--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is to a dramatist, which is to say, to…" description: "\"It is to a dramatist, which is to say, to an unfrocked psychoanalyst, stunning that that which has sustained the Left in my generation, its avatar, its..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/david-mamet-1178_abortion_it-is-to-a-dramatist-which-is-to-say-to_1844738.jpg" --- # It is to a dramatist, which is to say, to an unfrocked… ![“It is to a dramatist, which is to say, to an unfrocked psychoanalyst, stunning that that which has sustained the Left in my generation, its avatar, its prime issue, has been abortion. For, whether or not it is regarded as a woman's right, an unfortunate necessity, or murder, which is to say…” quote by David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/david-mamet-1178_abortion_it-is-to-a-dramatist-which-is-to-say-to_1844738.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/david-mamet-1178_abortion_it-is-to-a-dramatist-which-is-to-say-to_1844738.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/david-mamet-1178_abortion_it-is-to-a-dramatist-which-is-to-say-to_1844738.jpg) > “It is to a dramatist, which is to say, to an unfrocked psychoanalyst, stunning that that which has sustained the Left in my generation, its avatar, its prime issue, has been abortion. For, whether or not it is regarded as a woman's right, an unfortunate necessity, or murder, which is to say, irrespective of differing and legitimate political views, to enshrine it as the most important test of the Liberal, is, mythologically, an assertion to the ultimate right of a postreligious Paganism.” [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Abortion is portrayed as the central, mythic test of liberal identity, regardless of moral framing. **In simple terms:** Abortion defines liberal values. Key Takeaway Question the moral foundations of political identity. Themes politics ethics identity Mood critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - public policy debates - activist strategies - media framing Key Concepts philosophy cultural myth feminism Questions to Reflect On - Why does abortion dominate liberal discourse? - How do other issues compare in shaping identity? A Different Perspective Focusing on a single issue may oversimplify complex liberal ideologies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abortion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Paganism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paganism/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-view/) [Political views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-views/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) ## Related quotes > [Barack Obama and I have an honest disagreement on the issue of abortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-casey-jr/barack-obama-and-i-have-an-honest-disagreement-on-the-issue-of/) [Bob Casey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-casey-jr/) > [“The main reason Scripture does not directly address the issue of abortion is that abortion was so unimaginable to an Israelite woman it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-mcdowell/the-main-reason-scripture-does-not-directly-address-the-issue-of/) Sean McDowell > [We respect the individual conscience of every American on the painful issue of abortion, but believe as a matter of law that this decision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-respect-the-individual-conscience-of-every-american-on-the-painful/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [There's no doubt that on the issue of abortion, oftentimes it's very difficult to split the difference, although we can agree on the notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/there-s-no-doubt-that-on-the-issue-of-abortion-oftentimes-it-s-very/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [In this generation, the issue pressing that question on our consciences is the issue of abortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-casey/in-this-generation-the-issue-pressing-that-question-on-our/) [Robert Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-casey/) > [The President must be true to his word. He must keep his faith with the folks who elected him twice. In other words, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-scarborough/the-president-must-be-true-to-his-word-he-must-keep-his-faith-with/) [Rick Scarborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-scarborough/) > [I think it's really important to enlarge the issue behind abortion. I have been serving for over two decades and I have seen year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-it-s-really-important-to-enlarge-the-issue-behind-abortion-i/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [On the issue of abortion, I'm ever on the fence, or, at most, an inch or two to either side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-moran/on-the-issue-of-abortion-i-m-ever-on-the-fence-or-at-most-an-inch-or/) [Victoria Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-moran/) > [I think the real place where most evangelicals have trouble with the Democratic Party is on the issue of abortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-campolo/i-think-the-real-place-where-most-evangelicals-have-trouble-with-the/) [Tony Campolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-campolo/) > [I think it's important to promote a culture of life. I think a hospitable society is a society where every being counts and every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-think-it-s-important-to-promote-a-culture-of-life-i-think-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I have thought about this issue of abortion time and again. It is not an easy issue for most people. I came to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-durbin/i-have-thought-about-this-issue-of-abortion-time-and-again-it-is-not/) [Dick Durbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-durbin/) > [The only time the issue of abortion ever comes up - and you'll notice this pattern - is when there's a presidential election coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-kasparian/the-only-time-the-issue-of-abortion-ever-comes-up-and-you-ll-notice/) [Ana Kasparian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-kasparian/) > [The issue is not abortion. The issue is whether women can make up their own mind instead of some right-wing pastor, some right-wing politician…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-dean/the-issue-is-not-abortion-the-issue-is-whether-women-can-make-up/) [Howard Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-dean/) > [But actors with political views are a dime a dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/but-actors-with-political-views-are-a-dime-a-dozen/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Judicial abuse occurs when judges substitute their own political views for the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-s-smith/judicial-abuse-occurs-when-judges-substitute-their-own-political/) [Lamar S. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-s-smith/) ## More by David Mamet > [If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/if-indeed-a-firearm-were-more-dangerous-to-its-possessors-than-to/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [Culture exists and evolves to relegate to habit categories of interactions the constant conscious reference to which would make human interaction impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/culture-exists-and-evolves-to-relegate-to-habit-categories-of/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [When I started out I was a failed actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/when-i-started-out-i-was-a-failed-actor/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/we-must-have-a-pie-stress-cannot-exist-in-the-presence-of-a-pie/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [“We cannot live in peace without Law. And though law cannot be perfect, it may be just if it is written in ignorance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/we-cannot-live-in-peace-without-law-and-though-law-cannot-be-perfect/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [Films have degenerated to their original operation as carnival amusement - they offer not drama but thrills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/films-have-degenerated-to-their-original-operation-as-carnival/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [The Oscars demonstrate the will of the people to control and judge those they have elected to stand above them (much, perhaps, as in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/the-oscars-demonstrate-the-will-of-the-people-to-control-and-judge/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [I know very well what it is to be out of work and to be cheated by employers and I know what it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/i-know-very-well-what-it-is-to-be-out-of-work-and-to-be-cheated-by/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [Hitchcock denigrated American films, saying they were all 'pictures of people talking' - as, indeed, most of them are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/hitchcock-denigrated-american-films-saying-they-were-all-pictures-of/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [“Life in the movie business is like the beginning of a new love affair: it's full of surprises, and you're constantly getting fucked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/life-in-the-movie-business-is-like-the-beginning-of-a-new-love-affair/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [“How was her crumbcake? oh.. from the store... …”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/how-was-her-crumbcake-oh-from-the-store/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [A dramatic experience concerned with the mundane may inform but it cannot release; and one concerned essentially with the aesthetic politics of its creators…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/a-dramatic-experience-concerned-with-the-mundane-may-inform-but-it/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [The product of the artist has become less important than the fact of the artist. We wish to absorb this person. We wish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/the-product-of-the-artist-has-become-less-important-than-the-fact-of/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [In a world we find terrifying, we ratify that which doesn't threaten us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/in-a-world-we-find-terrifying-we-ratify-that-which-doesn-t-threaten-us/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [“As a youth I enjoyed — indeed, like most of my contemporaries, revered — the agitprop plays of Brecht, and his indictments of Capitalism.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/as-a-youth-i-enjoyed-indeed-like-most-of-my-contemporaries-revered/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) [Explore all 278 David Mamet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) ## More Abortion quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 > [Hey everyone, in case y'all didn't hear, I'm pregnat, and after discussing it w/ my family, I've decided to get an abortion, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-badesheim/hey-everyone-in-case-y-all-didn-t-hear-i-m-pregnat-and-after/) Madison Badesheim > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [My favorite Founding Fathers, Christians like John Adams, were absolutely appalled by slavery, and did not own slaves. I think we're going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/my-favorite-founding-fathers-christians-like-john-adams-were/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“David Bereit, Founder of Forty Days for Life, points out that any abortion clinic in America should have a sign in its window that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/david-bereit-founder-of-forty-days-for-life-points-out-that-any/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [I'm a pro-life candidate because I believe that science is proving us right every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/i-m-a-pro-life-candidate-because-i-believe-that-science-is-proving-us/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion…has been born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-noticed-that-everyone-who-is-for-abortion-has-been-born/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [We talk a lot about how abortion is a medical procedure, but actually if you look at what the other side is doing, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-northup/we-talk-a-lot-about-how-abortion-is-a-medical-procedure-but-actually/) [Nancy Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-northup/) > [“The Vatican won't prosecute pedophile priests but I decide I'm not ready for motherhood and it's condemnation for me? These are the same people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-renee-taylor/the-vatican-won-t-prosecute-pedophile-priests-but-i-decide-i-m-not/) Sonya Renee Taylor > [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [I am 100 percent pro-life and have been my whole life. That means I am opposed to abortion at any stage of pregnancy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hawley/i-am-100-percent-pro-life-and-have-been-my-whole-life-that-means-i-am/) [Josh Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hawley/) > [Any woman should have the right to a safe and legal abortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-ford/any-woman-should-have-the-right-to-a-safe-and-legal-abortion/) [Betty Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-ford/) > [“For Republicans, life begins at conception but ends at birth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/for-republicans-life-begins-at-conception-but-ends-at-birth/) [J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/) > [I think fundamentally, the real power behind the anti-choice movement in regard to abortion and the opposition to the rights of LGBT Americans is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-w-lynn/i-think-fundamentally-the-real-power-behind-the-anti-choice-movement/) [Barry W. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-w-lynn/) [Browse all 1,629 Abortion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is to a dramatist, which is to say, to an unfrocked psychoanalyst, stunning that that which has sustained the Left in my generation, its avatar, its prime issue, has been abortion. 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