---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nixon is fascinating because he's our…"
description: "\"Nixon is fascinating because he's our most alienated president. Everybody felt that they never knew who he was - that's palpable in the histories. His ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/austin-grossman-18502_cartoon_nixon-is-fascinating-because-he-s-our-mo_171661.png"
---

#  Nixon is fascinating because he's our most alienated…

![“Nixon is fascinating because he's our most alienated president. Everybody felt that they never knew who he was - that's palpable in the histories. His face is so cartoony that he's become this cartoon figure. I never really related to the romanticization of J.F.K., and I knew too much about Reagan…” quote by Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/austin-grossman-18502_cartoon_nixon-is-fascinating-because-he-s-our-mo_171661.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/austin-grossman-18502_cartoon_nixon-is-fascinating-because-he-s-our-mo_171661.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/austin-grossman-18502_cartoon_nixon-is-fascinating-because-he-s-our-mo_171661.png)

> “Nixon is fascinating because he's our most alienated president. Everybody felt that they never knew who he was - that's palpable in the histories. His face is so cartoony that he's become this cartoon figure. I never really related to the romanticization of J.F.K., and I knew too much about Reagan to idealize him. Nixon falls in between.”

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

## About This Quote

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

Nixon is portrayed as a distant, almost cartoonish figure, reflecting public alienation and difficulty in understanding his true self.

**In simple terms:** Nixon feels distant and hard to know.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the gap between public image and personal reality.

Themes

politics leadership public perception media identity

Mood

critical reflective

Type

analytical historical

When to use this quote

- political analysis
- biography
- media studies
- public opinion
- leadership training

Key Concepts

alienation image construction historical narrative

Questions to Reflect On

- How does media framing affect our view of leaders?
- Can we ever truly know a public figure?

A Different Perspective

Public perception can be shaped by media caricature, obscuring nuance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/)

## Related quotes

> [When Reagan left office, he was the most unpopular living president, apart from Nixon, even below Carter. If you look at his years in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/when-reagan-left-office-he-was-the-most-unpopular-living-president/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Though it was never a goal in life, it has occurred to me that I've met six presidents of the United States. OK, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/though-it-was-never-a-goal-in-life-it-has-occurred-to-me-that-i-ve/)

[Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/)

> [My big subject as a historian is how Americans divide themselves. What are the divisions that structure our political lives. Richard Nixon and Ronald…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/my-big-subject-as-a-historian-is-how-americans-divide-themselves-what/)

[Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/)

> [Think about one of the most powerful influences on a young child's life - the absence of a father figure. Look back on recent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-greenfield/think-about-one-of-the-most-powerful-influences-on-a-young-child-s/)

[Jeff Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-greenfield/)

> [Angela Davis's legacy as a freedom fighter made her an enemy of the state under the increasingly neoliberal regimes of Nixon, Reagan and J.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/angela-davis-s-legacy-as-a-freedom-fighter-made-her-an-enemy-of-the/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [“The War on Drugs will go down in history as the most racist crusade since slavery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-benson/the-war-on-drugs-will-go-down-in-history-as-the-most-racist-crusade/)

[Thor Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-benson/)

> [So far as I'm concerned, Ronald Reagan was the best president. Nixon was the worst. Some of his policies were okay, but he disgraced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/so-far-as-i-m-concerned-ronald-reagan-was-the-best-president-nixon/)

[Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/)

> [I'm really curious about the memory of Nixon for people who grew up under Clinton. What do people remember of him? In his day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/i-m-really-curious-about-the-memory-of-nixon-for-people-who-grew-up/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [ \[On Richard M. Nixon:\] Americans began with a president who couldn't tell a lie and now they have one who can't tell the truth. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benazir-bhutto/on-richard-m-nixon-americans-began-with-a-president-who-couldn-t-tell/)

[Benazir Bhutto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benazir-bhutto/)

> [Experience helped Richard Nixon, but it didn't save him, and it certainly wasn't a blanket endorsement. He blundered terribly in dealing with Vietnam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/experience-helped-richard-nixon-but-it-didn-t-save-him-and-it/)

[Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/)

> [My mother was an elementary school teacher for 35 years and taught at the Nixon School in New Jersey. I was raised as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/my-mother-was-an-elementary-school-teacher-for-35-years-and-taught-at/)

[Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/)

> [ There were really funny characteristics about this guy \[Richard Nixon\], chief of which would be that he seemed to devote about 85 percent of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-shearer/there-were-really-funny-characteristics-about-this-guy-richard-nixon/)

[Harry Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-shearer/)

> [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“he could yet make a case for a straight line from Nixon to Trump.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/he-could-yet-make-a-case-for-a-straight-line-from-nixon-to-trump/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“Is something bothering you, Sam?” Nixon asked with a deep furrow between his concerned chocolate eyes. “You mean besides the dead body lying in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-dyllin/is-something-bothering-you-sam-nixon-asked-with-a-deep-furrow-between/)

[D.T. Dyllin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-dyllin/)

## More by Austin Grossman

> [“We were feeling something they never had—a physical link into the world of the fictional—through the skeletal muscles of the arm to the joystick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/we-were-feeling-something-they-never-had-a-physical-link-into-the/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [Video games are a huge, incredibly popular, world-transforming medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/video-games-are-a-huge-incredibly-popular-world-transforming-medium/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [“I often wonder what Einstein would have done in my position. At Peterson, I kept an Einstein poster in my room, the one that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/i-often-wonder-what-einstein-would-have-done-in-my-position-at/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [There are days when you just don't feel all that evil." You don't become a world-class villain overnight." -Dr. Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/there-are-days-when-you-just-don-t-feel-all-that-evil-you-don-t/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [With 'Invincible', I wanted to create my own version of the Marvel or DC universe, with my own heroes and villains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/with-invincible-i-wanted-to-create-my-own-version-of-the-marvel-or-dc/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [“I wrote code that merely did what it was supposed to do. Simon's solutions were rapid and weird—convoluted, sometimes in a pointless way, often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/i-wrote-code-that-merely-did-what-it-was-supposed-to-do-simon-s/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [“What do you do when you find out your heart is the wrong kind? You take what you're given, and be the hero you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/what-do-you-do-when-you-find-out-your-heart-is-the-wrong-kind-you/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [Even if I turned myself in, it wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't make me one of them. I knew that when I got my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/even-if-i-turned-myself-in-it-wouldn-t-change-anything-it-wouldn-t/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [The video game story-development process is incredibly broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/the-video-game-story-development-process-is-incredibly-broken/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [“In sooth, thy life sounds passing strange and shitty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/in-sooth-thy-life-sounds-passing-strange-and-shitty/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [I'm the smartest man in the world. Once I wore a cape in public, and fought battles against men who could fly, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/i-m-the-smartest-man-in-the-world-once-i-wore-a-cape-in-public-and/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [“The woman was simply leaving us alone with our future, the future she wouldn't be a part of. She didn't know how to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/the-woman-was-simply-leaving-us-alone-with-our-future-the-future-she/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [My ultimate game - or at least one I would really like to see - would be something where it was like the beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/my-ultimate-game-or-at-least-one-i-would-really-like-to-see-would-be/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [When you get your powers, you learn a lot about yourself. My professors called me mad. It was time for me to stop punishing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/when-you-get-your-powers-you-learn-a-lot-about-yourself-my-professors/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

> [When you can't bear something but it goes on anyway, the person who survives isn't you anymore; you've changed and become someone else, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/when-you-can-t-bear-something-but-it-goes-on-anyway-the-person-who/)

[Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

[Explore all 34 Austin Grossman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/)

## More Cartoon quotes

> [I was always into cartoons and animation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nonito-donaire/i-was-always-into-cartoons-and-animation/)

[Nonito Donaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nonito-donaire/)

> [Somebody once told me that if you laugh at a George Bush joke, or you send an email cartoon to your friends that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/somebody-once-told-me-that-if-you-laugh-at-a-george-bush-joke-or-you/)

[Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/)

> [In Roslyn, Pennsylvania, we started our real-life family circus. They provided the inspiration for my cartoons. I provided the perspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/in-roslyn-pennsylvania-we-started-our-real-life-family-circus-they/)

[Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/)

> [I just watched cartoons for three years, and that had a strong affect on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/i-just-watched-cartoons-for-three-years-and-that-had-a-strong-affect/)

[Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/)

> [I enjoy the fact that we have these mobile comics now, which are sort of a cross between a comic book and an animated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/i-enjoy-the-fact-that-we-have-these-mobile-comics-now-which-are-sort/)

[Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/)

> [I was invited to join the MGM cartoon department. But if I'd started work in animation I'd have had to take a cut in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-was-invited-to-join-the-mgm-cartoon-department-but-if-i-d-started/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [It's not like we have a formula, but I think one of the reasons this show has survived is that it has a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-parker/it-s-not-like-we-have-a-formula-but-i-think-one-of-the-reasons-this/)

[Trey Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-parker/)

> [I always liked to draw, and when I was a kid, the Internet wasn't big at all, so I would go to Internet cafes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-brian/i-always-liked-to-draw-and-when-i-was-a-kid-the-internet-wasn-t-big/)

[Rich Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-brian/)

> [The thing that was interesting to me about Relationshapes - as opposed to most of the other cartoons I've ever made - was I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/the-thing-that-was-interesting-to-me-about-relationshapes-as-opposed/)

[David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/)

> [If you were to look at an old 'Betty Boop' cartoon or an 'Out of the Ink Well' animation, there are many things about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-seibert/if-you-were-to-look-at-an-old-betty-boop-cartoon-or-an-out-of-the-ink/)

[Fred Seibert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-seibert/)

> [I seem to thrive by destroying the last thing I did, in a kind of cartoon Nietzsche way. Emerson says in "Experience" something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chiasson/i-seem-to-thrive-by-destroying-the-last-thing-i-did-in-a-kind-of/)

[Dan Chiasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chiasson/)

> [I love an underdog. No, I don't necessarily mean the cartoon. I mean like David, as in Goliath, or the Bears, as in The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lublin/i-love-an-underdog-no-i-don-t-necessarily-mean-the-cartoon-i-mean/)

[Nancy Lublin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lublin/)

> [Garry Trudeau put me in the Doonesbury strip many years ago. So I've been a cartoon once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-cropper/garry-trudeau-put-me-in-the-doonesbury-strip-many-years-ago-so-i-ve/)

[Steve Cropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-cropper/)

> [It's hard to describe to people how terrible it was when you could only watch cartoons at a certain time in your life. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hamm/it-s-hard-to-describe-to-people-how-terrible-it-was-when-you-could/)

[Jon Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hamm/)

> [There are artists who are writers, but there was no such thing as cartoons that were written by somebody who couldn't draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kricfalusi/there-are-artists-who-are-writers-but-there-was-no-such-thing-as/)

[John Kricfalusi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kricfalusi/)

Browse all 670 Cartoon quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Nixon is fascinating because he's our most alienated president. Everybody felt that they never knew who he was - that's palpable in the histories. His face is so cartoony that he's become this cartoon figure. I never really related to the romanticization of J.F.K., and I knew too much about Reagan to idealize him. Nixon falls in between.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Austin Grossman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/nixon-is-fascinating-because-he-s-our-most-alienated-president/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cartoon"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/nixon-is-fascinating-because-he-s-our-most-alienated-president/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/austin-grossman-18502_cartoon_nixon-is-fascinating-because-he-s-our-mo_171661.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/austin-grossman-18502_cartoon_nixon-is-fascinating-because-he-s-our-mo_171661.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/austin-grossman-18502_cartoon_nixon-is-fascinating-because-he-s-our-mo_171661.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nixon is fascinating because he's our most alienated president. Everybody felt that they never knew who he…” — Austin Grossman",
                "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": "Austin Grossman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Nixon is fascinating because he's our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/nixon-is-fascinating-because-he-s-our-most-alienated-president/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/nixon-is-fascinating-because-he-s-our-most-alienated-president/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
