--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Consider the whole thing as occupational…" description: "\"“Consider the whole thing as occupational therapy. Power as cottage industry for the mad. The shepherd is slave to the sheep. A gardener is in thrall t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/katherine-dunn-2693_leader_consider-the-whole-thing-as-occupational_1540362.jpg" --- # Consider the whole thing as occupational therapy. Power as… ![“Consider the whole thing as occupational therapy. Power as cottage industry for the mad. The shepherd is slave to the sheep. A gardener is in thrall to his carrots. Only a lunatic would want to be president. These lunatics are created deliberately by those who wish to be presided over. You've seen…” quote by Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/katherine-dunn-2693_leader_consider-the-whole-thing-as-occupational_1540362.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/katherine-dunn-2693_leader_consider-the-whole-thing-as-occupational_1540362.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/katherine-dunn-2693_leader_consider-the-whole-thing-as-occupational_1540362.jpg) > ““Consider the whole thing as occupational therapy. Power as cottage industry for the mad. The shepherd is slave to the sheep. A gardener is in thrall to his carrots. Only a lunatic would want to be president. These lunatics are created deliberately by those who wish to be presided over. You've seen it a thousand times. We create a leader by locating one in the crowd who is standing up. This may well be because there are no chairs or because his knees are fused by arthritis. It doesn't matter. We designate this victim as a 'stand-up guy' by the simple expedient of sitting down around him.”” [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) ## 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 sat political leadership as a manufactured role, where ordinary people are thrust into power by circumstance rather than merit, likening it to occupational therapy for the masses. **In simple terms:** Leadership is often forced on people by situation, not by choice. Key Takeaway Question the legitimacy of leaders chosen by circumstance. Themes politics power leadership manipulation societal roles Mood skeptical critical ironic Type satirical political commentary cynical When to use this quote - elections - corporate promotions - community organizing - grassroots movements Key Concepts social engineering authority psychology institutional critique Questions to Reflect On - Are leaders always victims of circumstance? - How does this view affect civic engagement? A Different Perspective It assumes all leaders are unwilling, ignoring genuine ambition or competence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) ## Related quotes > [Only a lunatic would want to be president. These lunatics are created deliberately by those who wish to be presided over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/only-a-lunatic-would-want-to-be-president-these-lunatics-are-created/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [“My definition of LUNATIC ASYLUM: A place where lunatics are created.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-fergus/my-definition-of-lunatic-asylum-a-place-where-lunatics-are-created/) [Jim Fergus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-fergus/) > [I volunteered at UCLA's occupational therapy ward, where there are lots of kids with autism and emotional problems. I just wanted to prove to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-apple/i-volunteered-at-ucla-s-occupational-therapy-ward-where-there-are/) [Fiona Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-apple/) > [Cooking is the best occupational therapy for me. And when I cook, everybody comes to eat. It's the greatest thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-adlon/cooking-is-the-best-occupational-therapy-for-me-and-when-i-cook/) [Pamela Adlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-adlon/) > [“I’m an occupational therapist, an obscure profession if there ever was one. We are few and far between, maybe because we have chosen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-thibeault/i-m-an-occupational-therapist-an-obscure-profession-if-there-ever-was/) Rachel Thibeault > [Lunatics are similar to designated hitters. Often an entire family is crazy, but since an entire family can't go into the hospital, one person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/lunatics-are-similar-to-designated-hitters-often-an-entire-family-is/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [There are four kinds of people in this world: cretins, fools, morons, and lunatics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-four-kinds-of-people-in-this-world-cretins-fools-morons-and/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Astrology, or when the stars enlighten illuminated who dazzle a bunch of lunatics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-carvel/astrology-or-when-the-stars-enlighten-illuminated-who-dazzle-a-bunch/) [Paul Carvel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-carvel/) > [“When Dr. James Young Simpson sought to apply anesthesia to a woman in childbirth, the clergymen of his day foamed at the mouth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/when-dr-james-young-simpson-sought-to-apply-anesthesia-to-a-woman-in/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [She didn't quite know what the relationship was between lunatics and the moon, but it must be a strong one, if they used a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-quite-know-what-the-relationship-was-between-lunatics-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Im's offspring stare at stars and make clocks that calculate useless happenings like the angle of a hawk's claws as it strikes its prey.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/im-s-offspring-stare-at-stars-and-make-clocks-that-calculate-useless/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [My view of actors is that basically they're all harmless lunatics who'd be on the psychiatrist's couch, except that we get this sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/my-view-of-actors-is-that-basically-they-re-all-harmless-lunatics-who/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [The lunatics have taken over the asylum and we can do anything we want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-lunatics-have-taken-over-the-asylum-and-we-can-do-anything-we-want/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The captain, thinking over this event afterward, realized that by his own lifelong standards he had a crew composed entirely of lunatics, with himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-clement/the-captain-thinking-over-this-event-afterward-realized-that-by-his/) [Hal Clement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-clement/) > [“Sane people did what their neighbours did, so that if any lunatics were at large, one might know and avoid them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/sane-people-did-what-their-neighbours-did-so-that-if-any-lunatics/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) ## More by Katherine Dunn > [Though 'Fat City' was written long before cellphones or the Internet, its human apparatus is state of the art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/though-fat-city-was-written-long-before-cellphones-or-the-internet/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [A true freak cannot be made. A true freak must be born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/a-true-freak-cannot-be-made-a-true-freak-must-be-born/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [I think genetic research is a fascinating and fertile area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/i-think-genetic-research-is-a-fascinating-and-fertile-area/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [A boxing gym is a place where men are allowed to be kind to one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/a-boxing-gym-is-a-place-where-men-are-allowed-to-be-kind-to-one/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [My own theory about the phlegmatic qualities and properties of the English is the mountain of pure white sugar hydrocarbons they consume every day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/my-own-theory-about-the-phlegmatic-qualities-and-properties-of-the/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [Sometimes we followed the crops, doing migrant labor. We did several years of tenant farming in Western Oregon starting in the early '50s. Later,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/sometimes-we-followed-the-crops-doing-migrant-labor-we-did-several/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [There should be unemployment insurance for fictional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/there-should-be-unemployment-insurance-for-fictional-people/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [My handwriting was nothing to write home about, and I had this idea that calligraphy was like taking Latin in high school: that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/my-handwriting-was-nothing-to-write-home-about-and-i-had-this-idea/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [“There are those whose own vulgar normality is so apparent and stultifying that they strive to escape it. They affect flamboyant behavior and claim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/there-are-those-whose-own-vulgar-normality-is-so-apparent-and/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [Only a lunatic would want to be president. These lunatics are created deliberately by those who wish to be presided over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/only-a-lunatic-would-want-to-be-president-these-lunatics-are-created/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [In a really good, closely matched situation, the style of the boxer is every bit as explicit and specific to him as a painter's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/in-a-really-good-closely-matched-situation-the-style-of-the-boxer-is/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [But the animation has become very good, and I think that a movie is not a book, and a book is not a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/but-the-animation-has-become-very-good-and-i-think-that-a-movie-is/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [I'd always been fascinated by boxing and became very engaged with it through my husband, actually. But I started to write about it because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/i-d-always-been-fascinated-by-boxing-and-became-very-engaged-with-it/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [I thought that was actually kind of boring, that search for perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/i-thought-that-was-actually-kind-of-boring-that-search-for-perfection/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [American culture is torn between our long romance with violence and our terror of the devastation wrought by war and crime and environmental havoc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/american-culture-is-torn-between-our-long-romance-with-violence-and/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) [Explore all 154 Katherine Dunn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) ## More Leader quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) Brian Reade > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) > [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) > [“A man who saw has turned blind, A hearer deaf, A leader now leads astray!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-lichtheim/a-man-who-saw-has-turned-blind-a-hearer-deaf-a-leader-now-leads-astray/) [Miriam Lichtheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-lichtheim/) > [We're going to create factory jobs for recent immigrants, and Donald Trump is going to take care of them. That's why his numbers, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sessions/we-re-going-to-create-factory-jobs-for-recent-immigrants-and-donald/) [Jeff Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sessions/) > [I always wanted someone looking up to me and trying to understand where I'm coming from as a leader. I'm ready for that. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillon-brooks/i-always-wanted-someone-looking-up-to-me-and-trying-to-understand/) [Dillon Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillon-brooks/) > [I really don't think you need a letter on your jersey to be a leader on a hockey club.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carey-price/i-really-don-t-think-you-need-a-letter-on-your-jersey-to-be-a-leader/) [Carey Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carey-price/) > [I think leading by example is important, as I know the next generation is watching us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-skolnik/i-think-leading-by-example-is-important-as-i-know-the-next-generation/) [Michael Skolnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-skolnik/) > [Leadership is made for service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hyles/leadership-is-made-for-service/) [Jack Hyles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hyles/) > [“All to often, on the long road up, young leaders become servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-to-often-on-the-long-road-up-young-leaders-become-servants-of/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [However, however, if the goal is to abandon America's free enterprise economy, if the goal is to convert America into a submissive member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/however-however-if-the-goal-is-to-abandon-america-s-free-enterprise/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Notoriously outspoken, his sentences always punctuated with profanities, General George S. Patton was the epitome of what a leader should be like - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/notoriously-outspoken-his-sentences-always-punctuated-with/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [I was born in Cuba. At the age of 14 years of age I was involved in a revolution. We were suffering from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-was-born-in-cuba-at-the-age-of-14-years-of-age-i-was-involved-in-a/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/effective-leaders-are-made-not-born-they-learn-from-trial-and-error/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) [Browse all 10,680 Leader quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Consider the whole thing as occupational therapy. Power as cottage industry for the mad. The shepherd is slave to the sheep. A gardener is in thrall to his carrots. Only a lunatic would want to be president. These lunatics are created deliberately by those who wish to be presided over. You've seen it a thousand times. We create a leader by locating one in the crowd who is standing up. This may well be because there are no chairs or because his knees are fused by arthritis. It doesn't matter. 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