2836604.jpg) > “Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intelligent people avoid politics, yet suffer under less capable leaders. **In simple terms:** Smart people stay out of politics, face bad governance. Key Takeaway Engage responsibly in civic matters. Themes politics intelligence governance Mood critical motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - voter education - community activism - policy debate Key Concepts civic duty leadership quality political apathy Questions to Reflect On - Should the smart participate in politics? - How can we improve leadership? A Different Perspective May be cynical about politics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [I sense a learning: that much dumber people than you end up in charge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-sense-a-learning-that-much-dumber-people-than-you-end-up-in-charge/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A lot of people say that social media is making us all dumber, but I not think that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-lot-of-people-say-that-social-media-is-making-us-all-dumber-but-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes the harder you try the dumber you look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-the-harder-you-try-the-dumber-you-look/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your education or your life, Claire. I'd rather you be alive and a little bit dumber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-education-or-your-life-claire-i-d-rather-you-be-alive-and-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't take your frustrations out on someone who is there for you. No one should be punished for being your friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-take-your-frustrations-out-on-someone-who-is-there-for-you-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Criminals should be punished, not fed pastries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/criminals-should-be-punished-not-fed-pastries/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forgiveness is not telling someone what they did is ok. It is freeing yourself by laying down your right to see them punished for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgiveness-is-not-telling-someone-what-they-did-is-ok-it-is-freeing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No one should be punished for what they did in the past. God forgives us and we should do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-should-be-punished-for-what-they-did-in-the-past-god-forgives/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The goal is justice, not executions. We all want to make sure the process is fair and that the right person is punished. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-goal-is-justice-not-executions-we-all-want-to-make-sure-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“They say you're not punished for your sins, you're punished by them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-you-re-not-punished-for-your-sins-you-re-punished-by-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I did nothing wrong, I am the one being punished and lied to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-did-nothing-wrong-i-am-the-one-being-punished-and-lied-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Still, not much of a reason to live, is it? The fear of being punished for killing yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/still-not-much-of-a-reason-to-live-is-it-the-fear-of-being-punished/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you commit a crime , it is only natural you get punished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-commit-a-crime-it-is-only-natural-you-get-punished/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men are not punished for their sins, but by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-are-not-punished-for-their-sins-but-by-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A person who has been punished is not thereby simply less inclined to behave in a given way; at best, he learns how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-thereby-simply-less-inclined-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Dumber quotes > [If you believe that tax policy has nothing to do with the economy, then you're pretty much like a rock, only dumber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy/if-you-believe-that-tax-policy-has-nothing-to-do-with-the-economy/) [John Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy/) > [I'm better than your next man and if you're swingin' like you're dumber than the next man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-m-better-than-your-next-man-and-if-you-re-swingin-like-you-re/) [The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/) > [You go to school everyday. Folks who think they've learned everything they need to know are usually dumber than chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-thomas/you-go-to-school-everyday-folks-who-think-they-ve-learned-everything/) [Jodi Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-thomas/) > [The dumber half of the audience - whether they're male or female, and a lot of them are male - for some reason responds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-black/the-dumber-half-of-the-audience-whether-they-re-male-or-female-and-a/) [Frank Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-black/) > [“They never learn. The smarter they are, the dumber they get.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/they-never-learn-the-smarter-they-are-the-dumber-they-get/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“The human brain is actually dumber than you think it is”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sohn-won-pyung/the-human-brain-is-actually-dumber-than-you-think-it-is/) [Sohn Won-Pyung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sohn-won-pyung/) > [While he was not dumber than an ox, he was not any smarter either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/while-he-was-not-dumber-than-an-ox-he-was-not-any-smarter-either/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) > [Human beings are about 1,000 times dumber and meaner than they think they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/human-beings-are-about-1-000-times-dumber-and-meaner-than-they-think/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [One of my favorite films is 'Dumb and Dumber.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/one-of-my-favorite-films-is-dumb-and-dumber/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [The dumbing down of the country reflects itself on Broadway. The shows get dumber, and the public gets used to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/the-dumbing-down-of-the-country-reflects-itself-on-broadway-the-shows/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [Mike looks even dumber than he normally looks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauly-d/mike-looks-even-dumber-than-he-normally-looks/) [Pauly D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauly-d/) > [I feel like the world is getting dumber. I don't necessarily think people are stupid, but I think we're getting dumber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-d/i-feel-like-the-world-is-getting-dumber-i-don-t-necessarily-think/) J.I.D > [Just when I thought you couldn't get any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dunn/just-when-i-thought-you-couldn-t-get-any-dumber-you-go-and-do/) Harry Dunn > [The dumber people are, the more they feel the need for a broad set of shoulders they can lay their head against.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-dumber-people-are-the-more-they-feel-the-need-for-a-broad-set-of/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [I've actually become much, much dumber through being married and having these children. I find that I'm not half as sharp that I once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-warburton/i-ve-actually-become-much-much-dumber-through-being-married-and/) [Patrick Warburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-warburton/) Browse all 68 Dumber quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-who-are-too-smart-to-engage-in-politics-are-punished-by-being/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dumber" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-who-are-too-smart-to-engage-in-politics-are-punished-by-being/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/anonymous-1_dumber_those-who-are-too-smart-to-engage-in-pol_2836604.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/anonymous-1_dumber_those-who-are-too-smart-to-engage-in-pol_2836604.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/anonymous-1_dumber_those-who-are-too-smart-to-engage-in-pol_2836604.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Those who are too smart to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-who-are-too-smart-to-engage-in-politics-are-punished-by-being/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-who-are-too-smart-to-engage-in-politics-are-punished-by-being/#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 } } ] } ```