---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'The bully pulpit' is somewhat diminished…"
description: "\"'The bully pulpit' is somewhat diminished in our age of fragmented attention and fragmented media.\" — Doris Kearns Goodwin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_age_the-bully-pulpit-is-somewhat-diminished_3156865.png"
---

#  'The bully pulpit' is somewhat diminished in our age of…

![“'The bully pulpit' is somewhat diminished in our age of fragmented attention and fragmented media.” quote by Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_age_the-bully-pulpit-is-somewhat-diminished_3156865.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_age_the-bully-pulpit-is-somewhat-diminished_3156865.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_age_the-bully-pulpit-is-somewhat-diminished_3156865.png)

> “'The bully pulpit' is somewhat diminished in our age of fragmented attention and fragmented media.”

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

## About This Quote

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

The concept of a “bully pulpit” loses impact amid fragmented attention and media.

**In simple terms:** The platform for influencing public opinion is weakened by media fragmentation.

Key Takeaway

Adapt communication to fragmented media.

Themes

media attention influence

Mood

analytical critical

Type

political media studies

When to use this quote

- political speeches
- social media campaigns
- public advocacy

Key Concepts

bully pulpit fragmentation public discourse

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you capture attention in a noisy environment?
- What strategies preserve influence despite fragmentation?

A Different Perspective

Fragmented media can dilute message clarity and reach.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Age Fragmented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-fragmented-5690903/) [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Bully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bully/) [Bully Pulpit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bully-pulpit-947599/) [Diminished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diminished/) [Fragmented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragmented/) [Fragmented Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragmented-media-5690902/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Pulpit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pulpit/) [Pulpit Somewhat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pulpit-somewhat-5690900/) [Somewhat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somewhat/) [Somewhat Diminished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somewhat-diminished-5690901/)

## Related quotes

> [I do not intend to use the Surgeon General's Office as a bully pulpit for gun control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/i-do-not-intend-to-use-the-surgeon-general-s-office-as-a-bully-pulpit/)

[Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/)

> [I've pretty much always used my positions as a bully pulpit. What that means is strongly advocating for the things I feel are really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/i-ve-pretty-much-always-used-my-positions-as-a-bully-pulpit-what-that/)

[Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/)

> [I appreciate the power of a White House bully pulpit - but kids listen and learn primarily from other kids. If your son's friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/i-appreciate-the-power-of-a-white-house-bully-pulpit-but-kids-listen/)

[Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/)

> [Donald Trump hasn't been specific, but if you go back over some of the campaign rhetoric, well, obviously, there's the bully pulpit, just publicly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-ip/donald-trump-hasn-t-been-specific-but-if-you-go-back-over-some-of-the/)

[Greg Ip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-ip/)

> [Yes, Haven, most of us enjoy preaching, and Ive got such a bully pulpit!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/yes-haven-most-of-us-enjoy-preaching-and-ive-got-such-a-bully-pulpit/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Everybody's got a bully pulpit now, and everybody's mad. I don't blame people for being angry and frustrated about everything. I'm old, but I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-west/everybody-s-got-a-bully-pulpit-now-and-everybody-s-mad-i-don-t-blame/)

[Billy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-west/)

> [It's healthy for government to be a kind of moral catalyst, using the bully pulpit of high office.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/it-s-healthy-for-government-to-be-a-kind-of-moral-catalyst-using-the/)

[William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/)

> [I think President Obama has used the bully pulpit as a way to attack capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/i-think-president-obama-has-used-the-bully-pulpit-as-a-way-to-attack/)

[Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/)

> [Leadership from the Oval Office - and sustained, effective use of the bully pulpit - is essential to getting the American people off their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wilkerson/leadership-from-the-oval-office-and-sustained-effective-use-of-the/)

[Lawrence Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wilkerson/)

> [You know, the bully pulpit that the president has is pretty significant. And I think that one of the things this I've learned in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hurd/you-know-the-bully-pulpit-that-the-president-has-is-pretty/)

[Will Hurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hurd/)

> [But here's the bottom line, the president of the United States, he controls the bully pulpit, he can talk about anything he wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-here-s-the-bottom-line-the-president-of-the-united-states-he/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The White House is a bully pulpit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-white-house-is-a-bully-pulpit/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Bill Cosby is a famous black guy who has a bully pulpit the size of the world; it's global. He puts his colossal foot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/bill-cosby-is-a-famous-black-guy-who-has-a-bully-pulpit-the-size-of/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [It's time for the bully pulpit of the White House to bring the gangstas in, put them around the table and let them know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-waters/it-s-time-for-the-bully-pulpit-of-the-white-house-to-bring-the/)

[Maxine Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-waters/)

> [Every voice with a national bully pulpit that is willing to take on the lies of the anti-cop Left is still vitally important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/every-voice-with-a-national-bully-pulpit-that-is-willing-to-take-on/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

## More by Doris Kearns Goodwin

> [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [What I think I've learned is that you're never going to get it all right, and you can't obsess about having a fact wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/what-i-think-i-ve-learned-is-that-you-re-never-going-to-get-it-all/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [I wish we could go back to the time when the private lives of our public figures were relevant only if they directly affected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-wish-we-could-go-back-to-the-time-when-the-private-lives-of-our/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [People will love him (Theodore Roosevelt) for the enemies he has made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/people-will-love-him-theodore-roosevelt-for-the-enemies-he-has-made/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [“This extreme treatment was among the proliferating regimens developed in response to the stunning increase in nervous disorders diagnosed around the turn of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/this-extreme-treatment-was-among-the-proliferating-regimens-developed/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [“I could carve out of a banana a judge with more backbone than that,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-could-carve-out-of-a-banana-a-judge-with-more-backbone-than-that/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [“And Lincoln, as would be evidenced throughout his presidency, was a master of timing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/and-lincoln-as-would-be-evidenced-throughout-his-presidency-was-a/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [“Don’t hit till you have to; but, when you do hit, hit hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/don-t-hit-till-you-have-to-but-when-you-do-hit-hit-hard/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [“After ministering each day to the hundreds of young men who had endured ghastly wounds, submitted to amputations without anesthesia, and often died without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/after-ministering-each-day-to-the-hundreds-of-young-men-who-had/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [The value that I found in interviewing was for an educational experience, just to know that history itself is subjective, that you can't say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/the-value-that-i-found-in-interviewing-was-for-an-educational/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [Excitement about things became a habit, a part of my personality, and the expectation that I should enjoy new experiences often engendered the enjoyment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/excitement-about-things-became-a-habit-a-part-of-my-personality-and/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [“All the cartoonists at heart liked him, and there was seldom or never anything bitter or really unfriendly in their portrayals of him; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/all-the-cartoonists-at-heart-liked-him-and-there-was-seldom-or-never/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [I think that's still what the American Dream means: that with perseverance, with hard work, you can become something, that the classes won't prevent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-think-that-s-still-what-the-american-dream-means-that-with/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [I shall always be grateful for this curious love of history, allowing me to spend a lifetime looking back into the past, allowing me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-shall-always-be-grateful-for-this-curious-love-of-history-allowing/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [“Simon Cameron: “I loved my brother, as only the poor and lonely can love those with whom they have toiled and struggled up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/simon-cameron-i-loved-my-brother-as-only-the-poor-and-lonely-can-love/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

[Explore all 196 Doris Kearns Goodwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "'The bully pulpit' is somewhat diminished in our age of fragmented attention and fragmented media.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Doris Kearns Goodwin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/the-bully-pulpit-is-somewhat-diminished-in-our-age-of-fragmented/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/the-bully-pulpit-is-somewhat-diminished-in-our-age-of-fragmented/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_age_the-bully-pulpit-is-somewhat-diminished_3156865.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_age_the-bully-pulpit-is-somewhat-diminished_3156865.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_age_the-bully-pulpit-is-somewhat-diminished_3156865.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“'The bully pulpit' is somewhat diminished in our age of fragmented attention and fragmented media.” — Doris Kearns Goodwin",
                "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": "Doris Kearns Goodwin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "'The bully pulpit' is somewhat diminished...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/the-bully-pulpit-is-somewhat-diminished-in-our-age-of-fragmented/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/the-bully-pulpit-is-somewhat-diminished-in-our-age-of-fragmented/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
