---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As politics is disconnected from its…"
description: "\"As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material moorings, it becomes easier to punish and imprison young people than to educate them.\" — Henr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/henry-giroux-945_becomes_as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-eth_34769.png"
---

#  As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material…

![“As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material moorings, it becomes easier to punish and imprison young people than to educate them.” quote by Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/henry-giroux-945_becomes_as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-eth_34769.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/henry-giroux-945_becomes_as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-eth_34769.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/henry-giroux-945_becomes_as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-eth_34769.png)

> “As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material moorings, it becomes easier to punish and imprison young people than to educate them.”

[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.

When politics loses its moral and material foundations, punitive measures replace educational approaches toward youth.

**In simple terms:** Political neglect leads to punishment over education.

Key Takeaway

Neglecting ethics in politics harms youth development.

Themes

politics ethics education youth punishment social justice

Mood

concerned critical hopeful

Type

observation critique

When to use this quote

- school disciplinary policies
- juvenile detention reform
- community youth programs

Key Concepts

political theory moral philosophy juvenile justice

Practical Applications

- policy design
- educational curriculum development

Questions to Reflect On

- How can ethical frameworks be reintegrated into political decision‑making?
- What alternatives to incarceration exist for young offenders?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Becomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becomes/) [Disconnected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disconnected/) [Disconnected Ethical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disconnected-ethical-437670/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Educate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educate/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Ethical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethical/) [Imprison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imprison/) [Imprison Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imprison-young-437671/) [Material](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/material/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Educate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-educate-413090/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics Disconnected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-disconnected-437669/) [Punish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punish/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/)

## Related quotes

> [I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-spent-three-days-a-week-for-10-years-educating-myself-in-the-public/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [The best defense against these people is to educate parents and children of the dangers that come along with the Internet and by limiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-fitzpatrick/the-best-defense-against-these-people-is-to-educate-parents-and/)

[Mike Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-fitzpatrick/)

> [“People educate each other through the mediation of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-shaull/people-educate-each-other-through-the-mediation-of-the-world/)

[Richard Shaull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-shaull/)

> [“BEFORE JUDGING PEOPLE, EDUCATE YOURSELF”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/before-judging-people-educate-yourself/)

[P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/)

> [What most of us must be involved in--whether we teach or write, make films, write films, direct films, play music, act, whatever we do--has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/what-most-of-us-must-be-involved-in-whether-we-teach-or-write-make/)

[Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/)

> [You have educate the masses to exactly what their tax dollars are going to pay for. I think once people educate themselves and open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/you-have-educate-the-masses-to-exactly-what-their-tax-dollars-are/)

[Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/)

> [The aim of all education is, or should be, to teach people to educate themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/the-aim-of-all-education-is-or-should-be-to-teach-people-to-educate/)

[Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/)

> [I don't think people educate themselves enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jadakiss/i-don-t-think-people-educate-themselves-enough/)

[Jadakiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jadakiss/)

> [It is always a much easier task to educate uneducated people than to re-educate the mis-educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-m-shelton/it-is-always-a-much-easier-task-to-educate-uneducated-people-than-to/)

[Herbert M. Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-m-shelton/)

> [“Sometimes your mind can imprison your body and can put your body under some constraints. There is only one way for your body to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/sometimes-your-mind-can-imprison-your-body-and-can-put-your-body/)

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

> [Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. This is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/nothing-can-be-more-abhorrent-to-democracy-than-to-imprison-a-person/)

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

> [Our confession will either imprison us or set us free. Our confession is the result of our believing, and our believing is the result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-hagin/our-confession-will-either-imprison-us-or-set-us-free-our-confession/)

[Kenneth E. Hagin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-hagin/)

> [What can my enemies do to me? My paradise is in my heart, it is with me wherever I go. To imprison me is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-taymiyyah/what-can-my-enemies-do-to-me-my-paradise-is-in-my-heart-it-is-with-me/)

[Ibn Taymiyyah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-taymiyyah/)

> [“Society always tries to enslave, imprison, and execute its greatest men, those who dare to stand apart and rise above.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-torode/society-always-tries-to-enslave-imprison-and-execute-its-greatest-men/)

[Sam Torode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-torode/)

> [I wonder why it is that we so often imprison ourselves in the opinions of other people. There can be no punishment worse than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawna-markova/i-wonder-why-it-is-that-we-so-often-imprison-ourselves-in-the/)

[Dawna Markova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawna-markova/)

## 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/)

> [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/)

> [America has become amnesiac, a country in which forms of historical, political, and moral forgetting are not only willfully practiced but celebrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/america-has-become-amnesiac-a-country-in-which-forms-of-historical/)

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

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

## More Becomes quotes

> [Hollywood is very much an industry town. Your life becomes caught up in all of the parties and this list and that list. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-johnson/hollywood-is-very-much-an-industry-town-your-life-becomes-caught-up/)

[Don Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-johnson/)

> [If you have more downforce, everything becomes much easier. Drivers drive better, engineers they have more room for setup, the tyres are working better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kubica/if-you-have-more-downforce-everything-becomes-much-easier-drivers/)

[Robert Kubica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kubica/)

> [I think being on a TV show is amazing but also, people get kind of used to seeing you a certain way and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-plaza/i-think-being-on-a-tv-show-is-amazing-but-also-people-get-kind-of/)

[Aubrey Plaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-plaza/)

> [For someone who works in theatre, the rehearsal is where you discover everything. It is where magic happens, where the script enters you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-fazal/for-someone-who-works-in-theatre-the-rehearsal-is-where-you-discover/)

[Ali Fazal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-fazal/)

> [We spend millions of dollars to remove pain from our lives. It's why so many people get hooked on painkillers. The body becomes addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/we-spend-millions-of-dollars-to-remove-pain-from-our-lives-it-s-why/)

[Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/)

> [As artists, we can't help but infuse our art with our own experience, so your experience becomes informative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-morrison/as-artists-we-can-t-help-but-infuse-our-art-with-our-own-experience/)

[Rachel Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-morrison/)

> [It becomes dangerous for somebody who doesn't want their boss to know their sexual preference to use online networks to push for laws supporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/it-becomes-dangerous-for-somebody-who-doesn-t-want-their-boss-to-know/)

[Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/)

> [When you try to become a good cook, in the beginning, most likely the dish is not going to be good. But you keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannik-sinner/when-you-try-to-become-a-good-cook-in-the-beginning-most-likely-the/)

[Jannik Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannik-sinner/)

> [It's interesting how sleepwalking in a certain way becomes an accumulation of your outside stimuli that's actually there and what's happening in your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/it-s-interesting-how-sleepwalking-in-a-certain-way-becomes-an/)

[Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/)

> [What actor do you really take seriously who becomes a singer? It's kind of ridiculous. I can't think of anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/what-actor-do-you-really-take-seriously-who-becomes-a-singer-it-s/)

[Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/)

> [You don't really write a hit song - you write a great song, and then, if the public decides it's a hit, they take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuno-bettencourt/you-don-t-really-write-a-hit-song-you-write-a-great-song-and-then-if/)

[Nuno Bettencourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuno-bettencourt/)

> [When an accident or a crime happens, there's a period of time before the yellow tape goes up, before the official response becomes formalized.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-gilroy/when-an-accident-or-a-crime-happens-there-s-a-period-of-time-before/)

[Dan Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-gilroy/)

> [Our society is so obsessed with working out to be skinny, and none of that has a purpose. I love that my daughter sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-price/our-society-is-so-obsessed-with-working-out-to-be-skinny-and-none-of/)

[Megyn Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-price/)

> [It's easier for me to act in Spanish, but as soon as I get the lines in English and I know them by heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-la-reguera/it-s-easier-for-me-to-act-in-spanish-but-as-soon-as-i-get-the-lines/)

[Ana de la Reguera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-la-reguera/)

> [When love becomes what Christianity is all about, we can make no sense of Jesus's death and resurrection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/when-love-becomes-what-christianity-is-all-about-we-can-make-no-sense/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

[Browse all 1,096 Becomes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becomes/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material moorings, it becomes easier to punish and imprison young people than to educate them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henry Giroux"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-ethical-and-material-moorings-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Becomes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-ethical-and-material-moorings-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/henry-giroux-945_becomes_as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-eth_34769.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/henry-giroux-945_becomes_as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-eth_34769.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/henry-giroux-945_becomes_as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-eth_34769.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material moorings, it becomes easier to punish and imprison…” — 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": "As politics is disconnected from its...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-ethical-and-material-moorings-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-ethical-and-material-moorings-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
