--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pity the nation whose people are sheep…" description: "\"“Pity the nation whose people are sheep, and whose shepherds mislead them. Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced, and whose..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0f/lawrence-ferlinghetti-7689_leadership_pity-the-nation-whose-people-are-sheep-a_961410.jpg" --- # Pity the nation whose people are sheep, and whose… ![“Pity the nation whose people are sheep, and whose shepherds mislead them. Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced, and whose bigots haunt the airwaves. Pity the nation that raises not its voice, except to praise conquerors and acclaim the bully as hero and aims to rule…” quote by Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0f/lawrence-ferlinghetti-7689_leadership_pity-the-nation-whose-people-are-sheep-a_961410.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0f/lawrence-ferlinghetti-7689_leadership_pity-the-nation-whose-people-are-sheep-a_961410.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0f/lawrence-ferlinghetti-7689_leadership_pity-the-nation-whose-people-are-sheep-a_961410.jpg) > ““Pity the nation whose people are sheep, and whose shepherds mislead them. Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced, and whose bigots haunt the airwaves. Pity the nation that raises not its voice, except to praise conquerors and acclaim the bully as hero and aims to rule the world with force and by torture. Pity the nation that knows no other language but its own and no other culture but its own. Pity the nation whose breath is money and sleeps the sleep of the too well fed. Pity the nation — oh, pity the people who allow their rights to erode and their freedoms to be washed away. My country, tears of thee, sweet land of liberty.”” [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A lament that societies that surrender critical thought, truth, and diversity to authoritarianism and selfishness, warning of cultural and moral decay. **In simple terms:** Societies lose freedom when they stop questioning authority. Key Takeaway Guard your freedoms and question power. Themes freedom authority culture truth rights Mood somber reflective Type political poetic warning When to use this quote - elections - media consumption - public discourse - education reforms - community activism Key Concepts political apathy media manipulation nationalism economic inequality Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize when you are complicit? - What actions can restore diverse voices? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize and ignore positive aspects of national identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Rule the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-the-world/) ## Related quotes > [Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking. 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Pity the nation that needs to jail those who ask for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/pity-the-nation-that-has-to-silence-its-writers-for-speaking-their/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I suffer the mortification of seeing myself attacked right and left by people at home professing patriotism and love of country who never heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/i-suffer-the-mortification-of-seeing-myself-attacked-right-and-left/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [“Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion. 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A man who do not pity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-macdermott/stop-constantly-pity-other-people-for-how-unfortunate-and-miserable/) Fergus MacDermott > [“Self-pity people are the most self-centered people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-tse/self-pity-people-are-the-most-self-centered-people/) [Sarah Tse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-tse/) > [And pity--people who inspire it in you are actually very powerful people. To get someone else to take care of you, to feel sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/and-pity-people-who-inspire-it-in-you-are-actually-very-powerful/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [“I pity people who don't like to read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-turi/i-pity-people-who-don-t-like-to-read/) Susan Turi > [“I had great pity on Ansje, because she always acted very happy, but I believed that it was really a front. I could see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diet-eman/i-had-great-pity-on-ansje-because-she-always-acted-very-happy-but-i/) [Diet Eman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diet-eman/) > [Isn't it good just to be alive on a day like this? I pity the people who aren't born yet for missing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/isn-t-it-good-just-to-be-alive-on-a-day-like-this-i-pity-the-people/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [“What a splendid day! Isn't it good just to be alive on a day like this? I pity the people who aren't born yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/what-a-splendid-day-isn-t-it-good-just-to-be-alive-on-a-day-like-this/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) ## More by Lawrence Ferlinghetti > [“I am waiting for the meek to be blessed and inherit the earth... without taxes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/i-am-waiting-for-the-meek-to-be-blessed-and-inherit-the-earth-without/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [We have to raise the consciousness; the only way poets can change the world is to raise the consciousness of the general populace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/we-have-to-raise-the-consciousness-the-only-way-poets-can-change-the/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [I didn’t know that painters and writers retired. They’re like soldiers – they just fade away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/i-didn-t-know-that-painters-and-writers-retired-they-re-like-soldiers/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [I certainly was surprised to be named Poet Laureate of this far-out city on the left side of the world, and I gratefully accept,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/i-certainly-was-surprised-to-be-named-poet-laureate-of-this-far-out/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [Paperbacks weren't considered real books in the book trade. 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Those that remain are all ottom line editors; everything depends on the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/the-real-literary-editors-have-mostly-been-fired-those-that-remain/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [“Cast up the heart flops over gasping 'Love' a foolish fish which tries to draw its breath from flesh of air And no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/cast-up-the-heart-flops-over-gasping-love-a-foolish-fish-which-tries/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [The paintings may communicate even better because people are lazy and they can look at a painting with less effort than they can read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/the-paintings-may-communicate-even-better-because-people-are-lazy-and/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [Poetry can change the world, just like any art can change the world, by changing consciousness. 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