---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A citizen is a political and moral agent…"
description: "\"A citizen is a political and moral agent who in fact has a shared sense of hope and responsibility to others and not just to him or herself.\" — Henry G..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/henry-giroux-945_agent_a-citizen-is-a-political-and-moral-agent_3216528.png"
---

#  A citizen is a political and moral agent who in fact has a…

![“A citizen is a political and moral agent who in fact has a shared sense of hope and responsibility to others and not just to him or herself.” quote by Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/henry-giroux-945_agent_a-citizen-is-a-political-and-moral-agent_3216528.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/henry-giroux-945_agent_a-citizen-is-a-political-and-moral-agent_3216528.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/henry-giroux-945_agent_a-citizen-is-a-political-and-moral-agent_3216528.png)

> “A citizen is a political and moral agent who in fact has a shared sense of hope and responsibility to others and not just to him or herself.”

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

## About This Quote

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

Citizenship involves shared hope and responsibility toward others, not just self‑interest.

**In simple terms:** Citizens act with hope and duty to others.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate collective responsibility.

Themes

citizenship ethics community

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical social

When to use this quote

- public policy
- education
- civic engagement

Key Concepts

social contract moral agency

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance personal and communal duties?
- What structures foster shared responsibility?

A Different Perspective

May overlook individual autonomy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizen/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Responsibility to others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility-to-others/)

## Related quotes

> [I am a private citizen with no political affiliation - the recommendations Remain United will make are based on robust polling and scientific methodology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-miller/i-am-a-private-citizen-with-no-political-affiliation-the/)

[Gina Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-miller/)

> [If I were surrounded by angels who were purely rational and had no inclinations at all, I couldn't do anything for them. I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pogge/if-i-were-surrounded-by-angels-who-were-purely-rational-and-had-no/)

[Thomas Pogge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pogge/)

> [First, philosophy concerns itself with all kinds of issues that don't get much airtime in day-to-day life. What's the nature of reality? Can we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/first-philosophy-concerns-itself-with-all-kinds-of-issues-that-don-t/)

[Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/)

> [I have used the word "attention," which I borrow from Simone Weil, to express the idea of a just and loving gaze directed upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-have-used-the-word-attention-which-i-borrow-from-simone-weil-to/)

[Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/)

> [Man is a responsible moral agent, though he is also divinely controlled; man is divinely controlled, though he is also a responsible moral agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/man-is-a-responsible-moral-agent-though-he-is-also-divinely/)

[J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/)

> [I think that what one can see from a Darwinian account is how the addition of culture in our species turns us into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/i-think-that-what-one-can-see-from-a-darwinian-account-is-how-the/)

[Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/)

> [Man is a free moral agent and can be magnanimous and deal disinterestedly, humanity is a definite goal, social justice is desirable and possible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-is-a-free-moral-agent-and-can-be-magnanimous-and-deal/)

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

> [The responsibility of the writer as a moral agent is to try to bring the truth about matters of human significance to an audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-responsibility-of-the-writer-as-a-moral-agent-is-to-try-to-bring/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [The people are led to find in the productive apparatus the effective agent of thought and action to which their personal thought and action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-people-are-led-to-find-in-the-productive-apparatus-the-effective/)

[Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/)

> [Unless the will is free, man has no freedom; and if he has no freedom he is not a moral agent, that is, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-grandison-finney/unless-the-will-is-free-man-has-no-freedom-and-if-he-has-no-freedom/)

[Charles Grandison Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-grandison-finney/)

> [One is never just a teacher: One is always - even if not consciously - an advocate of a point of view, a critic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-audi/one-is-never-just-a-teacher-one-is-always-even-if-not-consciously-an/)

Robert Audi

> [“The way of even the most justifiable revolution is prepared by personal impulses disguised into creeds. The Professor's indignation found in itself a final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-way-of-even-the-most-justifiable-revolution-is-prepared-by/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [To be a fully functioning moral agent, one cannot passively accept moral principles handed down by fiat. Moral principles require moral reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/to-be-a-fully-functioning-moral-agent-one-cannot-passively-accept/)

[Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/)

> [Democracy, taken in its narrower, purely political, sense, suffers from the fact that those in economic and political power possess the means for molding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/democracy-taken-in-its-narrower-purely-political-sense-suffers-from/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [“What it means to be a ‘better person’, then, must be concrete and practical — that is to say, concerned with people’s political situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-it-means-to-be-a-better-person-then-must-be-concrete-and/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

## More by Henry Giroux

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material moorings, it becomes easier to punish and imprison young people than to educate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-ethical-and-material-moorings-it/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [What must be addressed in the most immediate sense is the threat that the emerging police state in the United States poses not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/what-must-be-addressed-in-the-most-immediate-sense-is-the-threat-that/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Today's neoliberalism has a number of byproducts. We have massive forms of inequality developing because there are no longer any concessions. There's a war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/today-s-neoliberalism-has-a-number-of-byproducts-we-have-massive/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [At the start of the second decade of the 21st century, young people all over the world are demonstrating against a variety of issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/at-the-start-of-the-second-decade-of-the-21st-century-young-people/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [America is at war with itself because it's basically declared war not only on any sense of democratic idealism, but it's declared war on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/america-is-at-war-with-itself-because-it-s-basically-declared-war-not/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [All too often the worst thing that can happen to the young is to depoliticize them. When that happens, not only are young people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/all-too-often-the-worst-thing-that-can-happen-to-the-young-is-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [The generation of youth in the early 21st century has no way of grasping if they will ever be free from the gnawing sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-generation-of-youth-in-the-early-21st-century-has-no-way-of/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [History remains an open horizon that cannot be dismissed through appeals to the end of history or end of ideology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/history-remains-an-open-horizon-that-cannot-be-dismissed-through/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [I mean, we're not talking about simply racism, we're taking about white supremacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/i-mean-we-re-not-talking-about-simply-racism-we-re-taking-about-white/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Historical memory is a potent weapon in fighting against the desert of organized forgetting and implies a rethinking of the role that artists, intellectuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/historical-memory-is-a-potent-weapon-in-fighting-against-the-desert/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [The fight for education and justice is inseparable from the struggle for economic equality, human dignity and security, and the challenge of developing American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-fight-for-education-and-justice-is-inseparable-from-the-struggle/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [If the ongoing struggles waged by young people are to matter, demonstrations and protests must give way to more sustainable organizations that develop alternative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/if-the-ongoing-struggles-waged-by-young-people-are-to-matter/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Many conservatives see higher education as a threat to their reactionary and corporate oriented interests and would like to defund higher education, privatize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/many-conservatives-see-higher-education-as-a-threat-to-their/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Everyone is now a customer or client, and every relationship is ultimately judged in bottom-line, cost-effective terms. Freedom is no longer about equality, social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/everyone-is-now-a-customer-or-client-and-every-relationship-is/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

[Explore all 323 Henry Giroux quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

## More Agent quotes

> [I said to my agent, 'I want short, sharp, well-paid jobs because I haven't got time for anything else.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-whitelaw/i-said-to-my-agent-i-want-short-sharp-well-paid-jobs-because-i-haven/)

[Billie Whitelaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-whitelaw/)

> [I was in Vietnam, and I was exposed to Agent Orange. And there's a high relationship between people that were exposed to Agent Orange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-jordan/i-was-in-vietnam-and-i-was-exposed-to-agent-orange-and-there-s-a-high/)

[Hamilton Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilton-jordan/)

> [My first job was a film called 'Storm Damage' for the BBC. I was 16 and working with really respected British actors. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/my-first-job-was-a-film-called-storm-damage-for-the-bbc-i-was-16-and/)

[Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/)

> [In 2011, I announced that I was going to retire, and my agent panicked. So she says: 'No, no, no. You have to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/in-2011-i-announced-that-i-was-going-to-retire-and-my-agent-panicked/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [In a fit of pique, I said to my agent, 'I'm going to write something you can sell.' The idea was to write a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/in-a-fit-of-pique-i-said-to-my-agent-i-m-going-to-write-something-you/)

[Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/)

> [You can change. And you can be an agent of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dern/you-can-change-and-you-can-be-an-agent-of-change/)

[Laura Dern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dern/)

> [Anuj Bahari has always been a really good literary agent for me. What a good agent does is that he manages many of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/anuj-bahari-has-always-been-a-really-good-literary-agent-for-me-what/)

[Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/)

> [To be the agent whose touch changes nature from a wild force to a work of art is inspiration of the highest order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rodale/to-be-the-agent-whose-touch-changes-nature-from-a-wild-force-to-a/)

Robert Rodale

> [Every imperial agent wants to reduce what is possible to what is available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/every-imperial-agent-wants-to-reduce-what-is-possible-to-what-is/)

[Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/)

> [I wonder what an agent would do if he had to travel with the band he's booking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lou-williams/i-wonder-what-an-agent-would-do-if-he-had-to-travel-with-the-band-he/)

[Mary Lou Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lou-williams/)

> [I never had trouble getting an agent. I went out and got my first couple roles, and literally within six months I never had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-norris/i-never-had-trouble-getting-an-agent-i-went-out-and-got-my-first/)

[Dean Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-norris/)

> [When it comes to transfers, I leave everything with my agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hulk/when-it-comes-to-transfers-i-leave-everything-with-my-agent/)

[Hulk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hulk/)

> [The short story and the truth is that I was taking vocal lessons here in New York... One day, instead of my lesson, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-gore/the-short-story-and-the-truth-is-that-i-was-taking-vocal-lessons-here/)

[Lesley Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-gore/)

> [I don't know if I'd want to be a Secret Service agent. In the movies, it's exciting and romantic and all that. Really, most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-quaid/i-don-t-know-if-i-d-want-to-be-a-secret-service-agent-in-the-movies/)

[Dennis Quaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-quaid/)

> [I remember when I was younger. Dad's agent came round, and I asked if she would represent me. She didn't represent children at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-tomlinson/i-remember-when-i-was-younger-dad-s-agent-came-round-and-i-asked-if/)

[Eleanor Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-tomlinson/)

Browse all 466 Agent quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A citizen is a political and moral agent who in fact has a shared sense of hope and responsibility to others and not just to him or herself.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henry Giroux"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/a-citizen-is-a-political-and-moral-agent-who-in-fact-has-a-shared/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agent"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/a-citizen-is-a-political-and-moral-agent-who-in-fact-has-a-shared/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/henry-giroux-945_agent_a-citizen-is-a-political-and-moral-agent_3216528.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/henry-giroux-945_agent_a-citizen-is-a-political-and-moral-agent_3216528.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/henry-giroux-945_agent_a-citizen-is-a-political-and-moral-agent_3216528.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A citizen is a political and moral agent who in fact has a shared sense of hope and responsibility to others…” — Henry Giroux",
                "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": "Henry Giroux",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A citizen is a political and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/a-citizen-is-a-political-and-moral-agent-who-in-fact-has-a-shared/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/a-citizen-is-a-political-and-moral-agent-who-in-fact-has-a-shared/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
