--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the most repellent spectacles at…" description: "\"One of the most repellent spectacles at election times is the pretense of piety on the part of people running for office.\" — Christopher Hitchens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/christopher-hitchens-117_election_one-of-the-most-repellent-spectacles-at_1713677.jpg" --- # One of the most repellent spectacles at election times is… ![“One of the most repellent spectacles at election times is the pretense of piety on the part of people running for office.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/christopher-hitchens-117_election_one-of-the-most-repellent-spectacles-at_1713677.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/christopher-hitchens-117_election_one-of-the-most-repellent-spectacles-at_1713677.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/christopher-hitchens-117_election_one-of-the-most-repellent-spectacles-at_1713677.jpg) > “One of the most repellent spectacles at election times is the pretense of piety on the part of people running for office.” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political candidates often feign piety to manipulate voters, which is morally repellent. **In simple terms:** Fake piety in politics is repellent. Key Takeaway Demand genuine integrity from leaders. Themes politics ethics hypocrisy Mood skeptical critical Type analytical political When to use this quote - election campaigns - public debates - media analysis Key Concepts philosophy political science morality Questions to Reflect On - How can voters discern genuine belief from performance? - What role does media play in exposing pretense? A Different Perspective Some voters value appearance over substance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Election time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election-time/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Piety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piety/) [Pretense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretense/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Running for office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-for-office/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Piety with some people, but especially with women, is either a passion, or an infirmity of age, or a fashion which must be followed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/piety-with-some-people-but-especially-with-women-is-either-a-passion/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [The election is not a time to discuss serious issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-campbell/the-election-is-not-a-time-to-discuss-serious-issues/) [Kim Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-campbell/) > [There's all this talk about Arnold Schwarzenegger. 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