---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Almost half of the Turkish population…"
description: "\"Almost half of the Turkish population believes it is not legitimate to criticize the government. Interestingly, this correlates with the number of supp..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/elif-safak-8931_believe_almost-half-of-the-turkish-population-be_810625.png"
---

#  Almost half of the Turkish population believes it is not…

![“Almost half of the Turkish population believes it is not legitimate to criticize the government. Interestingly, this correlates with the number of supporters of Erdogan's government.” quote by Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/elif-safak-8931_believe_almost-half-of-the-turkish-population-be_810625.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/elif-safak-8931_believe_almost-half-of-the-turkish-population-be_810625.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/elif-safak-8931_believe_almost-half-of-the-turkish-population-be_810625.png)

> “Almost half of the Turkish population believes it is not legitimate to criticize the government. Interestingly, this correlates with the number of supporters of Erdogan's government.”

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

## About This Quote

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

A large portion of Turks see government criticism as illegitimate, especially among Erdogan supporters

**In simple terms:** Many Turks think criticizing the government is wrong, especially Erdogan fans

Key Takeaway

Question the legitimacy of dissent; recognize political bias

Themes

political opinion public trust authorism

Mood

skeptical concerned

Type

analytical political

When to use this quote

- voting behavior
- media consumption
- civil discourse

Key Concepts

public opinion authoritarianism polarization

Questions to Reflect On

- How does political affiliation shape views on free speech?
- What mechanisms could encourage constructive criticism?

A Different Perspective

Correlation does not prove causation; other factors may influence views

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Erdogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erdogan/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

## Related quotes

> [The Erdogan government's first major step outside of the U.S. alliance was during the Bush Administration, when it wouldn't let Washington use Turkey as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-erdogan-government-s-first-major-step-outside-of-the-u-s-alliance/)

[Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/)

> [America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real but the moon landing was faked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/america-is-the-only-country-where-a-significant-proportion-of-the/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [If you polled the military in Afghanistan as to how many think we should be there or not, the numbers would probably be similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/if-you-polled-the-military-in-afghanistan-as-to-how-many-think-we/)

[Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/)

> [Our politics is very masculine, very aggressive, and it's very polarizing. And the pace of this development has increased in recent years. Erdogan is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/our-politics-is-very-masculine-very-aggressive-and-it-s-very/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [Feminists are now being vilified in politics, erdogan used to speak more embracingly, saying he was the leader of everyone, whether they voted for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/feminists-are-now-being-vilified-in-politics-erdogan-used-to-speak/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [I am very worried about this concentration of power, and it's not only because of Erdogan. We have the ballot box, but we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/i-am-very-worried-about-this-concentration-of-power-and-it-s-not-only/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [“The ugliest government is the one which is spreading fear to its own people! The finest government is the one which encourages its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-ugliest-government-is-the-one-which-is-spreading-fear-to-its-own/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [People are absolutely free to criticize the government and protest, but their protests should be in such a way as to improve the situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-rouhani/people-are-absolutely-free-to-criticize-the-government-and-protest/)

[Hassan Rouhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-rouhani/)

> [But the truth is that it is only by believing in God that we can ever criticize the government. Once abolish the God, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/but-the-truth-is-that-it-is-only-by-believing-in-god-that-we-can-ever-2/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [“With so many thinkers “spending so much energy fighting over words and ink, we have forgotten to criticize government authority; we have forgotten to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-osnos/with-so-many-thinkers-spending-so-much-energy-fighting-over-words-and/)

[Evan Osnos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-osnos/)

> [“If you're not going to use your free speech to criticize your own government, then what the hell is the point of having it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/if-you-re-not-going-to-use-your-free-speech-to-criticize-your-own/)

[Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/)

> [It is always necessary that we point out our flaws for the betterment of our country. If we do not, how can our conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shabana-azmi/it-is-always-necessary-that-we-point-out-our-flaws-for-the-betterment/)

[Shabana Azmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shabana-azmi/)

> [Do not criticize your government when out of the country. Never cease to do so when at home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/do-not-criticize-your-government-when-out-of-the-country-never-cease/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [“Police in a one-party state have a more or less simple task. If people criticize the government, they are either harassed or arrested. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-crawshaw/police-in-a-one-party-state-have-a-more-or-less-simple-task-if-people/)

Steve Crawshaw

> [It's wrong to criticize government without offering a possible alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/it-s-wrong-to-criticize-government-without-offering-a-possible/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

## More by Elif Safak

> [Turkey is a complex country. Most readers are women, of all generations, and they are passionate about books. However, the written culture is mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/turkey-is-a-complex-country-most-readers-are-women-of-all-generations/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [I spent my entire childhood observing people. I still do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/i-spent-my-entire-childhood-observing-people-i-still-do/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [With 'The Forty Rules of Love,' I wanted to write a love story. But I wanted a love story with a spiritual dimension. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/with-the-forty-rules-of-love-i-wanted-to-write-a-love-story-but-i/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [Writing is a tribute to solitude. It is choosing introversion over extroversion, lonely hours/days/weeks/years over fun and sociability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/writing-is-a-tribute-to-solitude-it-is-choosing-introversion-over/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [Submission does not mean being weak or passive. It leads to neither fatalism nor capitulation. Just the opposite. True power resides in submission. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/submission-does-not-mean-being-weak-or-passive-it-leads-to-neither/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [The lack of trust in supranational entities and cosmopolitan elite creates a fertile ground for tribalist belongings and reactionary politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/the-lack-of-trust-in-supranational-entities-and-cosmopolitan-elite/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [In a normal democracy, you protect the individual from the excessive power of the state. In Turkey, power elites try to protect the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/in-a-normal-democracy-you-protect-the-individual-from-the-excessive/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [Obviously, Turkey is not a typical authoritarian regime, and obviously it's very important that there are free elections. But it's also obvious that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/obviously-turkey-is-not-a-typical-authoritarian-regime-and-obviously/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [Feminists are now being vilified in politics, erdogan used to speak more embracingly, saying he was the leader of everyone, whether they voted for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/feminists-are-now-being-vilified-in-politics-erdogan-used-to-speak/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [We're born into a certain family, nation, class. But if we have no connection whatsoever with the worlds beyond the one we take for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/we-re-born-into-a-certain-family-nation-class-but-if-we-have-no/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [I write my novels in English first; then they are translated into Turkish by professional translators. Then I take their translation and rewrite. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/i-write-my-novels-in-english-first-then-they-are-translated-into/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [For me, coming from the women's movement, politics is not just about parties and parliament. There is politics in our private space and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/for-me-coming-from-the-women-s-movement-politics-is-not-just-about/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [There are two different ways of writing a novel. The first I call the traditional father way, when the novelist slightly situates himself or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/there-are-two-different-ways-of-writing-a-novel-the-first-i-call-the/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [Sometimes I feel I have more faith in European ideals than some of my British or French friends. For them, it's a financial burden.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/sometimes-i-feel-i-have-more-faith-in-european-ideals-than-some-of-my/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [I was in Madrid as a young girl and a teenager. I'll never forget when I went to the Prado Museum for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/i-was-in-madrid-as-a-young-girl-and-a-teenager-i-ll-never-forget-when/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

[Explore all 69 Elif Safak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

## More Believe quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/)

[Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/)

[Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/)

> [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

> [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/)

[Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/)

[Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/)

Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Almost half of the Turkish population believes it is not legitimate to criticize the government. Interestingly, this correlates with the number of supporters of Erdogan's government.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elif Safak"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/almost-half-of-the-turkish-population-believes-it-is-not-legitimate/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Believe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/almost-half-of-the-turkish-population-believes-it-is-not-legitimate/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/elif-safak-8931_believe_almost-half-of-the-turkish-population-be_810625.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/elif-safak-8931_believe_almost-half-of-the-turkish-population-be_810625.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/elif-safak-8931_believe_almost-half-of-the-turkish-population-be_810625.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Almost half of the Turkish population believes it is not legitimate to criticize the government…” — Elif Safak",
                "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": "Elif Safak",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Almost half of the Turkish population...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/almost-half-of-the-turkish-population-believes-it-is-not-legitimate/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/almost-half-of-the-turkish-population-believes-it-is-not-legitimate/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
