--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What would it mean if we lived in a world…" description: "\"What would it mean if we lived in a world in which no one held out for the possibility of substantial political equality, or for a full cessation of co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41e/judith-butler-1374_equality_what-would-it-mean-if-we-lived-in-a-worl_617617.jpg" --- # What would it mean if we lived in a world in which no one… ![“What would it mean if we lived in a world in which no one held out for the possibility of substantial political equality, or for a full cessation of colonial practices - if no one held out for those things because they were impossible?” quote by Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41e/judith-butler-1374_equality_what-would-it-mean-if-we-lived-in-a-worl_617617.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41e/judith-butler-1374_equality_what-would-it-mean-if-we-lived-in-a-worl_617617.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41e/judith-butler-1374_equality_what-would-it-mean-if-we-lived-in-a-worl_617617.jpg) > “What would it mean if we lived in a world in which no one held out for the possibility of substantial political equality, or for a full cessation of colonial practices - if no one held out for those things because they were impossible?” [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote questions the possibility of achieving true political equality and ending colonialism when society assumes they are impossible. **In simple terms:** Imagines a world where equality seems unattainable. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge assumptions of impossibility. Themes political equality colonialism hope social change idealism Mood reflective determined critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - activism - policy reform - education curricula - community organizing Key Concepts critical theory social constructivism postcolonial studies Questions to Reflect On - What narratives make equality seem impossible? - How can we reframe “impossible” to inspire action? A Different Perspective Assuming impossibility can become a self‑fulfilling prophecy, limiting effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equality/) [Held Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/held-possibility-5003668/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-equality/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Things Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-impossible/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [As many political writers have pointed out, commitment to political equality is not an empirical claim that people are clones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/as-many-political-writers-have-pointed-out-commitment-to-political/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“We cannot fathom technology that is unknown to us, and we seldom consider things that seem impossible to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dunn/we-cannot-fathom-technology-that-is-unknown-to-us-and-we-seldom/) [Christopher Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dunn/) > [“Some things are impossible to tear yourself away from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/some-things-are-impossible-to-tear-yourself-away-from/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [There are many things that seem impossible only so long as one does not attempt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/there-are-many-things-that-seem-impossible-only-so-long-as-one-does/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“So many things seem impossible until you try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/so-many-things-seem-impossible-until-you-try/) [Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/) > [I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-am-not-nor-ever-have-been-in-favor-of-bringing-about-in-any-way-the/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Feminism is a belief that although women and men are inherently of equal worth, most societies privilege men as a group. 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At the same time we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-duda/it-is-crucial-to-maintain-the-political-equality-among-the-member/) [Andrzej Duda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-duda/) > [To deny political equality is to rob the ostracised of all self-respect; of credit in the market place; of recompense in the world of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/to-deny-political-equality-is-to-rob-the-ostracised-of-all-self/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) ## More by Judith Butler > [I don't think we have to have a personal relation to a life lost to understand that something terrible has taken place, especially in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/i-don-t-think-we-have-to-have-a-personal-relation-to-a-life-lost-to/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [We need a legal and political understanding of the right of the refugee, whereby no solution for one group produces a new class of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/we-need-a-legal-and-political-understanding-of-the-right-of-the/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [When we say gender is performed, we usually mean that we've taken on a role or we're acting in some way and that our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/when-we-say-gender-is-performed-we-usually-mean-that-we-ve-taken-on-a/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [Cameras help to minimize collateral damage, and very often, without a camera a missile cannot fire. 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If this seems so clearly the case with grief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/let-s-face-it-we-re-undone-by-each-other-and-if-we-re-not-we-re/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [The pleasurable part of public mourning can also lead to a sense of self-sanctification that justifies in advance any war effort, whether or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/the-pleasurable-part-of-public-mourning-can-also-lead-to-a-sense-of/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [“There is no life without the conditions of life that variably sustain life, and those conditions are pervasively social, establishing not the discrete ontology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/there-is-no-life-without-the-conditions-of-life-that-variably-sustain/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [“That the power regimes of heterosexism and phallogocentrism seek to augment themselves through a constant repetition of their logic, their metaphysic, and their naturalized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/that-the-power-regimes-of-heterosexism-and-phallogocentrism-seek-to/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [I think that public grieving is a good thing. 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