--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Politics should seize the imagination." description: "\"Politics should seize the imagination.\" — George Packer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/george-packer-2917_imagination_politics-should-seize-the-imagination-18_1823227.png" --- # Politics should seize the imagination. ![“Politics should seize the imagination.” quote by George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/george-packer-2917_imagination_politics-should-seize-the-imagination-18_1823227.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/george-packer-2917_imagination_politics-should-seize-the-imagination-18_1823227.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/george-packer-2917_imagination_politics-should-seize-the-imagination-18_1823227.png) > “Politics should seize the imagination.” [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Politics must capture the public’s imagination to inspire engagement and change. **In simple terms:** Politics needs imagination to inspire. Key Takeaway Make politics compelling. Themes politics imagination engagement Mood inspirational thoughtful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - campaigns - civic education - media messaging Key Concepts public discourse inspiration Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders spark imagination responsibly? - What narratives motivate citizens? A Different Perspective Imagination alone cannot solve structural issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [So often, science fiction helps to get young people interested in science. That's why I don't mind talking about science fiction. It has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/so-often-science-fiction-helps-to-get-young-people-interested-in/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [“One of mankind’s greatest ironies is the inbred passion to seize great things, while simultaneously walking through life blithely tossing great things aside because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/one-of-mankind-s-greatest-ironies-is-the-inbred-passion-to-seize/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“Carpe Diem. Seize the day. Seize. The. Day. Seize the day! And why not? Why stay here? Why not escape? The path is well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/autumn-cornwell/carpe-diem-seize-the-day-seize-the-day-seize-the-day-and-why-not-why/) Autumn Cornwell > [Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/know-the-true-value-of-time-snatch-seize-and-enjoy-every-moment-of-it/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“Let me inside your soul. Inside that abandoned paradise. And let me walk on that road to your heart. Let me see through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-vasu/let-me-inside-your-soul-inside-that-abandoned-paradise-and-let-me/) [Akshay Vasu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-vasu/) > [Seize the day, take hold of it, and make it whatever you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-sorensen/seize-the-day-take-hold-of-it-and-make-it-whatever-you-want/) [Jessica Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-sorensen/) > [“Jacob didn’t say “Seize the day,” he said “Seize what’s been handed you.” Make smart decisions. Make decisions because—he said it again—life is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/jacob-didn-t-say-seize-the-day-he-said-seize-what-s-been-handed-you/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [“But bid life seize the present? It lives less in the present Than in the future always, And less in both together Than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/but-bid-life-seize-the-present-it-lives-less-in-the-present-than-in/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Carpe per diem - seize the check.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/carpe-per-diem-seize-the-check/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-caesar/if-you-must-break-the-law-do-it-to-seize-power-in-all-other-cases/) [Julius Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-caesar/) > [“Sometimes it's more important to seize the chance and do what you can even knowing that it won't likely account for everything, that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/sometimes-it-s-more-important-to-seize-the-chance-and-do-what-you-can/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [“We believe that we’re in control of our lives. But in reality we can only seize opportunities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/we-believe-that-we-re-in-control-of-our-lives-but-in-reality-we-can/) [Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/) > [“He had already seized this particular day once, but he was prepared, if need be, to go ahead and seize the motherfucker all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/he-had-already-seized-this-particular-day-once-but-he-was-prepared-if/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [The Gods cannot help those who do not seize opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-gods-cannot-help-those-who-do-not-seize-opportunities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I just hate meetings. Though it's true that once you've made a lot of money, people around you might be full of ideas about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-just-hate-meetings-though-it-s-true-that-once-you-ve-made-a-lot-of/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) ## More by George Packer > [I don't think they need to be nice to reporters, but the White House seems to imagine that releasing information is like a tap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-don-t-think-they-need-to-be-nice-to-reporters-but-the-white-house/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [So many writers grew up in tortured isolation, in revolt against their families. I and my sister were in a house where writing was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/so-many-writers-grew-up-in-tortured-isolation-in-revolt-against-their/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Afghanistan can't police its borders, and its neighbors give sanctuary and assistance to insurgents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/afghanistan-can-t-police-its-borders-and-its-neighbors-give-sanctuary/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Hillary Clinton's such a classic Democratic political figure and believes so much in institutions and in gradualism in the old way of reaching compromises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/hillary-clinton-s-such-a-classic-democratic-political-figure-and/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [“In other words, Foxx represented what Sarah Palin (speaking at a campaign fundraiser in Greensboro three weeks before the election) called “the real America,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/in-other-words-foxx-represented-what-sarah-palin-speaking-at-a/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [America's vast population of working poor can only get so poor before even Walmart is out of reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/america-s-vast-population-of-working-poor-can-only-get-so-poor-before/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [The Olympics are never just about sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-olympics-are-never-just-about-sports/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > ['The Assassins' Gate' is a very tightly controlled story of the ideas that led to the war and the consequences of those ideas in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-assassins-gate-is-a-very-tightly-controlled-story-of-the-ideas/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Amazon's identity and goals are never clear and always fluid, which makes the company destabilizing and intimidating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/amazon-s-identity-and-goals-are-never-clear-and-always-fluid-which/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Ideology knows the answer before the question has been asked. Principles are something different: a set of values that have to be adapted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/ideology-knows-the-answer-before-the-question-has-been-asked/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Everything seems set up for success in digital journalism - money, eyeballs, software, brands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/everything-seems-set-up-for-success-in-digital-journalism-money/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Climate change joined immigration, job creation, food safety, pilot training, veterans' care, campaign finance, transportation security, labor law, mine safety, wildfire management, and scores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/climate-change-joined-immigration-job-creation-food-safety-pilot/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Much of the international unease with the Sochi Games has focused on the threat of terrorism, Putin's domestic repressiveness, and the Russian campaign of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/much-of-the-international-unease-with-the-sochi-games-has-focused-on/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [I've been interested in American politics since I was eight. That was in 1968. It was an interesting year. I was a huge Eugene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-ve-been-interested-in-american-politics-since-i-was-eight-that-was/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [When I interviewed Paul Bremer in his office, he had almost no books on his shelves. He had a couple of management books, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/when-i-interviewed-paul-bremer-in-his-office-he-had-almost-no-books/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Explore all 144 George Packer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) ## More Imagination quotes > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [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/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Imagination is the greatest nation in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/imagination-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [Life is what you make it¦If one refuses to use ones imagination..it will be boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-what-you-make-it-if-one-refuses-to-use-ones-imagination-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [A beard is something that is almost like a mirror to the viewer. When someone sees you wearing a beard, they're seeing something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/a-beard-is-something-that-is-almost-like-a-mirror-to-the-viewer-when/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I like fantasy, but I don't live and breathe fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/i-like-fantasy-but-i-don-t-live-and-breathe-fantasy/) [Lauren Schmidt Hissrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/) > [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Edgy is fine - I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination - but what's wrong with a good ol' belly laugh?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/edgy-is-fine-i-m-not-a-prude-by-any-stretch-of-the-imagination-but/) [Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/) > [With VR, we have this same vision, which is create this ultimate platform for sharing your imagination. Our huge community of 300,000 developers creates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baszucki/with-vr-we-have-this-same-vision-which-is-create-this-ultimate/) [David Baszucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baszucki/) > [I like the idea of letting the music do its own work and the stories being more expressionful - if that's a word -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-flynn/i-like-the-idea-of-letting-the-music-do-its-own-work-and-the-stories/) [Johnny Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-flynn/) [Browse all 9,060 Imagination quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Politics should seize the imagination.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/politics-should-seize-the-imagination/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Imagination" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/politics-should-seize-the-imagination/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/george-packer-2917_imagination_politics-should-seize-the-imagination-18_1823227.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/george-packer-2917_imagination_politics-should-seize-the-imagination-18_1823227.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/george-packer-2917_imagination_politics-should-seize-the-imagination-18_1823227.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Politics should seize the imagination.” — George Packer", "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": "George Packer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Politics should seize the imagination.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/politics-should-seize-the-imagination/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/politics-should-seize-the-imagination/#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 } } ] } ```