--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Olympics is an imperfect interregnum…" description: "\"The Olympics is an imperfect interregnum, the parade of nations a fantasy about a peace never won. It offers little relief from strife and no harbor fr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/jill-lepore-4886_about_the-olympics-is-an-imperfect-interregnum_2125859.png" --- # The Olympics is an imperfect interregnum, the parade of… ![“The Olympics is an imperfect interregnum, the parade of nations a fantasy about a peace never won. It offers little relief from strife and no harbor from terror.” quote by Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/jill-lepore-4886_about_the-olympics-is-an-imperfect-interregnum_2125859.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/jill-lepore-4886_about_the-olympics-is-an-imperfect-interregnum_2125859.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/jill-lepore-4886_about_the-olympics-is-an-imperfect-interregnum_2125859.png) > “The Olympics is an imperfect interregnum, the parade of nations a fantasy about a peace never won. It offers little relief from strife and no harbor from terror.” [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Olympics masks ongoing global conflicts, offering a fleeting illusion of unity without solving deeper tensions. **In simple terms:** Games provide a false sense of peace. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of symbolic events. Themes politics peace illusion Mood skeptical reflective Type critical analytical When to use this quote - international diplomacy - sports journalism - public discourse Key Concepts nationalism media spectacle conflict resolution Questions to Reflect On - How does the Olympics influence public perception of war? - Can symbolic gestures ever replace substantive policy? A Different Perspective The event can distract from real issues rather than address them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Olympics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olympics/) [Parade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parade/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Relief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relief/) [Strife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strife/) ## Related quotes > [Seek opportunity, not security. A boat in the harbor is safe, but in time its bottom will rot out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seek-opportunity-not-security-a-boat-in-the-harbor-is-safe-but-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Better to move on than harbor hate. Once I’d realized that, life wasn’t so bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pippa-dacosta/better-to-move-on-than-harbor-hate-once-i-d-realized-that-life-wasn-t/) [Pippa DaCosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pippa-dacosta/) > [“He's asleep in the harbor, disguised as dog shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/he-s-asleep-in-the-harbor-disguised-as-dog-shit/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [Today, war of necessity is used by critics of military action to describe unavoidable response to an attack like that on Pearl Harbor that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/today-war-of-necessity-is-used-by-critics-of-military-action-to/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [“When we start raising different inconsistent truths, life may tip into bewilderment and the brain may go haywire. The confrontation between what is, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-we-start-raising-different-inconsistent-truths-life-may-tip-into/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [A ship at harbor is safe, but thats not ships are for](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-ship-at-harbor-is-safe-but-thats-not-ships-are-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where lies the final harbor, whence we unmoor no more?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/where-lies-the-final-harbor-whence-we-unmoor-no-more/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. —John A. Shedd”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/a-ship-in-harbor-is-safe-but-that-is-not-what-ships-are-built-for/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [Ships are safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for. So set sail on the stormy sea of love. You're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/ships-are-safe-in-harbor-but-that-s-not-what-ships-are-for-so-set/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [Happy the man who from the sea escapes the storm and finds harbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/happy-the-man-who-from-the-sea-escapes-the-storm-and-finds-harbor/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [We like to think the best of ourselves. We like to believe we always say and do the right things. We like to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/we-like-to-think-the-best-of-ourselves-we-like-to-believe-we-always/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [I was in Shanghai when the Japanese invaded China. I was there in Shanghai when, the morning after Pearl Harbor, they seized Shanghai.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-was-in-shanghai-when-the-japanese-invaded-china-i-was-there-in/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [A ship is safe in harbor, but thats not what ships are for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-ship-is-safe-in-harbor-but-thats-not-what-ships-are-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [From the top of a high rock, I obtained a good few of the most extensive and dreary wilderness I ever beheld. It chilled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/from-the-top-of-a-high-rock-i-obtained-a-good-few-of-the-most/) [John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/) > [“Steer well! The harbor just ahead Aglow with glory’s ray, Will on thee golden luster shed, From out the gates of day, And waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-carson/steer-well-the-harbor-just-ahead-aglow-with-glory-s-ray-will-on-thee/) [Rae Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-carson/) ## More by Jill Lepore > [Weirdly, there have been a lot of critics of conservatism, but very few critics of innovation. As a culture, we are deeply paranoid about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/weirdly-there-have-been-a-lot-of-critics-of-conservatism-but-very-few/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [History is only written from what remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/history-is-only-written-from-what-remains/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [The study of history requires investigation, imagination, empathy, and respect. Reverence just doesn't enter into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/the-study-of-history-requires-investigation-imagination-empathy-and/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Well-reported news is a public good; bad news is bad for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/well-reported-news-is-a-public-good-bad-news-is-bad-for-everyone/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [The very first television ad targeted to women was produced by the Eisenhower-Nixon campaign in 1956. It includes footage of a woman supervising her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/the-very-first-television-ad-targeted-to-women-was-produced-by-the/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Republicans were more pro-choice than Democrats up until the late 1980s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/republicans-were-more-pro-choice-than-democrats-up-until-the-late/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [It feels silly to watch endless hours of winter sports every four years, when we never watch them any other time, and we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/it-feels-silly-to-watch-endless-hours-of-winter-sports-every-four/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Historians once assumed that when childhood mortality was high, people must not have loved their children very much; it would have been too painful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/historians-once-assumed-that-when-childhood-mortality-was-high-people/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [When carrying a concealed weapon for self-defense is understood NOT as a failure of civil society, to be mourned, but as an act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/when-carrying-a-concealed-weapon-for-self-defense-is-understood-not/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > ['Doctor Who' is, unavoidably, a product of mid-twentieth-century debates about Britain's role in the world as its empire unravelled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/doctor-who-is-unavoidably-a-product-of-mid-twentieth-century-debates/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [“Still, it strikes me that, taken together, they do make an argument, and it is this: the rise of American democracy is bound up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/still-it-strikes-me-that-taken-together-they-do-make-an-argument-and/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [One day, I was playing 'The Game of Life,' the board game, with a mess of kids, and I wasn't quite sure how, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/one-day-i-was-playing-the-game-of-life-the-board-game-with-a-mess-of/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Mainly, the more faddish and newer stages of life are really just marketing schemes. Tweenhood. The young old. The quarter-life crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/mainly-the-more-faddish-and-newer-stages-of-life-are-really-just/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [“Politics is a story about the relationship between the past and the future; history is a story about the relationship between the past and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/politics-is-a-story-about-the-relationship-between-the-past-and-the/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Not long before my mother died, I found a long-lost portrait of Jane Franklin's granddaughter, Jane Flagg, aged nine - oil on canvas -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/not-long-before-my-mother-died-i-found-a-long-lost-portrait-of-jane/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) [Explore all 105 Jill Lepore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Olympics is an imperfect interregnum, the parade of nations a fantasy about a peace never won. It offers little relief from strife and no harbor from terror.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jill Lepore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/the-olympics-is-an-imperfect-interregnum-the-parade-of-nations-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/the-olympics-is-an-imperfect-interregnum-the-parade-of-nations-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/jill-lepore-4886_about_the-olympics-is-an-imperfect-interregnum_2125859.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/jill-lepore-4886_about_the-olympics-is-an-imperfect-interregnum_2125859.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/jill-lepore-4886_about_the-olympics-is-an-imperfect-interregnum_2125859.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Olympics is an imperfect interregnum, the parade of nations a fantasy about a peace never won. It offers…” — Jill Lepore", "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": "Jill Lepore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Olympics is an imperfect interregnum,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/the-olympics-is-an-imperfect-interregnum-the-parade-of-nations-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/the-olympics-is-an-imperfect-interregnum-the-parade-of-nations-a/#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 } } ] } ```