--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Abstention means you stayed at home or…" description: "\"Abstention means you stayed at home or went to the beach. By casting a blank vote, you're saying you have a political conscience but you don't agree wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/jos-saramago-208_abstention_abstention-means-you-stayed-at-home-or-w_192696.png" --- # Abstention means you stayed at home or went to the beach… ![“Abstention means you stayed at home or went to the beach. By casting a blank vote, you're saying you have a political conscience but you don't agree with any of the existing parties.” quote by Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/jos-saramago-208_abstention_abstention-means-you-stayed-at-home-or-w_192696.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/jos-saramago-208_abstention_abstention-means-you-stayed-at-home-or-w_192696.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/jos-saramago-208_abstention_abstention-means-you-stayed-at-home-or-w_192696.png) > “Abstention means you stayed at home or went to the beach. By casting a blank vote, you're saying you have a political conscience but you don't agree with any of the existing parties.” [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Abstaining from voting signals a conscience without endorsing existing parties, reflecting disengagement or protest. **In simple terms:** Not voting shows you care but reject current options. Key Takeaway Consider constructive political engagement. Themes civic duty protest abstention Mood reflective concerned Type social political When to use this quote - local elections - referendums - policy advocacy Key Concepts political disengagement conscience voting democratic participation Questions to Reflect On - Why choose to abstain? - What alternatives exist to voice dissent? A Different Perspective Abstention may reduce influence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstention/) [Beach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beach/) [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) ## Related quotes > [Abstention means you stayed at home or went to the beach. By casting a blank vote, you're saying that you understand your responsibility, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/abstention-means-you-stayed-at-home-or-went-to-the-beach-by-casting-a-2/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [...I think it was a modest thing I did (Fahrenheit 9/11) ... this is an election year ... I'm not telling them how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-think-it-was-a-modest-thing-i-did-fahrenheit-9-11-this-is-an/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [The trouble is that once you see it, you can't unsee it. And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-trouble-is-that-once-you-see-it-you-can-t-unsee-it-and-once-you/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Saying you have a political solution is like saying you can write a pop song that's going to stay at the top of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/saying-you-have-a-political-solution-is-like-saying-you-can-write-a/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [Throughout the history of mankind we've always been subject to the whims of whatever our ruling body is saying. However the political pendulum swings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-gladstone/throughout-the-history-of-mankind-we-ve-always-been-subject-to-the/) [Lily Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-gladstone/) > [“The personal, as every one’s so fucking fond of saying, is political. So if some idiot politician, some power player, tries to execute policies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-k-morgan/the-personal-as-every-one-s-so-fucking-fond-of-saying-is-political-so/) [Richard K. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-k-morgan/) > [“The personal, as everyone’s so fucking fond of saying, is political. So if some idiot politician, some power player, tries to execute policies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-k-morgan/the-personal-as-everyone-s-so-fucking-fond-of-saying-is-political-so/) [Richard K. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-k-morgan/) > [I'm writing a political comedy that takes place in Canada in Quebec. It's funny. Saying political comedy is a little redundant but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-falardeau/i-m-writing-a-political-comedy-that-takes-place-in-canada-in-quebec/) [Philippe Falardeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-falardeau/) > [A dinner! How horrible! I am to be made the pretext for killing all those wretched animals and birds, and fish! Thank you for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-dinner-how-horrible-i-am-to-be-made-the-pretext-for-killing-all/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [An element of abstention, of restraint, must enter into all finer joys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vida-dutton-scudder/an-element-of-abstention-of-restraint-must-enter-into-all-finer-joys/) [Vida Dutton Scudder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vida-dutton-scudder/) > [VIRTUES, n.pl. Certain abstentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/virtues-n-pl-certain-abstentions/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Sabbath rest is more than mere abstention from physical work; and, therefore, must include worship and Scripture-reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-hertz/sabbath-rest-is-more-than-mere-abstention-from-physical-work-and/) [Joseph Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-hertz/) > [Capital is not a free gift of God or of nature. It is the outcome of a provident restriction of consumption on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/capital-is-not-a-free-gift-of-god-or-of-nature-it-is-the-outcome-of-a/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [My work...is to shatter the faith of men here, there, and everywhere, faith in affirmation, faith in negation, and faith in abstention from faith,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/my-work-is-to-shatter-the-faith-of-men-here-there-and-everywhere/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [“Complete abstention may be much easier than moderation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-pay-hinckley/complete-abstention-may-be-much-easier-than-moderation/) [Marjorie Pay Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-pay-hinckley/) ## More by Jose Saramago > [“We are born, and at that moment, it is as if we had signed a pact for the rest of our life, but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/we-are-born-and-at-that-moment-it-is-as-if-we-had-signed-a-pact-for/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [It takes little or nothing to undo reputations, the merest trifle makes and remakes them, it is simply a question of finding the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/it-takes-little-or-nothing-to-undo-reputations-the-merest-trifle/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [One can show no greater respect than to weep for a stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/one-can-show-no-greater-respect-than-to-weep-for-a-stranger/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [I am not a prophet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/i-am-not-a-prophet/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [With the passage of time, as well as the social evolution and genetic exchange, we ended up putting our conscience in the color of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/with-the-passage-of-time-as-well-as-the-social-evolution-and-genetic/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“Al día siguiente no murió nadie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/al-d-a-siguiente-no-muri-nadie/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“E se as histórias para crianças passassem a ser de leitura obrigatória para os adultos? Seriam eles capazes de aprender realmente o que há…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/e-se-as-hist-rias-para-crian-as-passassem-a-ser-de-leitura-obrigat/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [In a king, modesty would be a sign of weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/in-a-king-modesty-would-be-a-sign-of-weakness/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“the inmates of the second ward in the right wing have decided, at long last, to bury their dead, at least we shall be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/the-inmates-of-the-second-ward-in-the-right-wing-have-decided-at-long/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“Stretching one arm behind him, the man passed his hand over the horse's coat, his own skin transformed, or skin which had transformed into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/stretching-one-arm-behind-him-the-man-passed-his-hand-over-the-horse/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [I think we are blind. Blind people who can see, but do not see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/i-think-we-are-blind-blind-people-who-can-see-but-do-not-see/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [...you have to leave the island in order to see the island, that we can't see ourselves unless we become free of ourselves, Unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/you-have-to-leave-the-island-in-order-to-see-the-island-that-we-can-t/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [anyone who gets up early by inclination or has been forced to rise early out of necessity finds it intolerable that others should go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/anyone-who-gets-up-early-by-inclination-or-has-been-forced-to-rise/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [Society has to change, but the political powers we have at the moment are not enough to effect this change. The whole democratic system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/society-has-to-change-but-the-political-powers-we-have-at-the-moment/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“... aborrece os odores nocturnos, aquelas expansões do corpo a que nem poetas escapam".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/aborrece-os-odores-nocturnos-aquelas-expans-es-do-corpo-a-que-nem/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) [Explore all 487 Jose Saramago quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) ## More Abstention quotes > [“Complete abstention may be much easier than moderation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-pay-hinckley/complete-abstention-may-be-much-easier-than-moderation/) [Marjorie Pay Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-pay-hinckley/) > [My work...is to shatter the faith of men here, there, and everywhere, faith in affirmation, faith in negation, and faith in abstention from faith,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/my-work-is-to-shatter-the-faith-of-men-here-there-and-everywhere/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [Capital is not a free gift of God or of nature. It is the outcome of a provident restriction of consumption on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/capital-is-not-a-free-gift-of-god-or-of-nature-it-is-the-outcome-of-a/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Sabbath rest is more than mere abstention from physical work; and, therefore, must include worship and Scripture-reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-hertz/sabbath-rest-is-more-than-mere-abstention-from-physical-work-and/) [Joseph Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-hertz/) > [VIRTUES, n.pl. Certain abstentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/virtues-n-pl-certain-abstentions/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [A dinner! How horrible! I am to be made the pretext for killing all those wretched animals and birds, and fish! Thank you for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-dinner-how-horrible-i-am-to-be-made-the-pretext-for-killing-all/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [An element of abstention, of restraint, must enter into all finer joys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vida-dutton-scudder/an-element-of-abstention-of-restraint-must-enter-into-all-finer-joys/) [Vida Dutton Scudder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vida-dutton-scudder/) > [In my humble opinion, non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good. But in the past, non-cooperation has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/in-my-humble-opinion-non-cooperation-with-evil-is-as-much-a-duty-as/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [After the German abstention at the UN, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle commented that Germany doesn't always have to stand on the side of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/after-the-german-abstention-at-the-un-foreign-minister-guido/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [Each one of us, as long as life stirs is us, may play a part in extricating ourselves from the power system by asserting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/each-one-of-us-as-long-as-life-stirs-is-us-may-play-a-part-in/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [I have not had a moment's peace or happiness in respect to electromagnetic theory since November 28, 1846. All this time I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-kelvin/i-have-not-had-a-moment-s-peace-or-happiness-in-respect-to/) [Lord Kelvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-kelvin/) > [Twitter is a deliberate abstention. Somehow I hate the idea of there always being, in the back of my mind, this little voice saying:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/twitter-is-a-deliberate-abstention-somehow-i-hate-the-idea-of-there/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [When you are steadfast in your abstention of thoughts of harm directed toward yourself and others, all living creatures will cease to feel fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patanjali/when-you-are-steadfast-in-your-abstention-of-thoughts-of-harm/) [Patanjali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patanjali/) > [“I don't smoke, don't drink, don't fuck. At least i can fucking think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mackaye/i-don-t-smoke-don-t-drink-don-t-fuck-at-least-i-can-fucking-think/) [Ian Mackaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mackaye/) > [An artist needs knowledge and the power of observation only so that he can tell from what he is abstaining, and to be sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/an-artist-needs-knowledge-and-the-power-of-observation-only-so-that/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) [Browse all 29 Abstention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Abstention means you stayed at home or went to the beach. 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