---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Observe, in politics, that the term…"
description: "\"Observe, in politics, that the term extremism has become a synonym of \"evil,\" regardless of the content of the issue (the evil is not what you are extr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/257/ayn-rand-59_consistent_observe-in-politics-that-the-term-extrem_2913654.jpg"
---

#  Observe, in politics, that the term extremism has become a…

![“Observe, in politics, that the term extremism has become a synonym of &quot;evil,&quot; regardless of the content of the issue (the evil is not what you are extreme about, but that you are &quot;extreme&quot; - i.e., consistent).” quote by Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/257/ayn-rand-59_consistent_observe-in-politics-that-the-term-extrem_2913654.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/257/ayn-rand-59_consistent_observe-in-politics-that-the-term-extrem_2913654.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/257/ayn-rand-59_consistent_observe-in-politics-that-the-term-extrem_2913654.jpg)

> “Observe, in politics, that the term extremism has become a synonym of "evil," regardless of the content of the issue (the evil is not what you are extreme about, but that you are "extreme" - i.e., consistent).”

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

## About This Quote

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

Extremism is equated with evil, but the term itself can be misused, independent of the issue’s content.

**In simple terms:** Extremism often becomes a label for evil.

Key Takeaway

Beware of blanket judgments.

Themes

philosophy extremism ethics

Mood

philosophical critical

Type

ethical intellectual

When to use this quote

- policy debates
- social movements
- academic discussions

Key Concepts

moral relativism political theory

Questions to Reflect On

- When is extremism justified?
- How does labeling affect policy?

A Different Perspective

Context matters for moral evaluation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Extremism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremism/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

## Related quotes

> [we'll have to reclaim the ward 'taxes.' Why has it become a synonym for 'evil'? I understand that no one likes to pay good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/we-ll-have-to-reclaim-the-ward-taxes-why-has-it-become-a-synonym-for/)

[Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/)

> [“If ever you would have a blessed issue of this evil day, so as to stand in judgement before the great God, rest not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gurnall/if-ever-you-would-have-a-blessed-issue-of-this-evil-day-so-as-to/)

[William Gurnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gurnall/)

> [If an uncompromising stand is to be smeared as 'extremism,' then that smear is directed at any devotion to values, any loyalty to principles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/if-an-uncompromising-stand-is-to-be-smeared-as-extremism-then-that/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [To call the world God is not to explain it; it is only to enrich our language with a superfluous synonym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/to-call-the-world-god-is-not-to-explain-it-it-is-only-to-enrich-our/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [Maybe to try to understand not just that we are living in a certain building or in a certain location, but to become aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-gursky/maybe-to-try-to-understand-not-just-that-we-are-living-in-a-certain/)

[Andreas Gursky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-gursky/)

> [Our political establishment refuses to use the word 'segregated.' They call the schools diverse, which means half black, half Hispanic, and maybe two white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/our-political-establishment-refuses-to-use-the-word-segregated-they/)

[Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/)

> [What I like most about change is that it's a synonym for 'hope'. If you're taking a risk, what you are really saying is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ellerbee/what-i-like-most-about-change-is-that-it-s-a-synonym-for-hope-if-you/)

[Linda Ellerbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ellerbee/)

> [Mother is a synonym for abandonment and death. Comparing this synonym to water, it is like poured-out water. I call it mother, the identity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hyesoon/mother-is-a-synonym-for-abandonment-and-death-comparing-this-synonym/)

[Kim Hyesoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hyesoon/)

> [People do complain about the way I act on stage... They think on stage I act too arrogant, too self-obsessed, solecistic, self-contained, synonyms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/people-do-complain-about-the-way-i-act-on-stage-they-think-on-stage-i/)

[Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/)

> [I'd rather fiddle with my phone for precious seconds than neglect an apostrophe; I'd rather insert a word laboriously keyed out than resort to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-d-rather-fiddle-with-my-phone-for-precious-seconds-than-neglect-an/)

[Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/)

> [A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/a-synonym-is-a-word-you-use-when-you-can-t-spell-the-other-one/)

[Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/)

> [Providence and Manifest Destiny are synonyms often invoked to support arguments based on wishful thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/providence-and-manifest-destiny-are-synonyms-often-invoked-to-support/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [Is there another word for synonym?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/is-there-another-word-for-synonym/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [Ideation is not a synonym for innovation, conformity is not its simple antonym, and innovation is not the automatic consequence of "creative thinking.".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/ideation-is-not-a-synonym-for-innovation-conformity-is-not-its-simple/)

[Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

## More by Ayn Rand

> [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“This was reality, she thought, this sense of clear outlines, of purpose, of lightness, of hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-was-reality-she-thought-this-sense-of-clear-outlines-of-purpose/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Lobbying' is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy-of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/lobbying-is-the-activity-of-attempting-to-influence-legislation-by/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“She moved her hand and let it rest against his. He did not withdraw his fingers and he did not pretend indifference. She bent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-moved-her-hand-and-let-it-rest-against-his-he-did-not-withdraw/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-miracle-of-me-is-mine-to-own-and-keep-and-mine-to-guard-and-mine/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“There was still one response, the greatest, that she had missed. She thought: To find a feeling that would hold, as their sum, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-was-still-one-response-the-greatest-that-she-had-missed-she/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Inflation is not caused by the actions of private citizens, but by the government: by an artificial expansion of the money supply required to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/inflation-is-not-caused-by-the-actions-of-private-citizens-but-by-the/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“We are fornicating in the sight of six billion people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-fornicating-in-the-sight-of-six-billion-people/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-was-fifteen-when-it-occurred-to-her-for-the-first-time-that-women/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Fransisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you?" He answered, "Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/fransisco-you-re-some-kind-of-very-high-nobility-aren-t-you-he/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Have you felt it too? Have you seen how your best friends love everything about you- except the things that count? And your most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/have-you-felt-it-too-have-you-seen-how-your-best-friends-love/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Every coercive monopoly was created by government intervention into the economy: by special privileges, such as franchises or subsidies, which closed the entry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/every-coercive-monopoly-was-created-by-government-intervention-into/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [We are all brothers under the skin - and I, for one, would be willing to skin humanity to prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-all-brothers-under-the-skin-and-i-for-one-would-be-willing-to/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

[Explore all 1,777 Ayn Rand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

## More Consistent quotes

> [The most important thing is consistent football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callum-hudson-odoi/the-most-important-thing-is-consistent-football/)

[Callum Hudson-Odoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callum-hudson-odoi/)

> [I believe that simple, consistent shifts in our thinking and actions can lead to the miraculous in all aspects of our daily lives, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/i-believe-that-simple-consistent-shifts-in-our-thinking-and-actions/)

[Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/)

> [Humor is consistent with pathos, whilst wit is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/humor-is-consistent-with-pathos-whilst-wit-is-not/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [If I do the same thing consistently, no matter how I feel, I'm probably going to produce a consistent result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-seager/if-i-do-the-same-thing-consistently-no-matter-how-i-feel-i-m-probably/)

[Corey Seager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-seager/)

> [Staying consistent is even more important in three-out-of-five-set matches, to be able to wear on guys over that long of a match, if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shelton/staying-consistent-is-even-more-important-in-three-out-of-five-set/)

[Ben Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shelton/)

> [If all areas of my game are pretty consistent, that's all I hope for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-larson/if-all-areas-of-my-game-are-pretty-consistent-that-s-all-i-hope-for/)

[Jordan Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-larson/)

> [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [I want to be the best, it's not about the ranking, it's about being consistent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saina-nehwal/i-want-to-be-the-best-it-s-not-about-the-ranking-it-s-about-being/)

[Saina Nehwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saina-nehwal/)

> [The one thing that seems to be consistent through all my work that I like, and I experimented a lot, is the viewer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-misrach/the-one-thing-that-seems-to-be-consistent-through-all-my-work-that-i/)

[Richard Misrach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-misrach/)

> [Consistent style prevents presentation from getting in the way of content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/consistent-style-prevents-presentation-from-getting-in-the-way-of/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [I reject the idea there are just two sides. I think that with the amount of ideas and thoughts there are, it's not even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-reject-the-idea-there-are-just-two-sides-i-think-that-with-the/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [I definitely go through periods where I'm in a particular mood, or there's a consistent imaginative context that I feel I'm in, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-definitely-go-through-periods-where-i-m-in-a-particular-mood-or/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [“You don’t have to be strong, or fast, or impressive. Just consistent. The rest will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-allen-dunn/you-don-t-have-to-be-strong-or-fast-or-impressive-just-consistent-the/)

[Randall Allen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-allen-dunn/)

> [Didn't think her vision was consistent with the ORC, especially the way the Council wishes to work with the ORC. For example, with regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/didn-t-think-her-vision-was-consistent-with-the-orc-especially-the/)

[Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/)

> [I wanted to be consistent with my exercise, so I committed to working out for 30 days in a row, no matter what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-sims/i-wanted-to-be-consistent-with-my-exercise-so-i-committed-to-working/)

[Molly Sims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-sims/)

Browse all 1,410 Consistent quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Observe, in politics, that the term extremism has become a synonym of \"evil,\" regardless of the content of the issue (the evil is not what you are extreme about, but that you are \"extreme\" - i.e., consistent).",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ayn Rand"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/observe-in-politics-that-the-term-extremism-has-become-a-synonym-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Consistent"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/observe-in-politics-that-the-term-extremism-has-become-a-synonym-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/257/ayn-rand-59_consistent_observe-in-politics-that-the-term-extrem_2913654.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/257/ayn-rand-59_consistent_observe-in-politics-that-the-term-extrem_2913654.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/257/ayn-rand-59_consistent_observe-in-politics-that-the-term-extrem_2913654.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Observe, in politics, that the term extremism has become a synonym of \"evil,\" regardless of the content of…” — Ayn Rand",
                "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": "Ayn Rand",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Observe, in politics, that the term...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/observe-in-politics-that-the-term-extremism-has-become-a-synonym-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/observe-in-politics-that-the-term-extremism-has-become-a-synonym-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
