---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Politics is the art of controlling your…"
description: "\"Politics is the art of controlling your environment.\" — Hunter S. Thompson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/hunter-s-thompson-278_art_politics-is-the-art-of-controlling-your_539219.jpg"
---

#  Politics is the art of controlling your environment.

![“Politics is the art of controlling your environment.” quote by Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/hunter-s-thompson-278_art_politics-is-the-art-of-controlling-your_539219.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/hunter-s-thompson-278_art_politics-is-the-art-of-controlling-your_539219.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/hunter-s-thompson-278_art_politics-is-the-art-of-controlling-your_539219.jpg)

> “Politics is the art of controlling your environment.”

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

## About This Quote

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

Power is exercised by shaping surroundings to align with one’s agenda.

**In simple terms:** Control your environment.

Key Takeaway

Influence surroundings.

Themes

politics control environment

Mood

skeptical analytical

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- campaign strategy
- policy making
- media framing

Key Concepts

Power dynamics strategic manipulation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance control and ethics?
- What environment do you wish to change?

A Different Perspective

Manipulation can erode trust and democracy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Controlling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-controlling-3141627/) [Controlling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controlling/) [Controlling Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controlling-environment-2707294/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-art/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/)

## Related quotes

> [“Politics is the Art of Controlling Your Enviroment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/politics-is-the-art-of-controlling-your-enviroment/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“Controlling my environment was still a compelling need for me. I did everything I could to not be surprised by anything... Looking back, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-trujillo/controlling-my-environment-was-still-a-compelling-need-for-me-i-did/)

[Olga Trujillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-trujillo/)

> [Juggling is sometimes called the art of controlling patterns, controlling patterns in time and space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-graham/juggling-is-sometimes-called-the-art-of-controlling-patterns/)

[Ronald Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-graham/)

> [Instead of controlling the environment for the benefit of the population, perhaps we should control the population to ensure the survival of our environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/instead-of-controlling-the-environment-for-the-benefit-of-the/)

[David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/)

> [Using his burgeoning intelligence, this most successful of all mammals has exploited the environment to produce food for an ever increasing population. Instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/using-his-burgeoning-intelligence-this-most-successful-of-all-mammals/)

[David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/)

> [Leadership is the art of controlling while politics is the art of influencing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lameck-k-kosgei/leadership-is-the-art-of-controlling-while-politics-is-the-art-of/)

[Lameck K Kosgei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lameck-k-kosgei/)

> [Many of the left thinkers that really matter to me - that formed a big part of my thinking about politics and art -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/many-of-the-left-thinkers-that-really-matter-to-me-that-formed-a-big/)

[Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/)

> [If politics is the art of the possible, research is surely the art of the soluble. Both are immensely practical-minded affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/if-politics-is-the-art-of-the-possible-research-is-surely-the-art-of/)

[Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/)

> [A lot of politics in art is just institutional critique, which, in my opinion, is not all that political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/a-lot-of-politics-in-art-is-just-institutional-critique-which-in-my/)

[Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/)

> [Politics is politics; art is art. If you play a political role, you have to stop being an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youssou-n-dour/politics-is-politics-art-is-art-if-you-play-a-political-role-you-have/)

[Youssou N'Dour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/youssou-n-dour/)

> [I write some art criticism, and one thing that's clear to me is that politics is fashionable in the American art world in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-write-some-art-criticism-and-one-thing-that-s-clear-to-me-is-that/)

[Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/)

> [Politics has always been the art of the possible. Today it's too often the art of the probable - tinkering around the edges without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/politics-has-always-been-the-art-of-the-possible-today-it-s-too-often/)

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

> [Politics is the art of preventing people from busying themselves with what is their own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/politics-is-the-art-of-preventing-people-from-busying-themselves-with/)

[Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/)

> [It's sometimes hard to talk about politics and art. Obviously, I have my core beliefs, but I think art is best when it's troublesome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-s-sometimes-hard-to-talk-about-politics-and-art-obviously-i-have/)

[Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/)

> [Surely to root politics out of art is a highly necessary undertaking: for the freedom of art, like that of science, depends entirely upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyndham-lewis/surely-to-root-politics-out-of-art-is-a-highly-necessary-undertaking/)

[Wyndham Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyndham-lewis/)

## More by Hunter S. Thompson

> [“There was also the fact that sending a penniless writer to get $135 worth of beer was — as Khrushchev said of Nixon —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-was-also-the-fact-that-sending-a-penniless-writer-to-get-135/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“Cases of champagne and scotch lay broken in the street, and everyone I saw had a bottle. They were screaming and dancing, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/cases-of-champagne-and-scotch-lay-broken-in-the-street-and-everyone-i/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [No music + Bad TV = Bad mood &amp; no pages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-music-bad-tv-bad-mood-no-pages/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [No one holds command over me. No man. No god. No Prince. What is a claim of age for ones who are immortal? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-one-holds-command-over-me-no-man-no-god-no-prince-what-is-a-claim/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“The person who doesn't scatter the morning dew will not comb grey hairs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-person-who-doesn-t-scatter-the-morning-dew-will-not-comb-grey/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [Hope rises and dreams flicker and die. Love plans for tomorrow and loneliness thinks of yesterday. Life is beautiful and living is pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/hope-rises-and-dreams-flicker-and-die-love-plans-for-tomorrow-and/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [If we get chased out of Iraq with our tail between our legs, that will be the fifth consecutive Third-world country with no hint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/if-we-get-chased-out-of-iraq-with-our-tail-between-our-legs-that-will/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [At age 22 I set what I insist is an all-time record for distance hitchhiking in Bermuda shorts: 3,700 miles in three weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/at-age-22-i-set-what-i-insist-is-an-all-time-record-for-distance/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [Paranoia is just another mask for ignorance. The truth, when you finally chase it down is almost always far worse than your darkest visions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/paranoia-is-just-another-mask-for-ignorance-the-truth-when-you/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“No doubt they all Got What Was Coming To Them. All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-doubt-they-all-got-what-was-coming-to-them-all-those-pathetically/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“For several months they'd been drifting toward political involvement, but the picture was hazy and one of the most confusing elements was their geographical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/for-several-months-they-d-been-drifting-toward-political-involvement/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [He wandered into the Newsroom and asked for a job the same way he’d walk into a barbershop and ask for a haircut, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/he-wandered-into-the-newsroom-and-asked-for-a-job-the-same-way-he-d/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [There's no point in getting into politics at all unless you plan to lash things around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-no-point-in-getting-into-politics-at-all-unless-you-plan-to/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [There’s a lot of things wrong with this country, but one of the few things still right with it is that a man can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-a-lot-of-things-wrong-with-this-country-but-one-of-the-few/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

[Explore all 765 Hunter S. Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

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

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [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/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Politics is the art of controlling your environment.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hunter S. Thompson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/politics-is-the-art-of-controlling-your-environment/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/politics-is-the-art-of-controlling-your-environment/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/hunter-s-thompson-278_art_politics-is-the-art-of-controlling-your_539219.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/hunter-s-thompson-278_art_politics-is-the-art-of-controlling-your_539219.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/hunter-s-thompson-278_art_politics-is-the-art-of-controlling-your_539219.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Politics is the art of controlling your environment.” — Hunter S. Thompson",
                "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": "Hunter S. Thompson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Politics is the art of controlling...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/politics-is-the-art-of-controlling-your-environment/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/politics-is-the-art-of-controlling-your-environment/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
